On the old road

8220;That8217;s a carved door from Kutch I bought in 1970,8221; points out G.B. Chhetri, 52, proprietor, who has a keen eye for the absurd. 8220;You could get the brass knobs polished and put a glass on top. It8217;ll make a fabulous table,8221; says Chhetri when he sees me inspecting it closely. Two beautifully carved brass statues of tribal warlords from Nagaland lie in a corner of the store. Urn pots from Gujarat, intricately painted windows from Rajasthan, old wheat grinders, a wooden boat from Kerala, browsing through all the stock at Nepali Village Handicrafts could easily take a full day. The folk art on display here is vaguely mysterious and expressive of a vastly different way of life, where gods and goddesses, legends, myths and nature played a vital role in art.

Chhetri, originally from Nepal, has been sourcing odd pieces from Indian villages for over 35 years now. He started his career in antiques at the age of 17 with Baliram Sharma who ran the popular store, Handicrafts in Jorbagh. 8220;When I worked with Sharma, I used to go into the interiors of Madhya Pradesh looking for tribal works,8221; says Chhetri. His clients there included Indira Gandhi and Ritu Nanda. In the 90s he branched off on his own and opened his first store in Nep Sarai. During the MCD ceiling drive, Chhetri suffered some losses and has since taken most of his stock to Jodhpur and Goa where he deals mostly with foreigners and wholesalers. 8220;Foreigners have always appreciated Indian village art. In the last five years, awareness among Indians is more and they8217;ve started to buy. My problem is finding legal commercial space at a good rate in Delhi,8221; he says. Of his travels looking for art across India, Chhetri says his visits to Nagaland have been fascinating.

8220;The workmanship there is the best,8221; he says. Chhetri still makes a monthly trip to the North East to source art, but says lately, he feels unsafe there. 8220;The situation is volatile. I say I8217;m visiting for a wedding, not business because there8217;s a big kidnapping network,8221; says Chhetri. In Delhi, Chhetri8217;s goods can be seen at stalls in Pragati Maidan or at his godown-cum-shop at Nep Sarai, perfect for a leisurely afternoon of antiquing.

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