Project Description

Past: Emergence of Economic Resistance

In the turbulent era of the Swadeshi movement in the 1920s, when British goods and textiles dominated and controlled the economy of Bengal, Surya Kumar Bose took a bold step toward economic self-reliance by establishing the Dhakeshwari Cotton Mill in 1927. It was one of the first successful Bengali-owned textile industries in British India, founded with the clear intention of boycotting British products and achieving economic independence through indigenous production. Its most celebrated product, the “Deshbandhu Dhuti,” was not merely a garment.It became a symbol of patriotism, Swadeshi ideology and the dignity and self-identity of the Bengali people.

Conflict: Workers, Politics and Collective Struggle

However, the history of the mill is not only a history of production, but also a history of workers’ resistance. During the 1930s and 1940s, labor movements, demands for fair wages and the historic strike of 1946 transformed the site into a center of political resistance. When workers marched wearing Gandhi caps and carrying national flags, their struggle transcended economic demands and became part of the larger movement for independence

However, the history of the mill is not only a history of production, but also a history of workers’ resistance. During the 1930s and 1940s, labor movements, demands for fair wages, and the historic strike of 1946 transformed the site into a center of political resistance. When workers marched wearing Gandhi caps and carrying national flags, their struggle transcended economic demands and became part of the larger movement for independence..

Faith: The Mandir as Spiritual Infrastructure

Parallel to this economic and political struggle, the Sri Sri Radhagobinda Jiu Mandir, located on Hatkhola Road in Dhaka, stood as the spiritual core of this Swadeshi industrial vision. It was not merely a family shrine, but a source of faith, moral strength, and resilience for the entrepreneurs and administrators. providing a spiritual foundation to the broader movement for economic freedom.

Survival: Loss, Erasure, and the Last Witness

Although the mill gradually disappeared following the Partition and subsequent economic decline, the mandir still survives within the rapidly transforming urban fabric—standing as a silent witness to Bengal’s industrial awakening, workers’ struggles, and the pursuit of economic liberation.

Proposal: Architecture as a Vessel of Memory

The Dhakeshwari Cotton Mill was a symbol of Bengali economic independence, the workers were the guardians of that freedom and the mandir was its spiritual center. Our design seeks to preserve this surviving mandir with its 100 years of memory and transform it into a living memorial where architecture becomes a medium to reconnect people with the memory of economic resistance, labor movements, and the enduring spirit of Swadeshi, embedding this history into the everyday life of the present.