Thu Feb 20 05:55:04 UTC 2025: ## Tagore’s Fashion Legacy to be Showcased in Kolkata
**KOLKATA, Feb 20, 2025** – A two-day exhibition, “Tagore & Textiles: Santiniketan and Beyond,” will open in Kolkata on February 21st, highlighting the Tagore family’s significant contribution to Bengal’s textile heritage. The event, presented by Weavers Studio Resource Centre at the Kolkata Centre for Creativity, aims to educate younger generations about the family’s role in shaping Bengali fashion and its connection to Swadeshi ideals.
The exhibition will showcase mid-20th-century Batik from Santiniketan, from the collection of Umang Hutheesing, and explore how the Tagore family fused colonial and Brahmo dress codes, pioneered Batik techniques, and fostered a unique Swadeshi aesthetic. Curator Sangeeta Datta emphasized the importance of understanding the link between Swadeshi, nationalism, and the educational institution of Santiniketan, which Gandhi also visited. Dr. Datta also highlighted the international influences on Tagore’s aesthetic, including Javanese Batik techniques introduced to Kala Bhavan.
The event will feature talks on the evolution of Batik and the pioneering work of Sriniketan in artistic crafts, as well as a choreographed fashion show exploring colonial modernity and Brahmo dress codes. Darshan Shah, founder of Weavers Studio Resource Centre, noted the exhibition will reveal the often-unseen colonial influences embedded in Bengali fashion and public interactions. The exhibition will also discuss Rabindranath Tagore’s contrasting views on nationalism compared to Gandhi’s, and the socio-cultural significance of textiles in Tagore’s works.
First Piper 