Panjabi and Shawl: The বাঙালি Dhuti's Best Men

Sumana Mukherjee
6 days ago
3 min read

You may not have seen any Bengali man being called Babumoshai in real life, but you are surely missing something if you have not attended a Bengali wedding or a Baithaki Adda where the men are dressed impeccably in silk Panjabis, paired with dhutis pleated with precision and often, a regal shawl draped across one shoulder.

Bengal's textile history is mostly discussed with the reputed Baluchari, the Jamdani, the Garad—and rightfully so, for these are masterworks of weaving and design. But the story is incomplete without acknowledging the silk Panjabis, the shawls, the dhutis that have equally defined Bengali masculinity and cultural participation. These garments aren't fabled or worn only by elderly men clinging to tradition. Walk into any traditional Bengali wedding or Durga Puja celebration today, and you'll find young men—software engineers, musicians, academics, artists—choosing to dress in silk Panjabis embroidered with such finesse that they become the room's quiet focal points.

Mukur understands this continuation intimately. Founded and led by women who see their work less as fashion entrepreneurship and more as cultural stewardship, the brand has created Tattwa—a men's collection that honours Bengali textile traditions without treating them as museum pieces requiring careful handling. These are clothes meant to be worn, moved in, lived with, to bridge the tactile warmth of centuries-old craft techniques with silhouettes that feel contemporary yet nostalgic.

The collection centers on what Bengalis call the Panjabi—what others might recognize as a silk kurta, but the regional terminology matters because it carries specific cultural associations. A Bengali Panjabi is a quintessential style statement focused on enhancing cultural fluency, and not to mention, to bring glamour to the occasions!

Mukur's approach draws from Bengal's finest handwoven textiles: Bishnupuri silk from Bishnupur and Tussar silk from Purulia. Bishnupuri silk arrives with rich texture and luminous drape, and Tussar offers a textured surface that evokes organic creativity across borders. Together, they capture Bengali aesthetics at its most refined yet grounded state.

Tattwa includes Kantha embroidery, which adds another layer of meaning to this menswear collection. Kantha began as a domestic craft practiced by Bengali women who repurposed old saris with delicate running stitches, transforming worn fabric into quilts, covers, and wraps that carried both utility and beauty. Over generations, this practical necessity evolved into a recognized art form, with each stitch representing connection across time to the countless women who found creative expression in discarded textiles. One of the most authentic versions of upcycling if you will and the history of Kantha is perhaps the most significant connection between Mukur and Bengali textiles.

Tussar Silk Kurta with Warli Art and Kantha Embroidery

The team often says that Mukur (meaning:mirror) is "a love letter to thread," which actually captures something essential about their philosophy. The crafts being celebrated—Kantha stitching, silk weaving, block printing—have been sustained largely by women across Bengal for generations. By curating these techniques into a men's collection, Mukur inverts conventional gendered boundaries around craft and consumption.

We keep hearing that the past couple of decades successfully convinced Indians to believe that hustling is the key to success. That you need to have western silhouettes ONLY to be considered respectable in social situations. With time, this ‘fast’ made some people ‘furious’ and thankfully, they are now making space for Indian heritage textiles in their wardrobes. With Mukur, we may have found the perfect way to fill those spaces.