Kalpataru:
The Wishing Tree
Kalpataru, the mythic wishing tree from Indian tradition, takes contemporary form as an immersive, interactive installation—fusing modern design with metaphysical symbolism. A confluence of public art, ecological consciousness, and cultural historiography. Inspired by the ancient practice of resting beneath trees between journeys, it invites travellers to pause, reflect, and reconnect. The installation’s mirrored surfaces confront the viewer with a first moment of interactivity: the self, as a motif for impermanence, continuity, and interdependence.
Who are we in relation to nature, to culture, to the roots we sever or preserve?
As visitors move through the space, the installation responds—biomorphic forms shifting with light and movement. As epistemological triggers: each QR scan opens a multidimensional cartography of India’s living heritage—biodiversity, ethnobotanical knowledge, tribal animism, people’s art, practises, music and beyond. Curated in collaboration with India’s leading organizations, it becomes a conduit—bridging ancient ecological wisdom with contemporary technological poetics.
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A living artwork that blurs the line between the physical and the philosophical. It invites travellers, seekers and storytellers into a quiet dialogue—between self and collective, past and future.
Artist: Nobina Gupta
Nobina Gupta is a social arts practitioner, researcher, and educator with 31 years of experience at the intersection of art, ecology, and community engagement. She is the founder of the Disappearing Dialogues Collective, working with communities—especially youth—to co-create participatory art that preserves cultural memory and highlights ecological challenges. An alumna of Kala Bhavan, Santiniketan, and a UGC-NET scholar, her multidisciplinary practice fosters dialogue and behavioral change in fragile socio-ecological landscapes, including her long-term engagement with the East Kolkata Wetlands, a Ramsar site.
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Acknowledges support of professionals:
Somit Gupta
Creative Director Advertising
Anirban Sarkar & Parimal Manna
Designers
Mahua Ghara
Ecologist
Antara Gupta
Anthropology and Creative Practitioner
Sahithya Sethuraman
Musician
Sorit Gupto
Writer & Illustrator
Sankha Banerjee
lIlustrator and Educator