A portrait of Wajid Ali Shah, the former ruler of Awadh, created by artist Soumyadeep Roy. , Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Wajid Ali Shah, the last king of Awadh, spent the latter part of his life in exile in Kolkata, but the city still remembers him best for the local potatoes. biryaniHis contribution to its gastronomic landscape is acknowledged.
But now an artist has emerged in the city whose favorite subject is one of the most popular Indian characters from colonial history, so much so that Soumyadeep Roy, formally educated in literature, Indian classical music and cinema, attends almost every event. Held in Kolkata, belonging to this ruler of Awadh. And now he is going to Lucknow to participate in the prestigious Santakada Mahotsav to showcase some of his works on Wajid Ali Shah.
Read this also Remembering a long forgotten hero
“My work mainly deals with the history of the city and that is how I became interested in Metiabruz [the neighbourhood where the exiled ruler settled down with his people]I love how the city is made up of bubbles that are cosmopolitan – how different communities try to recreate the places they came from. Metiabruz is where a large population came to Kolkata from Awadh and who built a miniature version of their Lucknow here. I was initially fascinated by it and started researching,” Mr Roy said, explaining what got him interested in the last king of Awadh.
“Ultimately, and inevitably, Wajid Ali Shah came to the fore, because it was all his brainchild. Once I started going deeper, there was no looking back. “Every aspect of Wajid Ali Shah’s life is incredibly interesting and intrinsically linked to the creation of a city within a city,” he said. “He was not just a king, but an artist. The scale of his work was huge. And the impact of his work in every field is still leaving its mark, be it art, literature, music, performance, culinary culture or administration.
“At the same time, while working on it, I also realized that there’s a lot that doesn’t need to be learned, because we’re all biased because of the colonial narratives that we come up with while reading about them, reading those things. Grown Ups started as a promotion. So it was also about overcoming those obstacles,” said the artist.
Since 2018, Mr. Roy has organized several lecture heritage walks related to Wajid Ali Shah, apart from exhibiting his artefacts. One of the major events was a set of exhibitions and programs that they organized in Sibtainabad Imambara In Metiabruz to celebrate the 200th birth anniversary of Wajid Ali Shah. Imambara It was built by the king himself and it is here that he is buried.
“This was the first time in its 160 years of existence that an exhibition was held on the premises. I also presented my work focusing on Wajid Ali Shah at Salempur House in Lucknow last year IshqnaamaSharing a panel with Dr. Roshan Taqi, a scholar on the subject,” he said.
Read this also How does Wajid Ali Shah live?
Mr. Roy is currently busy with an exhibition in Kolkata. Bippozonok Bari [Everybody Has Moved]Which is about their own family history, trying to trace it back 800 years or 25 generations. He closed his show on Thursday as he has to go to Lucknow over the weekend to participate in the Santakada Mahotsav once again.
“This year my work has been called BeautyIt is about the people who migrated with Wajid Ali Shah and his descendants in the present context,” Mr. Roy said, adding, “Wajid Ali Shah spent the two parts of his life almost symmetrically between Lucknow and Kolkata. Needless to say, both cities love him. But I think Kolkata, a little more.”
published – January 23, 2025 07:37 PM IST
