OBJECTS OF DESIRE

BHASHA CHAKRABARTI's first solo show derives and extends from Ismat Chughtai's short story Lihaaf

- Prachi Joshi

When it was published in 1942, Ismat Chughtai's most (in)famous work Lihaaf (The Quilt) sparked outrage-and an obscenity trial-for its depiction of queer, inter-generational intimacy. Begum Jaan and her masseuse/lover Rabbo explore desire in the safety of the quilt, an act witnessed by Begum Jaan's young, distant relative. Everything is suggestive, narrated by an adolescent scared by the recurrent and seemingly violent phenomenon of the quilt rising, swirling, and eventually falling flat in the dark of the night. A quilter before she was a painter, Bhasha Chakrabarti extends the carnality of Begum Jaan's quilt in her solo show, entitled | Karvat, which means to toss and turn in bed.