Swapan, the man who sells dreams on frames

KOLKATA: “This is not just a piece of old fencing clipped together for effect. These frames are art works in themselves. Each individually handcrafted to enhance and emphasize an artist’s vision.” The salt-and-pepper Swapan Chakraborty says this without caring to glance away from a thin piece of shegun wood in one hand and three fingers dipped in black polish on the other.
Quite a statement from a fifty-something framer sitting engrossed on a footpath near Scottish Church College. But then, Swapan is no ordinary framer.
“I eat, sleep and breathe colours and frames. And it started when I was 12. I started helping out my father, Biswanath Chakraborty, frame pictures of gods and goddesses and family albums. It’s our family business for three generations. Hopefully, my son will carry on with my work,” says Swapan.
He set up his shop in 1978, the first in the cluster of photo frame shops that dot this stretch of Bidhan Sarani. But Swapan was determined to do something different. He slowly moved away to framing pictures by artists. Swapan’s client list includes Maqbool Fida Husain, Ganesh Haloi, Sunil Das, Annada Munshi, Bikash Bhattacharjee, Paresh Maity, Sanatan Dinda, Atul Basu, Paritosh Sen, Partha Bhattacharjee and Dipankar Chanda, to name a few.
Swapan’s dedication has turned Fancy Photo Sellers into the toast of the art world, crossing the city and extending to Delhi, Mumbai and Hyderabad. “Some have even been sent to Switzerland, London, Germany and Bangladesh,” he says modestly.
The sculptor-painter couple of Niranjan and Suktisubhra Pradhan have known Swapan for more than 15 years. “This man will not disappoint you, be it last-minute changes or the odd eleventh-hour work,” says Niranjan. “He is not just a framer, Swapan is a wonderful human being. He treats people with respect and earns it too,” his wife Suktisubhra adds.
A few yards from Swapan’s shop is his more spacious unit, where the alpha joining machine, mount cutter and German glass cutter lie amid hundreds of rare photographs. When the painting has deep shades, he uses a light tint frame. And when the painting has a light colour scheme, the frame has to be dark and deep. The colours mostly used are gold, brownish gold, brown, silver, black and grey, Swapan says.
Artist Debabrata Chakraborty, who has known Swapan since 1995, says: “Swapan has framed many photos of Rabindranath Tagore taken by Shambhu Saha. He has a special love for Kabiguru’s photographs, some of which are indeed rare.”
Swapan has another unit opposite Star Theatre. “Some pictures need an antique finish, it’s tough to do it here. The expensive pine and shegun wood and frames are assembled there,” he says.
But wooden frames are his favourite, because “they just last longer”. There are synthetic frames made of fibre dust too. “You see this black polish. This will not wear off easily. And all colours hold a secret,” Swapan says with a tinge of smile as he dips his fingers into a fresh bowl of black polish.
Painter Partha Bhattacharjee has known Swapan since 2003. “This is one man who treats a frame as part of the painting. Swapan might not have a formal degree in his business, but his passion and experience make him stand him out,” he says.
Among Swapan’s most ardent admirers is his son Amit. Amit helps his father in etching floral designs, carvings and colouring and polishing frames. “I love frames and pictures,” says the reserved and determined 28-year-old.
Raj Bhavan, Victoria Memorial Hall, Swami Vivekananda’s ancestral house in Hedua, Indian Museum and Government Art College have pictures framed by Swapan.
Vikram Bachhawat, owner of Aakriti Art Gallery, says Swapan is intense and enjoys the art. “Most of the work at my gallery has been done by him. He is also a great art aficionado, has the latest catalogues and updated documentation of art work,” says Bachhawat.
Many an artist, including Sunil Das, Bijon Chowdhury, Jayasree Burman, Atul Basu, Dipak Shinde, Asit Pattanaik and Prakash Karmakar, have gifted him paintings. Swapan hopes to display his prized possessions, may be at his own art gallery, some day. “But they will not be for sale. They will be my dreams in frames,” he signs off.
That will be a picture-perfect ending to a lifetime of framing paintings.