Nagar

I started my life in Kavi Nagar. I was born there in 1990 but left when I was 8 months old when my family immigrated to Australia. Throughout my childhood, my family would visit Kavi Nagar every two years in the hope me and my brother would remain connected to our Indian heritage.

However, visiting Kavi Nagar was an obligation I rarely looked forward to. I was a child obsessed with the Western world. On one visit, I remember complaining about the dirt and bucket baths. My mum kept me entertained with VHS recordings of Play School. What lay outside the gates of our house was of very little interest; I remember counting down the days till we returned home to Australia.

As I grew older, acknowledging my Indian heritage became not only unavoidable, but essential to my sense of belonging and identity. I have often felt in a state of limbo. Searching for a place within my Australian surroundings often meant neglecting my Indian heritage. Being physically detached from India prevented me from cultivating that side of my identity.

I returned to Kavi Nagar for three months in November 2016 in search of that sense of belonging I craved. The images, made during daily 4pm walks with my Aunts, represent a starting point. The beginning of a sustained effort to reconnect with, and understand my heritage.

Photography & Words
Anu Kumar