A city within a city, a bubble within another bigger bubble. Soumyadeep Roy identifies every city as a blend of several other cities or small towns. Calcutta, too, is an interesting city with its bubbles from across the country. Soumyadeep particularly takes interest in the bubble called Metiabruz, a consciously and meticulously created bubble that is a replication of Lucknow. At Studio Bari, a house at the end of a by-lane in Dumdum, Soumyadeep brings out the connect between Calcutta and Lucknow, two cities that have always been intrinsically connected to each other through the centuries. Shahrashob, as the exhibition has been named has started from November 23, 2025 and will continue till January 20, 2026 everyday from 3pm to 8pm.
Moghul-inspired architecture, heritage monuments and structures, personalities and the shared culture of the two cities find place in this self-taught artist’s canvas. Studio Bari could easily be called a cultural museum methodically put together, not just to show the love and relation between Calcutta and Lucknow, but to bring out the emotional bond that both cities share. As a tribute to this undying love, Soumyadeep has curated Shahrashob, a walk through the floors of Studio Bari where he has recreated bits of the Lucknow-Calcutta connect based purely on research and digging deep into the histories of both cities. From Wajid Ali Shah’s personal zoo in Metiabruz where he aspired to keep hundreds of exotic animals and birds, to the tea stall that has been running through centuries, since the time of the nawab’s reign, Soumyadeep has taken great effort to showcase these interesting aspects of history.
“This exhibition is the result of eight years of my research on Lucknow and Metiabruz. I see it more as a lament of both places that are losing their historic structures or art to modernisation,” said Soumyadeep. The exhibition is primarily a collection of sketches of people, places and architecture that Soumyadeep has collected in his innumerable visits to Metiabruz and Lucknow. He has even been lucky to be able to sketch a life size portrait of Wajid Ali Shah sitting next to his tomb in Metiabruz. The portrait now finds place on Soumyadeep’s terrace and is a notable landmark for those who travel by Metro Railway. Hard work and creativity is evident from the collections that have been used for the décor. “I have collected old furniture and floor tiles and many other things from old buildings that are being demolished. That is why I call this house ‘Bipadjanak Bari’ (Dilapidated House),” laughs Soumyadeep.
Shahrashob can be an exciting and informative walkthrough for people who take special interest in the history of the two cities and would like to know more about the cultural exchange between them. Keeping aside the political and historical conflicts and undercurrents, Soumyadeep’s tireless effort has unearthed a lot of unknown facts, people and events that strongly prevailed in that era but never came into the limelight. “While doing my research I realized that there was a lot more to the art and culture and of that period that involved other people and courtesans of Wajid Ali Shah and even those who were in his family. There were interesting exchanges between his wives, specially his first wife Khas Mahal, who was also a notable poet who often exchanged verse with his husband when he was imprisoned in Calcutta. I also found other talented individuals but all their works rooted back to the Nawab. He was always the centre force,” said Soumyadeep.
The walkthrough has various stages and it starts from the ground floor of Studio Bari and ends at the terrace. Soumyadeep has also managed to fit in Satyajit Ray in his collection where he has found letters of the legendary filmmaker to his mother when he went to Lucknow to study. at a small room for peace and reflection that Soumyadeep calls ‘Dream Room’. “I’ve kept this room for reflections and people to talk about their dreams or aspirations or even discuss or reflect on what they saw in the exhibition.”
Everyone is welcome to this enchanting Moghul experience at Studio Bari any time between 3pm to 8pm everyday till January 20.
