About
Over last 35 years we have seen many an internal dislocation of habitations and life world within the city, Delhi. This is something that started with high intensity in Delhi from early 70s. Now the process of this internal dislocation has become intense and harder.
Nangla Maachi is a 30 year old habitation. It was made by its inhabitants over this period. It is along the river bank and next to Pragati Maidan (Progress Ground). It is now become an valuable real estate. Built on prime land for the new urban development, the process of its dislocation has begun.
Also, in Nangla Maachi Sarai/Ankur had set up a Cybermohalla lab two years ago. (See http://www.sarai.net/cybermohalla/cybermohalla.htm) Many a practitioner have been through the lab.
Over these two years, diaries have been written by the lab practitioners They have many an entry about life in Nangla. These diary entries are also a way to stubbornly remind us all that Nangla was made into an lively, heterogeneous habitation by countless peoples effort and needs to be remembered for this creative act of making and finding ways of living together.
Recently, an entry read - "Packing up and leaving from Nangla has begun." The diary is now a record of a contested terrain of the violence of dislocation.
March 2006