The essence of Connaught Place

An ongoing exhibition at Dhoomimal Gallery unravels the many stories that exist between the gigantic white columns of Connaught Place

“It’s my love letter to Delhi,” says Annapurna Garimella about the show The Past Has a Home in the Future,” currently on at the Dhoomimal Gallery. Garimella has curated the show for Jackfruit Research and Design, an organisation for the arts.

Through an array of archive imagery, artworks, and specially commissioned projects in textiles, ceramics, visual arts and sound, Garimella peels off the layers to highlight Connaught Place as a microcosm of Delhi that it once was.

The architectural landmark was meant to represent a robust commercial structure in Delhi, the seat of the British Raj. Drawing from the architectural elements of the Royal Crescent in Bath, England, RT Russell rendered it two rings of concentric circles, double-storey buildings and marble-white pillars. It was built over five years, from 1929 to 1933. This iconic complex — named after the Duke of Connaught, Prince Arthur — was frequented by British elites from all over the country.

Several swish stores and shops emerged to serve this elite clientele - Jain Book Agency, Vaish Tailors, shops selling equestrian accessories, uniform suppliers, and many more, including Dhoomimal Gallery, which is hosting the show.

In 1936, Dhoomimal Dharamdas, a paper manufacturer and merchant from Old Delhi’s Chawri Bazar, established a store in the newly opened commercial district - Connaught Place. Ram Chander Jain, also known as Ram Babu, envisioned and nurtured an art world in the area through Dhoomimal Dharamdas. He created the Kalakar Club in 1938, a space for artists to come together, which resulted in the formation of Dhoomimal Gallery. Uday Jain, Director of Dhoomimal Gallery, says, “The Dhoomimal Gallery has been a hub for dialogue and artistic exchange in the Capital. By combining the spirit of Connaught Place and its creative discourse, the exhibition showcases the place as a nucleus of politics and cultural production.”

The exhibition is divided into line, shape, movement, and community, with each section focusing on visual, spatial, and relational elements. The show features archival works from various institutions, including Mahatta & Co., Pablo and Richard Bartholomew, Alkazi Foundation for the Arts, Riten Mozumdar, and SL Parasher, alongside contemporary designers, and also comprises newly commissioned works from artists Puneet Brar, Rema Kumar, Pooja Saxena, KP Reji and Guild Art, Chaal Chaal Agency, Anwar Chitrakar, Anandit Sachdev, Dhruv Vaish, Veda Raheja, Salwans, Rikhi Ram, Chatterjee & Lal + Ushmita Sahu, Gagan Singh + Chatterjee & Lal.

West-Midnapore-based Anwar Chitrakar spotlights the origins and essence of Connaught Place in his eight works rendered in Kalighat and Pattachitra style. He visited Delhi and researched its history to understand it better. “When C.P. was being constructed, a lot of people from different faiths gave up their land. The spiritual gurus told the British to build anything, but without demolishing any religious structure. “ To me, C.P’s syncretism stood out.”

Textile designer Rema Kumar pays tribute to Riten Mozumdar, a seminal artist-designer with an incredible body of work through her textiles — stoles and saris “There is a similarity between his design aesthetics and mine. He had so much geometry in his designs, and so did I. He has done some fabulous work for iconic stores in C.P.—The Shop, Fab India, Cottage Emporiums,” explains Kumar. Her textiles displayed next to Mozumdar’s works appear as if they are in a dialogue.

Design research practice Chaal Chaal Agency looks at the tehbazaari culture of C.P. or the hawkers who sell through makeshift shops. Architects and founders of Chaal Chaal Agency — Kruti Shah and Sebastian Trujillo — have been researching street vendors and corner shops that exist in this solid colonnade. “We have been probing about the future of these shops. During our research, the material that stood out was aluminium panels and we have taken it and reimagined it. We have joined these panels without any nails, bolts or sticking material,” they say in unison.

There is also a soundscape of Connaught Place that explores the notion of time, chaos and melody, produced by the artist Anandit Sachdev.

At Dhoomimal Gallery, G-42, Connaught Circus; Till December 7; 11am to 7pm

Published - November 21, 2024 08:38 pm IST