TAGLINE: Shehar, Gully, Nukkad By Harleen Kaur

Our exploration of art takes us around many different places; through the deserts, ghats and the greeneries of the country. When we began our Khoj of finding art, we knew we had to search every little corner, ever shehar, gully and nukkad. Thus, these three words stuck with us and became a part of our journey.

A Shehar is where you grow up without a care in the world, cribbing about the lack of malls and adventure parks. It’s the place to you leave behind in search of better things in life, but then you find yourself complaining about how there are too many red lights in the new city. Your Shehar, somehow, creeps its way into your heart and even after everything the skyscrapers have offered you, your Shehar resides in you even if you don’t reside in it anymore. Meanwhile, a Gully from a distance is just another loud, narrow street among others but up close, it’s a cricket pitch for young Virats and Bumrahs, a track for bicycle races among siblings, a runway for the padosan in her new suit, a rollercoaster ride for the vegetables on the sabziwala’s wagon, and what connects us to those who live around us.

Lastly, we end up finding the brightest gems in nukkads. A nukkad can mean various things; the spot where you bump into old friends, have chai-pakore when it rains, and a quick gossip session with the neighbor. You wouldn’t imagine, but a ‘Nukkad’ is more than just a corner…it’s thirty vendors calling you out during Friday market, college students beating drums and performing street plays, and a snake charmer’s stage.

Khoj looks for art in the places most dear to your heart, so that you can have a piece of nostalgia, a pieces of your shehar, gully, nukkad, something that keeps you close to yourself.

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