Standing tall on the terrace of Sen’s atelier are canna flowers competing with terra cotta roof tiles and the asymmetric multi-coloured staircase wall. Sen fancies locally made material, not just because they are effective, but being made of mud, they are environment friendly and possess a beautiful natural colour. Watching the big dimension visual effect of flowers against the wall and sky brings joy to Sen.
When India was partitioned 1947 to create Pakistan, a new country for Muslims, about 20 million people of Bengal and Punjab were displaced and brutally victimized. Sen’s wealthy, literate family had huge landed property in erstwhile East Bengal, the present Bangladesh, which was carved out to be East Pakistan for Muslims. So for being Hindus Sen’s family was overnight evicted from their home. Without taking any possessions, they fled for their lives amidst people warring over religion, and so became squatted refugees in West Bengal.
