Ayesh Baganbari

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.