A Swarat Ghosh Photoseries Captures The Enduring Legacy Of Kolkata's Heritage Homes

81, Ramesh Dutta StreetSwarat Ghosh

Along with being an act of creation, photography is often a vital means of preservation and remembrance through which we can hold on to artefacts, memories and even people from a time that has long since passed. Swarat Gosh's photoseries '181, Ramesh Dutta Street' captures an innately human desire to look back, remember, and hold pieces of the past close to our hearts.

The series captures a Kolkata house that's clearly seen better days; it's furniture caked with dust and walls worn and weathered by years of neglect. But beneath its veneer of dilapidation are a multitude of stories of joy, pain, sadness and unbridled mirth; the threads of life that we experience across various moments of our existence. There's a unique cultural essence and a historical magnetism that's embedded in the fabric of these heritage houses and that's precisely what Swarat says he's aiming to spotlight and preserve.

High maintenance costs and other issues mean that the owners often find it difficult to hold on to houses such as these. The series emphasizes the urgency of preserving their legacy for generations still to come.

"Through these photographs, I hope to inspire appreciation and action towards the conservation of such irreplaceable cultural landmarks,"
says Swarat. "A special thanks to Nilayan da, the owner of this beautiful house, for making this project possible and allowing me to document its unique charm and history."