The quintessential Bengali babus and bibis are perhaps Lalu Prasad Shaw’s favourite subjects. Captured in their quotidian existence—a sari-clad woman combing her long mane, reading a book or simply resting, a man in dhoti-kurta at a fish market, or taking a stroll, slinging an umbrella the life of the Bengali middle class is recreated on canvas in a multitude of hues. Animated in their execution, Shaw’s paintings evoke nostalgia, sometimes even a chuckle.
