Chharanagar : A Rendezvous With The Oblivion:

In the journey of life, steering along the Crosses and ‘U’ turns we spearhead ourselves unaffected in any way . Then at a certain turn we encounter a place which influences our preoccupied notions and prejudices, and changes  our outlook drastically. This was the turn that I landed upon fortunately on the day of my visit to Chharanagar in Ahmedabad .

From the broad roads ,enormous huge beautiful  buildings after driving  for about 20 Kms when gradually the roads turned to  shabby streets ,narrow lanes, buildings took the size of small  shops ,frequent traffic to crowded streets and hustle bustle ;I knew I  have reached a different place. It was the Chharanagar, within the city but not a part of the city. As if lying untouched, unknown, and segregated from the whole.

The visit for us as I anticipated, was what is needed to learn as a planner, which I and my colleagues must see by  merely pondering upon the facts and the people. My heart was working as a problem seeker, or trying to be a doctor, who could be totally aware of the diseased body but unaware of the pain of the patient.

Chharanagar is an urban settlement in Ahmedabad, dating back to the 19th century. The Chharas are just one of the many tribes that were labeled as “criminals” or “Notified tribes” by the British under India's Criminal Tribes Act of 1871, to solve their law and order problems. Independent India in 1952, declared these tribes 'denotified. Released from the forced labor camp (nau kholi- nine rooms were allotted to the entire tribe in the outskirts of Ahmedabad as a reformatory cell ) which had been their prison for the past forty years, the Chhara were resettled on the outskirts of Ahmedabad, in Chharanagar. Roughly three square miles, with a population of over twenty thousand. This place today is used as a 'beggars home'. It was formerly used as a prison for the Denotified tribe in Ahmedabad called the Charras. The Naukholi, were 9 rooms allotted to the tribe. In 1952, five years after independence, the Criminal Tribes Act was finally repealed. But instead of accepting these tortured tribes, whole heartedly in the main stream system, Independent India declared these tribes ‘denotified’. Hence giving a way to the “respected " society to alienate this section of people as “born criminals”.

 The name of notified criminals although was removed after the independence but they have been facing the prejudice of being criminals, offensive in eyes of people or the police and segregated socially by others. No jobs, no respect, constant surveillance by the police, imprisonment without any explanation, and out casted by the society. These people are infamous and held responsible for stealing petty things and production of liquor. This is the life of the people of Chhara tribe.

My earlier ordeal with introspection was never at any substantial discovery about myself and about my latent feelings. Pangs were as remote as stars until the hair-raising act by the young girl of Budhan that day. Budhan ,a brilliant endeavor ,a theatre formed by  a group of people in Chhara in their attempts to  create a space for themselves to establish an identity and to  prove ,we are not born criminals ,we are born performers. It was so true as I saw the ‘bulldozer’ ,making me realize, who is the actual criminal, them or us? “Bulldozer”, an act which was performed was an eye opener throwing light on how the life of Charras is effected (apart from being treated as criminals)to the devastating condition and pathetic, inhumane behavior of the municipality throwing away people, removing them from their dwellings or the places of work so often that they don’t know when their house would be demolished and their life would be shattered in the name of beautifying the city. The agonized shrieks of the girl, in the act that reflected a woman, who had lost her unborn baby, when she tried to run away and save herself from the bulldozer, taking their life away; is still afresh pinning me since then. Is planning development limited to just drawing lines, unaware of those who would actually bear it, especially those who are already struggling for their mere existence?

“ vo katl bhi karte hain to charcha nahi hota, hum aahh bhi  bharte hain to ho jate hain badnam”

Without prior notice or without consent the municipal authority comes, shatters their life and in a minute it is over. To beautify the city for the festivals or celebrations, they have to move them out or “sweep away the garbage elsewhere” . It is  ironic in a place like Ahmadabad known for its world famous projects ,on its way to be recognized globally; there is this group of people who  are still  struggling for their survival, deprived of even being called as ‘existing’ & don’t  have a right to ask for rights. In the name of the development it is a mere reflection of those 300 years when we had no right to speak and the irony is, it is the land of Mahatma Gandhi.

It is not the first time but years of suffering that slouch under the consequences of the development of the city .Are people not a part of the process of being ahead. At the apex it would be just a false hood, over the cries of unnumbered people. Are we not creating another ditch or a social drift ? This beautification is like merely, covering broken furniture with a cloth!

The wind needs to veer, to venerate the soul of the city, which is not the parks, the buses, the gardens or the beautiful places, but the ones who are breathing, who are living in it.

The need of the hour is to have a comprehensive development which is not achieved over the tragedies of humanity. The role of the government in it is obvious and undeniable but the people and organizations in positions of bringing about a change hold no less importance in dealing with the situation. How a plan cannot be made in such a manner that all sectors of the settlements are benefitted at the same time. Taking a broom stick always in hand and sweeping roads off ‘unwanted people’ is the actual crime.

On my way to be a planner what  affects me the most is the way  to  deal with  the situation and to admit this negative side of the society which has been anchored deep and is hard to eradicate but not impossible. Why cannot, a place like Chharanagar be involved in the uplift processes. The social defense department can defend the rights of those living there, and eradicate cause of the begging. People who are drawn to begging are those who are not accepted elsewhere for their tag of being a Chhara.

 Make this huge space into a community upbringing or raise an economic driver that gives them a dignified role in the process of progress. Many household level industries, education centers that make them aware of their abilities can be incorporated that give them their identities. Provide them with such opportunity, spaces to function that the other sectors of the society have to contact them. The area of the human defense department can actually function as defending the humanity by making it a place to work for the Chharas. Dignity is directly related to usefulness. Provide them spaces to be useful and to revive a status of their own. A slow, but a sure way out.

It is not possible to draw out or come to solutions so easily writing on a piece of paper ,and not drawing myself, in verbiage it’s to just start believing that things can be changed.

 “ghar sajane ka tassavur to  bahut baad ka hai, pahle ye tay ho ki is ghar ko bachayein kaise ”

Developing or beautifying a place cannot mean to put a cover on a torn book but first you have to mend it. Its the priority that matters, it’s a comprehension of planning, uplifting and raising a voice. The priority should not be the look of the city but the inner beauty of the city that lies within the factor of happiness and satisfaction of the people. Benefitting all sectors by creating some dependability might lead to some respect for those denied.

It’s the voice that has to reach to numerous people like you and me. Its not that people are reluctant but may be they  are unaware of the conditions .People need to be aware of the agonies of their neighbors in the society, those who are living in the same city,  but as unknown ,indifferent and humiliated life. Generating a truculent feeling amongst people is the need of the hour and to let know of the iniquitous systems prevailing.

It is not utopia and I can visualize the girl in the play of Budhan, acting and narrating her story from the agony to the pleasures and from depths of unidentified dark to the development process that they are an important part of.

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