The Gohona Bori Experience

Gohona means jewellery. Gohona bori is lentil paste piped by hand into delicate, lace-like patterns on a bed of poppy seeds, then dried in the winter sun until each piece can be lifted whole, like a brooch. It asks for patience, a steady hand and good company, and it has always been learned the same way: side by side, from the people who make it.

For one weekend in December, step into village time and learn it that way too.

At Turiyo

You stay at Turiyo, our ancestral farmhouse in Chauddhachuli: a rustic retreat with modern luxuries. Meals are home-cooked and traditional, shared around communal tables, with vegetables from our kitchen garden, fish from a century-old pond and the freshest of village produce. Food and stay are included.

The shape of the days

A rough outline. The sun decides the rest.

• Saturday 5 December: arrive. Leave the city behind, settle into the farmhouse and meet the artisans you will be working with. Share the first meal, and set the lentils to soak.
• Sunday 6 December: make. Grind the paste and learn to pipe the patterns, slowly at first. Lay them out to dry in the sun. Then immerse yourself in forest bathing, and trace the village paths during the golden hour.
• Monday 7 December: pack and leave. Lift the finished bori, fill a jar of your own creations to carry home, and sit down to one last meal before the journey back.

Learn the craft

Tell us you are interested and we will be in touch with the cost, the journey from Kolkata and everything you need to bring.

Curious about the craft, its history and how the residency works? Read the Gohona Bori FAQ.