Kolkata-based artist revives the life and times of Wajid Ali Shah

An illustration of Wajid Ali Shah, the former ruler of Awadh, being drawn by artist Soumyadeep Roy.
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Wajid Ali Shah, the last king of Awadh, spent the latter half of his life in exile in Kolkata, but the city mostly remembers him today because of the potato in the local biryani, believed to be his contribution to its gastronomic landscape.

But now has emerged an artist in the city whose favourite subject happens to be this one of most popular Indian characters from colonial history, so much so that Soumyadeep Roy — formally educated in literature, Indian classical music, and cinema — participates in almost every event held in Kolkata related to this ruler of Awadh. And now he is headed to Lucknow to participant in the reputed Sanatkada Festival to exhibit some of his works on Wajid Ali Shah.

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“My works are primarily to do with the city’s history and that is how I got interested in Metiabruz [the neighbourhood where the exiled ruler settled down with his people]. I like how the city is made of bubbles that are cosmopolitan — how different communities tried to recreate the places they came from. Metiabruz is where a large population migrated from Awadh to Kolkata and who recreated a miniature version of their Lucknow here. I initially fascinated by this, and began research,” Mr. Roy said, explaining what got him interested in the last king of Awadh.

“Eventually, and inevitably, Wajid Ali Shah came up, because this 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 in the formation of a city within a city,” he said. “He was not simply a king, but an artist. The scale of his works was huge. And the impact of his work in every field continues to make its mark even in the present day, whether it be art, literature, music, performance, culinary culture, or administration.”

“At the same time, while working on this, I also realised there was a lot of unlearning that needed to be done, because we are all biased due to the colonial narratives that we grow up with while reading about him, reading things that were started as propaganda. So it was also about overcoming those blocks,” the artist said.

Since 2018, Mr. Roy apart from showcasing his artworks, has conducted several lectures heritage walks related to Wajid Ali Shah. One of the major events was an exhibition and a set of programs he curated at the Sibtainabad imambara in Metiabruz to commemorate Wajid Ali Shah’s 200th birth anniversary. The imambara was built by the king himself and that is where he lies buried.

“This was the first time in its 160 years of existence that an exhibition was held in the premises. I also presented my work on Wajid Ali Shah at Salempur House in Lucknow last year, focussing on Ishqnama, sharing the panel with Dr. Roshan Taqui, a scholar on the subject,” he said.

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Mr. Roy is currently busy with an exhibition in Kolkata, Bippojonok Bari [Everybody Has Moved], which is about his own family history, trying to trace it back to 800 years, or 25 generations. He his winding up the show on Thursday because by weekend he has to rush to Lucknow to once again participate in the Sanatkada Festival.

“This year my work is called Husn. It’s about the people who migrated with Wajid Ali Shah and their descendants in the current context,” Mr. Roy said, adding, “Wajid Ali Shah spent two halves of his life almost symmetrically between Lucknow and Kolkata. Needless to say, both cities love him. But I think Kolkata, a little more.”