delhi
Printer-friendly versionSwept off the Map: Surviving Resettlement and Eviction in Bawana JJ Colony
Swept off the Map: Surviving Resettlement and Eviction in Bawana JJ Colony by Kalyani Menon Sen and Gautam Bhan is a documentary look at the demoliton of "the Yamuna Pushta ‘jhuggi-jhonpdi’ colony, a string of settlements home to around 35,000 working class families - more than 150,000 people – some of whom had lived here for over three decades" to make way for a "riverside promenade with parks and fountains" by the Yamuna river, marketed to the tourists who visit Delhi.
this should be an interesting read, as I read about similar demolitions whilst I was in Delhi - it even happened to businesses; even large well built shopping centres. the book is available @ Yoda Press in India.
2006 Hyatt pigeons in Delhi
they're everywhere!!
video @ http://blip.tv/file/514174/
I must like these as I've just found I'd already uploaded a silent version - almost like a lumiere but a few scenes cut together.
video @ http://blip.tv/file/442303
nov? 2006, Delhi, India
- kathy's blog
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Delhi Film Archive
Delhi Film Archive is a space that supports the freedom of expression and fearless listening. It is an archive of documentaries, short films, images and all other material that stimulate a collective response to censorship and the control of ideas. DFA is the Delhi chapter of Films For Freedom, an all India collective of filmmakers that emerged in 2003 to protest against censorship at the Mumbai International Film Festival and in different public spaces across India.
relocation of Nangla Machi, Delhi
when I finished my work project in Delhi last year, I was taken out for lunch by some of the people I worked with. the lunch was really nice, we went to Gurgaon, to a Chinese restuarant. part of the conversation as we were leaving was about how places in Delhi were being rebuilt. I mentioned I'd heard about settlements / villages being torn down and the people relocated to other areas of Delhi, some of them not given new land or payment for their old homes. one of the guys from work said this wasn't true - that the government couldn't take away people's homes without paying them for it or relocating them. so, I was confused then, which was true? here's a few links to articles I've found about it - most are related to the sarai project - Nangla Blog. Nangla Machi was one of the locations used for Sarai's Cybermohalla project prior to it's schedule for demolition.
In Delhi's makeover plans the poor find no place - from Express India
and also New Delhi's facelift pushing away the poor
"Singh is among the hundreds of thousands of slum dwellers displaced over the past year as New Delhi officials set about razing the slums and shantytowns that dot the city after the country's Supreme Court ordered authorities to tear down illegally constructed buildings."
"The idea is to create a showcase capital that matches India's global ambitions. And as has often been the case in recent years in booming India, the visibly poor aren't meant to be a part of the picture."
...
"That's not to say New Delhi authorities have gone after only the poor in their demolition drive - everything from glitzy malls to grimy shops have been torn down since the court started ordering the demolitions in 2005."
"But those demolitions have sparked repeated protests and an intense public debate. In contrast, few here have taken much notice or raised serious objections to the destruction of at least five sprawling slums and shantytowns and the forced relocation of their inhabitants - no one can say exactly how many people - to isolated patches of land miles (kilometres) from New Delhi."
"Singh, along with her five children and husband, were packed off last August from Nangla Machi, the slum where they lived on the banks of the filthy Yamuna river, to an undeveloped piece of dusty land owned by the government near this village 40 kilometers west of New Delhi."
""In all my life my neighbours had never heard me raise my voice, and now this is what I'm reduced to," Singh said as she was pushed back from her place in the water line."
"In the eyes of the law, Singh's family and thousands of others are now legally resettled. Officials even say they have helped the former slum dwellers by giving them the right to buy handkerchief-size plots of land."
"In reality, most like Singh are now unemployed because their new houses are too far from their old jobs, and even if they wanted to buy the land - which most don't - many could not afford it. So again they squat."
"Singh's misfortune is in many ways a reflection of India's failure to meet the demands of a fast urbanizing country."
"A lack of planning in dozens of Indian cities - from small regional centers to major metropolises, such as New Delhi – coupled with the pressure of a growing population has led in the past few decades to a complete disregard for zoning or building laws."
"The result across India is chaotic and congested urban landscapes, where the poor often squat within view of gleaming glass towers."
I suspect the hurry to relocate areas of Delhi could be related to Delhi hosting the 2010 Commonwealth Games and attempting to beautify the city in time for the arrival of overseas visitors.
from the Finances page of the 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games bid history page
"Ministry of Home Affairs and the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi shall provide additional security; Ministry of Health and CGHS shall provide medical facilities, fire services, traffic services and additional services at customs and immigration. Additional efforts shall be made by the State Government to beautify the City. The flyovers, parks and other infrastructure, will also be upgraded in addition to what has already been envisaged in the Master Development Plan for the city."
and from Channel 4's website :
India's Commonwealth Games quest
"Those who live in Delhi's ubiquitous slums are bracing themselves for their makeover, city authorities have taken to arriving in the middle of the night, knocking down their houses and clearing the way for new roads."
"People would like a world class city with better transport links, reliable electricity and water but only if they can live there."
"Authorities say there will be no litter, beggars or cattle will wander onto the streets in 2010, it doesn't seem sporting but the government wants a fast-tracked future and says nothing will slow it down."
I'm not sure Delhi will be transformed this quickly. And to what extent the impact of the speed of these changes will have on the local people and communities.
some videos of the Nangla Machi residents applying for the paperwork to ensure they are relocated
Art Law Forum notice of Supreme Court order for the demolition of Nangla Machi
"The hon'ble bench stated that the power house, whose land had been
'encroached' by the inhabitants of Nangla had given "some date for
construction", and that there has to be "balance" - that the land has "uses
that cannot be denied", and that the more settlements are removed, the
"more they come". On the question of the timeline for this construction,
the hon'ble bench stated that whatever the case may be, "occupation of land
without legal authority cannot be allowed. Even people whose lands have
legal rights have been relocated" for projects."
"In response to a request on deliberation on the question of cut-off dates
for eligibility for relocation, the hon'ble bench stated, "from what was a
few tenemants" it has grown to "thousands", and "each tenemant had a
family". They have been "growing and growing", that it was becoming
difficult to "deal with the problem". It also stated, during the court
proceedings, that if public land is occupied, it will "have to be vacated",
that the right to shelter did not mean that "everyone be given shelter"."
"On the question of Ghewda being without any infrastructure or facilities
(where the inhabitants of Nangla Maanchi will be temporarily relocated),
the hon'ble bench stated that in Bawana, a resettlement colony, people had
sold off their plots of land. On the question of the difficulty of being on
the streets in this intense heat, the hon'ble bench stated that it is
"never comfortable to live out", that there will always be intense heat, or
cold, or rainfall in the city. The hon'ble bench suggested that people need
not come to Delhi, unless they can afford to live in the city."
the Nangla Blog has many more articles and stories from the people living in Nangla Machi
- kathy's blog
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how to wear a sari
I finally bought a sari! Ted (from work) took a video of the shop assistant showing me how to wear it but I accidently deleted it. so I tried it on that night to take another video so I'd remember how to do it later. it's dark blue/purplish in colour with pink/magenta highlights and gold trimming. I think I paid too much but I probably won't buy too many of these. though I am hoping to get a couple of cheaper cotton everyday versions rather than this silk one. they gave me a brochure in case I forget also.
http://flickr.com/photos/aliak_com/tags/sari/
12/11/2006
30/04/2006 - 2
30/04/2006 - 2
Humayan's Tomb, Delhi 30/04/2006
Humayan's Tomb, Delhi
30/04/2006
Delhi to Agra / Taj Mahal, 16 July 2006
gps data
Delhi to Agra / Taj Mahal
16 July 2006
more photos @ http://flickr.com/photos/aliak_com/tags/tajmahal/
gps data - Delhi to Shimla
gps data - Delhi to Shimla
1000 lights of Dignity - protest to support the dalits
There's so many crazy things in the papers here in Delhi, and then there's so many that don't make the papers or are buried so deeply that people probably don't find them. Luckily I came across the independent paper Tehelka whilst staying in the other hotel on my last trip. The articles in this paper were heart wrenching. Most of the time I kept thinking, what year is this? how can these things be happening in this day and age. Here's an example - this notice arrived via the sarai reader list (www.sarai.net)
National Association For Social Action (NASAindia) in collaboration with National Conference of Dalit Organisations (NACDOR) is organising a protest programme and will pay tribute by lighiting 1000 lights of Dignity to demand justice for the Bhotmange Family and for entire dalit community. i am inviting you in the said programme. please be there to raise the voice of justice and light a candle in favor of justice. there will be more than 5000 activists from all over india will be there.
10th Nov 2006 at 7:00 pm in Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, New Delhi.
For more details on Khairlanji issue please go through following web site.
http://www.tehelka.com/story_main22.asp?filename=Ne111106Dalits_like.asp
- AliaK's blog
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Translocations 1: New media practices in the urban context (Delhi)
Workshop @ Sarai: FLOSS Fellowships Final Presentations
Translocations 1: New media practices in the urban context
17th and 24th November 2006,Seminar Room, Sarai-CSDS
Facilitated by Tapio Makela, researcher and artist in residence at Sarai
This workshop looks at new media practices in urban contexts.
The introductory session will take place at SARAI/CSDS seminar room on Friday, November 17th 11.00-13.00/14.00-16.00.
Second session on November 24th, same time.
Translocations 1: New media practices in the urban context (Delhi)
Workshop @ Sarai: FLOSS Fellowships Final Presentations
Translocations 1: New media practices in the urban context
17th and 24th November 2006,Seminar Room, Sarai-CSDS
Facilitated by Tapio Makela, researcher and artist in residence at Sarai
This workshop looks at new media practices in urban contexts.
The introductory session will take place at SARAI/CSDS seminar room on Friday, November 17th 11.00-13.00/14.00-16.00.
Second session on November 24th, same time.
20060711 Marriage and castes in India - a local's perspective (mp3)
Click here or on the image to listen to the audio recording
we had a chat at work about marriage and castes in India not long after arriving. it was interesting for us and the Indian guys to hear how it works and the differences between love marriages in the West and arranged marriages as well as the process involved in India. in these modern times, websites are used for arranging marriages, similar to the online dating sites that crowd the late night tv advertorial space.
some of my questions / comments sound quite dumb now that I know more about the place and people here but it was my first week in Delhi and didn't know much about Indian customs.
- kathy's blog
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Y Ruby Y - people watching at the Saket PVR, New Delhi, India
this evening we went to dinner at Azzurro at the Saket PVR. we spent most of the night gazing out the window at the people walking by. it's amazing how the people here can look right past other people as if they don't exist. I probably shouldn't have taken photos/video, but I wanted to remember it and this helps me to remember.
why indeed..
Saket, New Delhi, India
09/09/2006
music is Kal Ho Naa Ho from the KAL HO NAA HO movie soundtrack
on a related note, this is an interesting project by one of the Sarai Independent fellows 2006 - Home Street Home: A Street Child Survival Guide for Delhi
- kathy's blog
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Red Fort, Delhi, India
today we went to Red Fort in Delhi, India. 03/09/2006. it's a huge fort next to Old Delhi. there's a museum also with a few artefacts from Mughal days - some weapons, cloth and clothes as well as photos, paintings and and old copy of the Koran.
earlier we went to the spectacular Akshardham temple - no photos are allowed there though. it's a newly built temple with amazing carvings which tell ancient stories told around the grounds as well as intricate designs inside the temples. there's even a boat ride and cinema show and at night a light and sound show though I didn't see this. another time hopefully.
old delhi & chandni chowk - view from a cycle rickshaw
a slideshow video of a cycle rickshaw ride through old delhi & chandni chowk, showing the busy streets, markets, people and life. the place has a special character of it's own.
pictures taken 09/05/2006
music is Through the Loop by Pendulum
- kathy's blog
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Jalebee Cartel - Live @ Laidback, Delhi 23/08/2006
we went along to the Qutab Hotel last week to see Jalebee Cartel play. it was a really nice venue. low tables with soft cushioned chairs scattered in front of where the band played. the room filled up pretty quickly - once the band was playing I turned around and the place was packed! the band were excellent. at first I thought the vocals needed a better mix, but it improved quickly. I'd heard a couple of the songs on their myspace page and thought they were great, but the live performance was great - you could tell they were enjoying themselves. they introduced a range of instruments and had different style songs. some electronic and some more acoustic, some with vocals and others without. the lead male vocalist reminds me a touch between underworld/infusion/the beloved. I really like his voice. one song was in the more traditional form. the female vocalist was great also - such beautiful tone.
the song in the video / slideshow was downloaded from the Jalebee Cartel website - it's called "One Night with Baba Maal' by Jalebee Cartel. the website url is http://www.jalebee.in/ or their myspace page is http://www.myspace.com/jalebeecartel
take a listen to Beautiful Rising on their myspace page. it's such a nice track. they played it at the gig, along with a remixed version as the encore song.
the original video & photos are very dark - it was the first time I've done night / indoor shots with my new camera & unfortunately I didn't take my other camera which has better night vision. so, some of the shots in this version have been adjusted so the people can be seen more clearly. my screen is broken so I hope the colours adjusted ok!! I'm seeing everything in VGA mode atm so colours / light could be out
the original version is @ http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=1087003716
- kathy's blog
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Sarai i-Fellows 2006 Delhi
music is Indian Summer by Big Bud
I went along to the Sarai Independent Fellows 2006 workshops last weekend (26-27/08) @ Sarai, CSDS, New Delhi. I missed the first two days sessions, but here is a slideshow video of some of the saturday & sunday sessions. it was really interesting - both the presentations and the discussions afterwards. some sessions were in Hindi so I couldn't follow as easily. there were a wide range of projects though - art, music, urban issues. hopefully they'll link to some of the full papers on the sarai.net website. it was a great way to get another insight into life and goings on in India and related places.
photos @ http://www.flickr.com/photos/aliak_com/tags/saraiifellows2006
- kathy's blog
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