A portrait of Wajid Ali Shah, the former ruler of Awadh, being drawn by artist Soumyadeep Roy. , Photo Credit: Special Arrangements
Wajid Ali Shah, the last king of Awadh, spent the latter part of his life in exile in Kolkata, but the city mostly remembers him today because of the potatoes in the local biryaniThey are considered to have contributed to its gastronomic landscape.
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 in Awadh. Related to this ruler was held in Kolkata. And now he is headed to Lucknow to partner at the prestigious Sanatkada Mahotsav to showcase some of his works on Wajid Ali Shah.
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“My works mainly have to do with the history of the city and thus I was interested in Metiabruz [the neighbourhood where the exiled ruler settled down with his people]I like how the city is made up of bubbles that are cosmopolitan – different communities trying to recreate the places they came from. Metiabruz is where a large population migrated from Awadh to Kolkata and which recreated its own miniature version of 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 out on top, because it was all his brainchild. Once I started digging deeper, there was no looking back. “Every aspect of Wajid Ali Shah’s life is incredibly interesting and intrinsically tied into his formation of a city within a city,” he said. “He was not just a king, but an artist. The scale of his work was enormous. And the impact of his work in every field is making its mark even in the present times, be it art, literature, music, performance, culinary culture, or administration. ,
“At the same time, while working on it, I also realized that there was a lot of unsaid that needed to be done, because we are all biased because of the colonial narratives that we grow up with when we read about it, those things. Read those things that read those things that were started as propaganda. So it was also about overcoming those blocks,” said the artist.
Since 2018, Mr. Roy has given several lecture heritage tours related to Wajid Ali Shah, in addition to showcasing his artefacts. One of the major events was an exhibition and a set of programs that he curated in Sibtainabad Imambara To celebrate the 200th birth anniversary of Wajid Ali Shah in Metiabruz. Imambara Was built by the king himself and is where he is buried.
“This was the first time in its 160 years of existence that an exhibition was held on the campus. I also presented my work on Wajid Ali Shah at Salempur House, Lucknow last year, focusing on IshqnaamaA scholar on this subject, Dr. Sharing the panel with Roshan Taqi,” he said.
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Mr. Roy is currently busy with an exhibition in Kolkata, bipozonok turn [Everybody Has Moved]Which is about one’s own family history, trying to trace it back 800 years or 25 generations. He changed the show to his own on Thursday as by the weekend he had to rush to Lucknow to attend the Sanatkara Mahotsav once again.
“This year my work is called HussainIt is about those who migrate 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
