Yes, Calcutta loves its Biryani with all the aloo’s of the world, and has never forgotten its origin story with Wajid Ali Shah. But it is way more than Biryani that came to Calcutta with him. It was people, culture, cuisine, music, theatre, emotions and memories and made its way to the City of Joy. After the annexation of Awadh, Wajid Ali Shah along with his family decided to have a word with the British Queen. But midway on the journey, Wajid Ali Shah got embroiled in Calcutta while his family made the journey alone to England. However, the last ruler of Awadh could never step out of Calcutta again and thus rebuilt his kingdom in what is today known as Metiabruz or Garden Reach. From mosques, residences, to even a zoo, it had them all. At the precursor of Mahindra SanatKada Lucknow Festival, this year one discovers the relationship between Lucknow and Calcutta through five interesting sessions spread over two days.
The journey to discover Lucknow in Calcutta begins with Shahrashob, visual artist Soumyadeep Roy’s ongoing exhibition at his home-gallery Studio Bari which speaks about the history of migration and identities pivoting it around the migration of people who came with Wajid Ali Shah. It also establishes the impact of Lucknow in the lives of other icons of Calcutta like Abanindranath Tagore and Satyajit Ray. The walkthrough of this three-floored exhibition begins on December 13 at 4 pm. This is followed by a session with conservation architect Dr. Neeta Das called Timeless. Boundless. Lucknow; before concluding the evening with a sarod recital by Ustad Irfan Md. Khan from the Lucknow Shahjahanpur Gharana.
The second-day of the two day preceding festival begins with even more excitement as audiences are taken through the very lanes of Metiabruz where Wajid Ali Shah once walked. Curated by Breakfree trails, this walk by Shaikh Sohail begins at 9 am giving you anecdotes from the (missing) pages of history of how a migratory settlement made Calcutta their home and today forms an inevitable part of the City’s heritage fabric. It then moves on to a conversation between the curators Soumyadeep Roy and Tasveer Hasan on building a city museum of Culture. The festival concludes with a musical and vinyl listening session with Shreya Ila Anasuya titled ‘A Noteless Raga: Saleem Kidwai and Begum Akhtar’ from 6:30 pm onwards at Studio Bari.
History enthusiasts, heritage lovers and those who simply want to discover their city closely, should not give it a miss.
What: Raabta Lucknow Calcutta Ka
Where: Studio Bari (Dec 13) / Metiabruz and Studio Bari (Dec 14)
When: December 13 and 14, 2025
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