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Photos: Amit Datta
A 250-year-old fish market in Howrah was turned into an art gallery for three days last week. Kali Babur Bazaar, infamous for political murders, and one of the oldest bazaars of the city, was established by Raja Kaliprasad Mukhopadhyay in the late 1700s.
The inception of this idea happened when artist Hiran Mitra, and theatre group Howrah Jonaki, planned to do something together without being constricted into traditional spaces like an art studio.
“I am a local boy. I have grown up with several of the fish sellers here. I have seen murders happening in this market, but there was always more to just violence here,” said Biswajit Das, creative director of Jonaki.
“I was tired of controlled environments. I wanted to create a space where art is for everyone; to inherently erase the hierarchy that art is only for the elites,” said Mitra.
Paintings of various abstract shapes hung from the ceiling of the fish market. None of the paintings felt out of place.
“Bapi is a 45-year-old fish seller here. He has started taking art classes. He says he can see himself creating art now,” said Das.
The market was not just restricted to paintings. For three days, March 19 to March 21, the market hosted poetry sessions, classical dance performances, film screening, and music, all side-by-side with fish scales and smells.
“The fish sellers watched with keen eyes. They informed us of all the performances they liked best. We wanted this space, this coexistence, and the message that art can exist everywhere,” added Das.
With art, comes stories - stories of resistance, anti-war poetry, and anti-war songs.
The ambience of the fish market stayed intact, and the cultural movement seemed to blend in.
