Conversation with a journalist
At the time of demolition, and in talking about demolition, what gets lost is the making of the space. People who live in Nangla have come from Bihar, Assam, Uttar Pradesh, etc. They came into the city, and perhaps were already living somewhere, when to save their rent, they started to make a new space instead. People do not settle somewhere to take over land.
A dwelling is given Ration Cards, Voter I-Cards with trepedition, and a long time after it has been settled in - a dwelling is not recognised as a settlement for 8-10 years since it first begins.
How does a dwelling get made? Someone comes from a village. They may come alone, or with a friend. They may be the first to come to the city from their village, or they may know someone in the city from before. Someone may come to the city just to be with a friend. They work and save some money. Then they start to make something of their own. And it is after this that they call their family.
A space is not even, devoid of its power dynamics and negotiations. Just making a place to live is not enough. A protracted process of negotiation with the State begins. Claims are slowly made - for infrastructure - for electricity, for water. Local politicians play an important role in this.
That is when people begin to say, "Chhani-chhani jagah se basti sajna shuru huwi."
It is not a lane which is made first, but a mahol. People, who have come from different places, begin to get to know each other. It is not like a resettlment colony, afterall, where people who have known each other for a long time are relocated to a lane in a colony. When a space is being settled in, what is made is a door after a door. Over many years - 10, 15, 20, 30 - after labour of day and night, houses change from chhapar to chhat. From a door to door construction, people who were strangers to each other slowly make a neighbourhood. This is the stubbornnes to live, to make, to dwell.
This disappears in a demolition. The transformation from chhappar to chhat, from being strangers to becoming a neighbourhood disappears. It becomes about the zameen, the land which is "occupied". You may discover it when you walk in the lanes of Nangla - even today, when you will see lanes in which only one house has been broken, and lanes in which all houses, save one, have been demolished. This is what we mean by Nangla's Delhi.
How does a dwelling get made? Someone comes from a village. They may come alone, or with a friend. They may be the first to come to the city from their village, or they may know someone in the city from before. Someone may come to the city just to be with a friend. They work and save some money. Then they start to make something of their own. And it is after this that they call their family.
A space is not even, devoid of its power dynamics and negotiations. Just making a place to live is not enough. A protracted process of negotiation with the State begins. Claims are slowly made - for infrastructure - for electricity, for water. Local politicians play an important role in this.
That is when people begin to say, "Chhani-chhani jagah se basti sajna shuru huwi."
It is not a lane which is made first, but a mahol. People, who have come from different places, begin to get to know each other. It is not like a resettlment colony, afterall, where people who have known each other for a long time are relocated to a lane in a colony. When a space is being settled in, what is made is a door after a door. Over many years - 10, 15, 20, 30 - after labour of day and night, houses change from chhapar to chhat. From a door to door construction, people who were strangers to each other slowly make a neighbourhood. This is the stubbornnes to live, to make, to dwell.
This disappears in a demolition. The transformation from chhappar to chhat, from being strangers to becoming a neighbourhood disappears. It becomes about the zameen, the land which is "occupied". You may discover it when you walk in the lanes of Nangla - even today, when you will see lanes in which only one house has been broken, and lanes in which all houses, save one, have been demolished. This is what we mean by Nangla's Delhi.
comments
viswanath r.swamy
@ 03.06.2006 06:20 CESTHi
my thanks to Sri Siddharth Varadarajan of THE HINDU for mentioning the name of this blog. it may take quiet a few days for me to make a proper comment. but i must say i felt relieved. small drops are being generated. oceans are born out of drops. keep it up. may god bless us all
viswanath r.swamy, pondicherry.
Shailen Mishra
@ 06.06.2006 21:37 CESTEven I pay my thanks to The Hindu's editor Mr. Siddharth Varadarajan for introducing us to the world of Nangla. It is very heartening to read these postings. For, these poignant stories remind us again about those forgotten and less fortunate sections of our society. I wish that your endeavour becomes successful and I will try to play my role in spreading your message to the Internet Community.
Shusha
@ 28.06.2006 05:33 CESTAlso read
http://www.tehelka.com/story_main18.asp?filename=hub060306The_Nanglamachi.asp
The Nanglamachi Bloggers
Listen to them. It will change your view of slums. Their language is full of humour and cynical knowing. They assert, not plead, their humanity,says Shoma Chaudhury
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