On a soft November morning, as the first light fractured upon the Ganga’s rippling surface, Ahilyabai Ghat transformed into a living gallery of memory and meaning. The ancient steps—witness to centuries of chants, departures, returns, and silent contemplations—became the setting for Dr. Anunaya Chaubey’s evocative solo exhibition, “Kal, Aaj aur Kal.”
This was not merely an art show. It was a moment where Banaras seemed to look at itself—through the eyes of a painter who understands its turbulence as intimately as its stillness.
A City’s Soul, Rendered in Brushstrokes
Chaubey’s paintings hold the rare ability to reveal the extraordinary tucked within the ordinary. The chaotic hum of the ghats, the fluorescence of evening aartis by the sadhus, the quiet companionship between time and water, the timelessness of a boatman’s pause—these moments, often overlooked in the rush of life, find a meditative expression in his work.
In canvas after canvas, Banaras appears not as a place, but as an experience: where time folds inwards, where the past hovers just behind the present, and where the future feels ancient even before it arrives.
The Mind Behind the Art
A painter, thinker, teacher and observer of human experience, Dr. Anunaya Chaubey has spent decades weaving together art, scholarship and lived wisdom. His academic journey—from a PhD graduate to pioneering arts education models across India—infuses his work with depth and deliberate quietude.
His perspective is grounded in a belief he often echoes: “Art is not separate from life; it is its continuation.”
His canvases, therefore, are not mere compositions—they are reflections, interrogations, and gentle acts of remembering.
Guests Who Added Their Own Light
The exhibition found resonance in the presence of eminent voices from contemporary Indian storytelling:
Faisal Malik, actor known for his deeply human portrayals, loved for portraying Prahalad Cha in Panchayat series
Nilotpal Mrinal, poet and novelist whose words often carry the cadence of the soil.
Vishal Vaibhav, acclaimed writer and screenwriter whose narratives bridge realism and lyricism. Best known for Scam 1992, Rana Naidu among other works.
Their conversations, impressions and engagements with the art added another layer to the event—a dialogue between image, word and experience.
A Riverborne Tribute: Music on the Bajra
Perhaps the most arresting moment of the inauguration came not on land, but upon the river itself. In a rare and poetic gesture, a soulful musical performance dedicated to Banaras—its people, its pulse, its unbroken continuum—unfolded from an iconic bajra anchored before the ghat.
Co-organised by Jaano Junction and The Tenants House, the performance featured Apoorw (lead singer), Aanjaneya (on percussions), Gaurav and Pushkar (on guitars), whose music travelled over the water, weaving themselves into the evening air.
As the streams of Ganga glowed in the soft wash of sunrise, the music felt less like a performance and more like a hymn—an homage to Banaras, sung back to itself.
A Farewell That Feels Like a Beginning
Now that the exhibition has concluded, its afterimage lingers—much like the scent of incense after the flame has died, or the echo of a temple bell long after the sound fades.
“Kal, Aaj aur Kal” was, in essence, an invitation to witness Banaras as a living palimpsest—a city forever rewriting itself while never losing its script.
In the hush that follows the event, one realisation remains unmistakable:
Banaras is not seen. It is felt.
And through Chaubey’s art, it was felt more deeply than ever.
