হাজারীবাগ / Hazaribagh:

The first thing that catches your eye is “Mohajan’s Chair”, still standing firmly in its original form; only a few superficial changes scar it. Although the daily hubbub surrounding this chair made of cement no longer exists, it resolutely marks the entrance to the roof at ‘Mukti Tannery - 1’, where rawhide was hung out to dry every day.

Brihatta believes in celebrating the essence of nature, the essence that compels nature to constantly bloom with new joy. The essence that holds this earth together, embracing like a banyan tree in the guise of the mother. Maybe that is why Brihatta has chosen ‘Mukti Tannery -1’ as a temporary home, on the roof of a leather manufacturing factory in Hazaribagh. A small space to create art as you please, with an open courtyard to gaze upon the vast skies from. In this abandoned leather factory, Brihatta aims to bring back life through a center for the arts and artists. Artist Biswajit Goswami’s artistic thinking and touch have birthed a space where nature sings alongside the arts, the aesthetic result of a three-month long process involving artist Masood and a group of skilled workers.

All the various structures and objects found amidst the discards from the factory or in the brick and wood walls have been redesigned in this tannery. Daily loving care, the touch of soil, the poetry of language, and a love of the homeland have transformed this lifeless block into a vibrant natural space. Brihatta has created a language garden with white flowers. There, “language” resides amongst flowers, entwined with nature, surrounded by white flowers. White flowers, an emblem of hope, of serenity, of purity. Brihatta embraces this hope, serenity and purity through this white language garden, through the sprinkling of white across the open courtyard.

Above the brick walls, the same white flowers of the language garden line the walls. Titled ‘Eight Chambers, Nine Doors’, the upright flowers reflect the nine holes in the human body, a nod to nature’s infinite creativity. The courtyard hosts a maternal sculpture crafted from clay sourced from the nearby Rayer Bazaar area. Soil, clay and earth, all gifts of Mother Earth, are combined together in the shape of the womb. Poised upon the pond, the water below reflects this homage to Mother Earth. At the far edge of the rooftop, stands another towering maternal sculpture, swaying in rhythm to the wind and creating a unique atmosphere.

The animal hides from which this neighbourhood’s identity originates from, lingers in another eternal iteration in the space – in the form of the word ‘Mother’. At the end of the courtyard stand two concrete tables forming the Bengali consonant “Bisarga”. Another nod to the Bengali language, a small place for gathering, where everyone can sit together, talk and exchange thoughts, ideas and laughter.

Brihatta has retained the core nature of the Mukti Tannery, weaving new stories into the foundation of the old structure, transforming the space without discarding the lived experience of its tragic past. The stench of toxic chemicals no longer pervades the air; now the aroma is lush with fruit, flowering and medicinal plants. Abandoned brick and mortar have supplied the raw materials for reconstruction, while discarded wood is now a hub for artists congregating. An old house is now a new abode for artists to work and reconnect. We invite everyone to come to Brihatta’s home and take a deep breath in the middle of this bustling city.