An original painting by Debosmita Samanta.

The predominant character of Debosmita’s painting is to recreate an alternative home amidst the open air. Reflecting interiorscape in an exterior world, of mind and physical space. To reconstruct the notion of private and public: as this work ‘A word in private’ delves into the everyday challenges middle-class women face in finding opportunities for private conversations within the confines of shared households. Despite their resourcefulness in creating these spaces, their privacy is sometimes encroached upon by the ‘bystanders’.To address such questions, we need to focus on the interpersonal negotiation with small details on this bigger picture. If you can squeeze your eyes on the very middle left you will find an astonished old man holding mangoes amidst a pumpkin grove accompanying a text that suggests the ownership of that domesticated crop. Also at a distance there is a glimpse of a Bengali calendar and a TV set submerged into the banana trees while others situate us in Debosmita’s own personal space. Again look at the sky and get down and listen to the women’s space, however one of them is looking at you consciously, seems alerting you to keep an empathetic distance.

Words by Kaustav Chatterjee