How fashion designer Samant Chauhan’s memories from his home in Bhagalpur inform his latest collection

I have a cross-cultural family. We have our origins in Rajasthan and migrated to Bihar generations ago. I grew up in Bhagalpur, where my understanding of craft began with seeing the silk weavers there. My work with ahimsa silk has gone beyond just weaves to re-engineering processes for modern luxury. We now use this craft and transform it into highly sculpted forms, architectural tailoring and layered eveningwear.

Two memories from Bhagalpur’s Diwali celebrations inform my work, especially the just-launched “Where is My Home?” collection. One of them is the simple clay gharonda, a miniature house, traditionally made by women during Diwali. It has stayed with me as an expression of how deeply the idea of home is woven into our celebrations and everyday lives. This memory inspired my first-ever attempt at accessorisation with what I call ‘gharonda bags’. The gold accents in my jewellery are my tribute to the golden fort of Jaisalmer and my Rajasthani heritage.

Samant Chauhan’s gharonda bag (Photo: Samant Chauhan)

The other Diwali memory is lighting the fire pit, again dug out in clay. The men would light jute stalks with the clay lamps that the women lit around the house and kindle the fire in the pit. The idea was to usher in Lakshmi or good fortune with the purifying agni. In fact, the clay imagery gets reflected in the earth tones and the licking fire in the tints and embellishments in my collection. Home is not always one place. Sometimes it is the coming together of everything we carry with us.