Rajlakshmi banks on Tagore in new launch 
Kolkata, Sept 11 (IBNS)
Pianist and fashionista Rajlakshmi Ghosh, in her attempt to reinvent Rabindranath Tagore, launched new fashion range on Monday graced by enchanting music and poetry.
While the 150th year of Tagore has witnessed series of musical events, Rajlakshmi conceptualized the evening with music, poetry and ramp walk titled 'Romance with Tagore' under one roof.
"This is one of those evenings when we have tried to bind together the diverse multifaceted talent of the bard through a thread of continuity," said Rajlakshmi at the launch.
The dignitaries present for the evening were painter Suvaprasanna, who inaugurated the event and Sports and Transport Minister, Madan Mitra.
While Rajlakshmi rendered some melodious music on piano like 'Phoole phoole dhole dhole' inspired by Scottish tune Robert Burns and 'Je raate mor duar guli bhanglo jhore' among others, journalist Shankarlal Bhattacharjee lent his voice to the intermittent verse and poems from Gitanjali, which is also in its centenary year of publication.
Finally the models took over the ramp with traditional drapes inspired by Tagore with a range that extended from Kantha stitch; Batik silk with Zari work containing real Swarovski; Pashmina saree, the kind used as shawl in Tagore's time to Banarasi net saree with velvet finish; and silks.
'Romance with Tagore' was devoted to the revival of ancient culture, literature, art and fashion where the designer projected that Tagore was the Indian renaissance response to the revival of the West, not only through his musical creations and literature but through fashion and lifestyle as well.
Said the designer,"I wanted to showcase that Tagore had influenced our fashion and lifestyles not only in his time but even today. The Bengali aristocrats indulged in wearing silks, muslins and tant in those times. Tagore's characters indulged in these dresses and I have tried to give it a modern look."
Her works are an attempt to bring the contemporary fashion into concepts of Tagore as all women aspire to look traditional yet modern in everything she wears.
"I have tried to showcase an electric mix in my collection here of the traditional matched with modern concept to give it a contemporary fashionable look. This is also the launch of my new range of clothes keeping Durga Puja," she added.
Madan Mitra shared his insights at the launch that the new government has always tried to revive Bengal through Tagore and he feels that fashion is a style having "a face and mask" which are contradictory in nature.
The showstopper for the evening was Tollywood actress Parijat Chakraborty and the show was sponsored by Bengal Chambers of Commerce, Ontrack, Gaja, IFS, Allure, Teacher's and Asian Hotels.