Baganbari, literally meaning “garden house,” was a symbol of leisure and cultural refinement that flourished in nineteenth-century Bengal. In 1950, Dr. Adi Gazder purchased a parcel of land in Barasat to build his own country retreat. The house came to be named Ayesh in 1967, christened by none other than filmmaker Satyajit Ray, who shared with Dr. Gazder a passion for Western classical music. True to its name, Ayesh embodied the spirit of rest and retreat that defined the Baganbari tradition.
When the property was bought by Ar Monica Khosla Bhargava in 2006, the once-celebrated home was in a dilapidated condition. However, the enduring vocabulary of a Baganbari,verandahs opening to greenery, orientation to true north, and its restrained, movable interiors presented an opportunity for a stunning restoration.Light was drawn into rooms, a sculptural steel staircase was installed, and an additional bedroom suite expanded the home’s scale. Local terracotta, first-class bricks, and commissioned artworks stitched the renovation firmly into Bengal’s cultural and material landscape.
The grounds, too, were reimagined with care. Pathways traced the rhythm of existing trees, water drainage was tied to natural channels, and composting pits nurtured the land. The Gol Ghar folly, sloped tiled roofs of the caretaker’s cottage, and even Ray’s preserved benches kept the memory of its past alive. Today, Ayesh survives as one of the rare Baganbaris to endure modern pressures, an emblem of history, culture, and countryside living, at once nostalgic and alive.
Learn more about this house with floor plans, sections, detail drawings, material palette, and more at:
https://www.buildofy.com/projects/ayesh-baganbari-barasat-west-bengal?utm_source=YT-D_AyeshBaganbari_barasat_west_bengal&utm_medium=YT-D_AyeshBaganbari_barasat_west_bengal&utm_campaign=YT-D_AyeshBaganbari_barasat_west_bengal&utm_id=YT-D_AyeshBaganbari_barasat_west_bengal
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Chapters :
00:00 – Introduction
01:20 – Dr Adi Gazdar’s Legacy and Satyajit Ray’s Connection
02:35 – Restoration of Ayesh Baganbari
03:17 – Trees, Landscape and Site Planning
04:17 – Layout and Spaces
05:23 – Materials
05:53 – Bottle Brush Tree and Mural Art
06:54 – Conclusion
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Directed By : Ar. Kanishk Sharma
Video Editor: Dharmesh Ghaghada
Cinematography : Turtle Arts by Shahul Shibli & Irfan KT
Photo Credits (Thumbnail): PHX India | Sebastian Zachariah
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[Soft piano keys]
[Guests singing Bengali song] [Song ends]
[Violin music begins] [Wind rustling]
[Indistinct chatter] [Horn blares] [Ar. Monica]: Baganbari,
the word in Bangla literally translates to
garden house, where people just
used to go to relax. Ayesh holds a special place, even amongst the many
baganbaris within Bengal. Hi, I’m Monica Khosla Bhargava, Founder and Principal
Architect of Kham Consultants. And, today we are
here to discuss Ayesh Baganbari,
on Jessore road, in Barasat. For detailed chapters and PDF eBook, visit buildofy.com. Ayesh is a Baganbari, it’s my baganbari right now. But, set up by
Dr. Adi Gazdar in 1950 soon after Indian independence. It was not just the
legacy of Dr. Adi Gazdar. But, it carried a certain intellectual and
cultural identity. Because, Adi uncle touched
the lives of many people. And, all of them who
were into music, or into culture, or art,
and in various ways also slowly bought
Baganbaris in this region making this whole area itself a very culturally important place. Dr. Adi Gazdar bonded
closely with Satyajith Ray. This place was named
very much by Satyajith Ray himself. Ayesh, is a word
which means to relax. And, he says this is
what they used to come here to do. The lore is that
Sathyajith Ray, himself wrote it on the marble slab and it was inscribed
by the stonemason. And, I purchased
this place in 2006. This place is midway between Kolkata and the international border. It’s on the main Jessore road, now, the Asian highway. When partition happened, and millions of people
moved through this road. This was the transit road. It’s a 1.5 acre plot. Basically it’s 100 katas what we call. When I first visited this place, it was looking ecstatic. The pond was full. But, the whole thing was
also heavily overgrown. The house was dilapidated. Besides, of course,
the land and the house I was going to inherit
a whole lot of trees which if I tried
my whole life, I could never build them. So, it was important for me
to work around them. Horticulturist, Biswajit Ghosh was with me. And, we identified the trees which were in poor health, and we only eliminated those. We kept each and every tree, and started working the design, around the trees. [Cycle passing by the driveway]
[Bell rings] The way we developed
the driveway, and the landscape
was so that you can’t see it. And, somewhere
midway between the entrance and the
house, where we marked with
a terracotta sculpture. And, that is the
Tulsi Manch over here. Once you reach
the terracotta sculpture, is that the whole house
looms forward. And, you can see and
experience the whole place. The terracotta sculpture,
of course, has been done by the renowned sculptor
Ram Kumar Armanana. As you come in, there is a central
family space and, attached to that there is a kitchen,
and a bedroom. The verandahs and
the whole space gets out into the lawns. The staircase was a
dilapidated structure, when we came in. And, we decided to rebuild it as a sculptural feature. It was a steel staircase. So, one can always
experiment a lot with steel. This was a country living, and we didn’t need
to add those handrails and we’ve done away with it. And, on the upper floor
are two bedrooms. One larger one, which
is the main bedroom. And, from where you can step into two different terraces
at different levels. The other bedroom doesn’t
have a terrace with it. But, it has the best
view of the pond. And, it also has a
view of the terrace. [The soft pattering of rain] The materials are very local. The material, of course,
brick was clearly a choice. Because it was locally available. When I had bought
the place, the flooring was corroded. And, when I found
this teakwood marble, which is already hued in this very ochre color. I thought that it
could be a good choice. Plus, it was very cost-effective for me to use it here. This bottle brush tree is like the center point of the
whole Ayesh Bagan. When we were working
on the boundary wall, the art of the wall, we had asked
artist Gopal Naskar to be inspired by the
bottle brush tree. In fact, if you look
at the artwork, you will find that
the bottle brush flowers and the leaves recur through
all the wall art. Somewhere, they can be like the tails of a peacock. Somewhere, it is the
braid of a woman. Somewhere, it is like the squirrel. And, we also have Freda. And, in fact, in the garage Gopal has literally painted the, brought the whole
background of the tree to drip into the wall art. Our pond, to me,
always looks like Monet’s waterlilies
with the backdrop, the look, the flowers within it. And, those lilies are also edible. So sometimes we have them. This place is where we come to basically be with nature, be with ourselves, spend the time. And, because we are here and the place is so enjoyable, we also entertain here. We call our friends. Say, you join us, and
they come over. [Guest playing piano] [Guest]: The reason we used to
come here was my father was his colleague. Every winter, he used to have a big picnic party, whatever
you want to call it and invite, there would be
a garden full of people. And, in fact, some of
the music I chose was because he used to
play it actually. He used to play
some of that music. So, that’s what I
chose to play today. [Ar. Monica]: I think that the
environment of the place itself lends to this kind of
a meaningful gathering, meaningful interaction, that comes across, but it’s a really relaxed place. You come here
basically to chill, enjoy, have a good time. [Piano music continues] [Applause]
40 Comments
The best house I ever watched on your channel.
Serene❤
It's a beautiful bagaan bari. Have been lucky to have visited it so many times. Loved it everytime.
Lovely Monica
Would love to visit
This space has such a calming effect, loved watching it, 😍❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
Just watched the Bengal files. Hope you are doing well. Aren't TMC and communist gundas know about this place, I wonder? Because you yourself said it is near border area so be careful lady. I wish all the best for your house and health.
Richuu Auntiess
This has been the most precious part of growing up here. The fact that we always had a weekend escape just nestled in nature. It gave a city child like me also an opportunity to become more at one with nature, so much so that I even got married from my beloved Bagan Bari ♥️♥️♥️
Every home that Buildofy shows feels like real HOME you will just feel like you can stay there. that is more important in doing architecture. making it cozy for living doesn't matter how spacious it is.
❤❤❤❤❤❤
Building doesn't have the bagan bari feel, its too contemporary hence doesn't have feel. We have our ancestral home in panihati, we redeveloped it but kept its structural legacy
Beautiful!!! It radiates charm and honors history and nature at the same time… thrilled and grateful to have experienced it ❤️
Location of the house pls.
WOW..JUST AWESOME..
Very beautiful 🎉🎉❤❤
Beautiful
The gentleman present in the video I have seen him at DI club..
Where in Barasat?
What a beautiful house!!! Grand yet homely. Thanks for featuring this – have watched the video twice already.
being a resident of barasat , never knew this existed
Isn't she Dr. Rosina Ahmed ??? The white shirt lady …❤❤❤
fart so hard that the room stinks
Soon it will be captured by Muslim
This is true Bengal ….but now in danger due to illigal immigration 😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢
Beautiful…I loved how wonderfully you captured the rain into those tiles❤
This is by far the most beautiful one I have seen in this channel. ❤
Excellent ❤
Gorgeous.
Elegant!!
How many square feet is the house and all the houses and gardens include
This may have been a Baganbari earlier but in its current form it is just a modern contemporary house with an extra large compound at a small distance from the city. There are many such houses in Salt Lake, Shantiniketan etc. Of-course it has been beautifully Redone but alas has lost the Soul of A Baganbari .
Aayesh = Loungin' ..
I remember my uncle had written to Satyajit Roy asking him to ne his daughter when my cousin was born… he politly refused saying hes not a Rabindranath to do so ….❤
Wow, the poverty of bengal and a few places of real beauty. A pity
Beautiful ❤❤ 🇧🇩
Is there a guest in the works?
😀
The video was as beautifully done as the home. Kudos.
So nice Place ❤ We want to stay over there (If Booking system available)
thank you
I love seeing huge heritage plots and landscapes like this. What a paradise.
Beautiful. I walked down memory lane to when my Bengal was a place of culture, intellect, and mutual respect. Thank you for preserving this home so beautifully.
As a Bengali, what can I add more. I love it. খুব সুন্দর। ❤