Srishti Gupta Roy's Graduation collection

 "The curious case of Mc Aloo Tikki"

1. What is the soul essence of the collection?

Traditional Modernist.

2. From where did you draw the inspiration for the collection?

We are a billion little things in a billion strong nation. It is impossible not to be astonished by India. Nowhere on Earth does humanity present itself in such a dizzying, creative burst of cultures and religions, races and tongues. Enriched by successive waves of migration and marauders from distant lands, every one of them left an indelible imprint which was absorbed into the Indian way of life. Every aspect of the country presents itself on a massive, exaggerated scale, worthy in comparison only to the superlative mountains that overshadow it. It is this variety which provides a breathtaking ensemble for experiences that is uniquely Indian. Perhaps the only thing more difficult than to be indifferent to India would be to describe or understand India completely.

3. Why have you named this collection ‘The curious case of Mc Aloo Tikki’?

“Modern day India represents the largest democracy in the world with a seamless picture of unity in diversity unparalleled anywhere else." -Rough Guide to India Mc Donalds, which is one of the largest fast-food chains in the world offers a special Mac Aloo Tikki Burger in their Indian franchises which is the highest selling product in our market-thereby, showing that even when International franchises come to our country they always fine tune their products according to our tastes. No matter how modern we become in our ways, we are always inherently attached to our roots, which is so strong and dominant. No matter how much money we have, we will haggle with the street vendors and drink milk out of big steel glasses.

4. How would you define ‘Traditional yet modern’ when put together?

The more we move towards an idea of a modern and developed India with malls and multinationals, the more we take inspiration from our roots. The idea is to juxtapose Indian folklore and everyday things like autos, bright Indian faces with modern clean ideas. Typical Indian motifs and the things we see everyday like steel Tiffin boxes and the new age cityscape with monuments as well as multinational offices act as an inspiration for this collection. We as Indians are inherently bright, colorful and maximal and hopefully despite the tidal wave of urbanization and minimalism that is sweeping our country, we can manage to retain our charm.

So are you ready to be a traditional modernist?