Pradip Das’s
Hridaypur transforms Naktala into a canvas of memory and identity, capturing the enduring spirit of Bengali refugees displaced by the Partition of 1947. Presented as part of the Bengal Biennale, the exhibition delves into how Naktala became an imagined homeland – a
Desh reconstructed in exile.
Over three years, Das unearthed personal archives – photographs, heirlooms, and recorded voices – to paint a psychological landscape of loss and resilience. The colony's postal code, 47, echoes the year of Partition, anchoring these narratives in collective trauma. Women emerge as custodians of memory, preserving stories through their sewing and stitching.
Durga Puja stands as a central motif, symbolising survival and belonging. The first Puja in 1950 became a powerful marker of community and cultural endurance, with the goddess embodying resilience and unity.
“
Hridaypur questions historical amnesia and honours the invisible histories of displacement,” says Siddharth Sivakumar, curator director of the Bengal Biennale, adding, “It reminds us that memory isn’t static; it’s stitched into the fabric of everyday life.”
Das blurs the lines between truth (
golpo) and imagination (
kolpo), crafting an emotional landscape where home exists as both reality and memory. Through
Hridaypur, he urges viewers to confront the fragile yet enduring construct of belonging.
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