Shubho Deepavali: Diwali decor, Gohona silver and our new attar collection
The rangoli is drying on the doorstep. Somewhere a pressure cooker is whistling, a child is counting phuljhuris, and the first row of diyas is waiting for dusk. Diwali is almost here.
From all of us at Daroonjinish in Kolkata: Shubho Deepavali, and a blessed Kali Puja night. This year we wanted to bring you three things that make our festival feel like home: handwoven decor that holds the light, Gohona silver for the night of the puja, and our new attar collection. Everything you see here was made by hand, by the artisans of Bengal.
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1. Let the light sit on something handmade
A diya looks different on a woven base. The grass catches the flame and glows gold around it. Our Sabai Grass Dokra Table Mats are 10 inches across, with a hand-cast Dokra metal wheel set into the weave. Use one under your puja diya, at the centre of the dining table, or hang it on the wall once the festival is over.
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Mustard Yellow Dokra Mat ₹750 |
Deep Teal Dokra Mat ₹750 |
Styling tip: place three mats in a row along a console or a stair landing, with a diya on each. Each mat is one of a kind, so no two glows will look the same.
2. Set a festive table for the whole family
Diwali is really about the table: the bhaja, the mishti, the endless cups of cha as relatives drop by. Sabai grass brings warmth to it without trying too hard. Our Sea Green Dining Mat pairs beautifully with blue pottery, and the Blue & Golden Round Basket Tray, woven over a month by rural women artisans of Bengal, is made for serving sweets.
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Blue & Golden Tray ₹850 |
Rust Red Tray ₹1,050 |
Sea Green Mat ₹650 |
The Rust Red Tray has a hand-painted blue pottery coaster set into its base. At 8 inches across, it is just right for dry fruits, nimki or a cluster of tea lights.
3. Gifts worth keeping after the sweets are gone
The box usually goes in the bin. Ours won't. Our Mewa Basket Box is handwoven sabai with a zari border, and it holds up to 3 kg of dry fruits, sweets or a full festive hamper. When it is empty, it becomes a jewellery box, a sewing box, or a place for letters.
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Mewa Basket Box ₹1,250 |
Festive Basket ₹850 |
Trina Mini Basket Bag ₹950 |
Building a hamper? Line the 12-inch Festive Basket with a cloth, fill it with sweets and add a diya on top. For the person who has everything, the Trina Mini Basket Bag, lined in brocade and finished with a floral applique, is a gift and a wrapper in one.
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4. Gohona for the night of lights
On Diwali night, many Bengali homes also celebrate Kali Puja. It is a night for something that means more than it costs. Gohona is our line of handcrafted 92.5 hallmarked silver shakha, pola and bala, each one built around a story from Bengal's jewellery heritage.
Kusuma Shakha brings together the white shakha and GI-tagged Banaras Gulab Meenakari. Each rose-pink enamel flower is made by hand by a nationally renowned artisan, set in 92.5 hallmarked silver.
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Hiranya Citrine set in silver, the golden fire of Shakti |
Dvandva Bala Sona and Rupa: gold, silver, sun and moon |
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| Anamika Rings | Satdala Shakti | Sikhin Pola |
Gohona prices are shared on request. Write to us and we will help you choose.
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5. Our new attar collection
This Diwali we are opening a new chapter: our new attar collection. Every Daroonjinish attar is blended by hand in small batches, with fragrance oils, floral oils and oud from the distilleries of Uttar Pradesh. Attar is pure oil, with no alcohol. Roll it on your wrist or behind the ear, and it stays close to the skin, opening slowly through the day.
Each attar will come in a midnight navy keepsake box, with the gold lotus on the lid and the bottle resting on red satin inside. It is the kind of box you keep on a dressing table long after the attar is gone.
Nine scents make up the family, from the rose and oud of Gulab Oud to Chundi, named for the fierce mother herself. We will share each one's story as it launches.
Fragrance meets Gohona. We are also working on scented shakha. A small porous bead set in the silver clutch holds a drop of attar, so your bangle carries your fragrance through the day. The shell itself is never soaked. Follow us for the launch.
Be the first to know about our new attar collection
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Our Diwali wish for you
May your home be full of light, your table full of people, and your hands full of things made with love. Every basket, mat and bangle on this page began as a pair of hands in a village or workshop in Bengal. When you choose handmade this Diwali, you light a lamp in their homes too.
Shubho Deepavali.
With love, from all of us at Daroonjinish, Kolkata.