Subho Naboborsho !!

   Aaj Poila Baishak Choddosho-satero !!  Sabai ke janai naboborsher shubheccha o preeti...

[It is  Poila Baishak Choddosho-satero today !! Wish you all a very Happy Bengali New Year !!]

While I was looking for an appropriate image to accompany my Bengali New years greetings to all, I came across  some beautiful paintings by Dithi Chakrabortty at Deezden. Owing to copy-right issues I have not posted here any of her paintings ..... but if you are fond of art, you must visit her blog. She is a self-taught artist who merges very beautifully the traditional Bengali styles in her art. In the words of Chandana Banerjee, who recently interviewed Dithi for Femina,

" Bronze-skinned and doe-eyed Indian women waltz through her canvases, whispering secrets for the onlooker to interpret."

Having grown up in Bengal myself, I can very easily relate to the folklore, the festivals and the Indian woman in her various avatars which form the central theme of most of her paintings. Of the ones I have seen so far, Holi, The red tufted Cockatoo, The Fortune Telling Parrots and The Batua easily qualify as my favourites for the memories they refresh.

I am quite thrilled to have found her blog and so on New Year's day, I thought the best way to greet you all would be by sharing with you my finds of the day !!