TYEB MEHTA Bearing Weight FEATURED EVENTS

“ঢোল মোগো বাপ-পুত, ঢোল মোগো ছিরি / ঢোল মোগো গয়া-গঙ্গা, গোবর্ধন-গিরি।”
“The dhol is our father and child, the dhol is our companion and kin;
The dhol is our sacred Gaya and Ganga, our Govardhan hill.”

Travelling Borobari is a public installation activated through performances by Project Natta Company. Conceptualised by Jit Natta, the work emerges from his long-term engagement with the Natta community of Ashokenagar–Kalyangarh and draws from oral histories and community archives such as Gandharvalok.

The project revisits Borobari, once a shared space for gathering, training, and collective learning, reimagining it as a mobile structure that reappears within the public sphere. Rooted in histories of displacement and migration across the India–Bangladesh border, the work reflects on how memory is carried through sound, storytelling, movement, and lived experience.

Unfolding through rehearsal, performance, and collective interaction, the installation functions as a living archive where histories of caste, labour, migration, and survival are activated through participation and embodied presence.

Programme Schedule
Day 1 | 27 May 2026
A performance activation based on Gandharvalok, exploring histories of migration from the mangroves to the wetlands through music, oral texts, instrumental performance, and screening. Featuring Mukul Natta, Mita Biswas Natta, Debesh Natta, and Tamalika Biswas, introduced by Jit Natta and Shyani Saha.
Duration: 35 minutes followed by Q&A

Day 2 | 28 May 2026
Continuing with musical and textual annotations from Gandharvalok, this performance reflects on Partition, wetlands, and the shifting memory of the River Padma through music, conversation, oral histories, and instrumental performance. Featuring Mukul Natta, Mita Biswas Natta, Debesh Natta, and Tamalika Biswas, introduced by Jit Natta and Shyani Saha.
Duration: 20 minutes followed by Q&A

Day 3 | 29 May 2026
The final day presents Padma from My Head, a lecture-performance by Jit Natta and Shyani Saha combining rap, textual monologue, and collective reading in Bengali and English. The performance reflects on memory, resilience, migration, and the evolving histories of Padma across past and present.
Duration: 25 minutes followed by audience participation and Q&A

About the Group:

Jit Natta is a socially engaged visual art practitioner and PhD researcher in Film Studies at Jadavpur University. Rooted in his identity as a member of the Natta community, his interdisciplinary practice engages caste, migration, labour, and collective memory through installation, performance, and archival processes.

Mira Natta Biswas is a vocalist and music pedagogue based in Ashokenagar. Trained in both traditional and formal music practices, she has worked extensively across community spaces, workshops, and schools for over three decades.

Khoka Natta is a percussionist, instrument maker, and farmer based in Ashokenagar–Kalyangarh. Trained in multiple percussion traditions, he works with schools and cultural organisations while continuing community-based musical practices.

Ratan Natta is a traditional dhol practitioner and educator based in Ashokenagar–Kalyangarh, deeply rooted in the musical traditions of the Natta community. For over three decades, he has performed across cultural and community spaces while continuing practices of oral transmission and percussion training across generations.

Khushi Biswas is a vocalist and educator from Ashokenagar Natta Colony. Trained in vocal music and string instruments, she works across television performances, public events, and educational spaces.

While you’re here, explore KNMA’s ongoing exhibition
TYEB MEHTA Bearing Weight (with the lightness of being).