Magic of the monsoons: the city on the river through Paoli’s eyes

For Paoli Dam, the monsoon in Kolkata isn’t just weather—it’s a rhythm that seeps into the soul. This time, she happened to be home during the rains, and a shoot on the Ganges became a canvas of grey skies, glistening waters, and memories that refused to stay in the past.Where Tagore’s verses met a child’s paper boats “I love rain; it’s romantic for me,” says Paoli, her eyes lighting up at the thought of Kolkata’s monsoon magic. “The early days of the season I was travelling, so being here now feels special.” Shooting under the open sky on a boat, with the Howrah Bridge veiled in drizzle, was nothing short of ethereal. “It made me feel so alive—it reminded me of childhood days when we made origami paper boats and floated them in puddles,” she recalls. And through it all, one Tagore line lingered on her lips: ‘Aaji jharo jharo mukharo baadorodine / Jaani ne, jaani ne kichhute keno je mono laage naa.’ “I kept humming it throughout the shoot,” she smiles. “Rain, the river, the bridge—it wasn’t a shoot; it was a moment I lived.”Quote Blurb:"Rain kissing my skin, the Ganges beneath, the Howrah Bridge in the mist - I wasn’t posing, I was living the magic"– Paoli"The idea struck me in the first spell of rain—what better than Paoli di soaking in the season she loves most? We shot in the city’s monsoon mood board: dreamy skies, a misty Howrah Bridge fading like an old postcard, and a boat steeped in heritage. It wasn’t just a photoshoot; it was Kolkata telling its own story through her" - Tathagata Ghosh, photographer