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Colors Of 1 Resilience: Kutch RURAL EXPOSURE AND DOCUMENTATION COLORS OF RESILIENCE

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COLORS OF RESILIENCE RURAL EXPOSURE AND DOCUMENTATION By Rushi Godhani - 21BDC042 Dhaval Gajjar - 21BDC016 Students of Institute of Design (Semester 2) at Nirma University with the guidance of Mrs. Amishi Vadgama Mrs. Kahini Shah Mr. Shreekant COLORS OF RESILIENCE 3

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Acknowledgement We would like to express our deepest sense of gratitude to Nirma University for providing this opportunity to get a glimpse into the lives of the artisans to enhance our knowledge about an indigenous craft cluster. Sincere gratitude to Mrs. Sangita Shroff, Director of the Institute of Design who let us have this trip. we would also like to thank our faculty and course coordinator Mrs. Amishi Vad- gama for coordinating this trip. i would also like to thank mr shreekant and mrs kahini shah for helping on field during this six day course trip. we would also like to thank our batchmates and group of kutch 2022 to help and support us thorughout this course. a special thanks to Mr. Mahavir acharya of the hoonarshala foundtaion to help organise this unique experience. COLORS OF RESILIENCE 5

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Introduction to RED The Rural Study Program in the Department of Design at Nirma University is called RURAL EXPOSURE AND DOCUMENTATION. In Design, the Context is a significant parameter encompassing geographic, economic and cultural factors of any given space in time. The week long experiential exposure aims at introducing students to developmental initiatives guided by ‘design’ and socially equitable and; ‘sustainable practices’ by organzations working at the grass roots. The social organizations are selected such that they have desigers as key members of the team on the ground, working with social entrepreneurs, scientists, social workers, communicators and artisans. A detailed and intensive program is worked out between the Resource persons of the organization and the Institute of Design. Students are oriented to issues in the region, the analysis and methodologies used to address and solve the needs of the rural stakeholders. The students are required to observe, absorb, immerse and document the processes and place together their learning in the form of a journal/book/ document, including photographs, sketches and text. COLORS OF RESILIENCE 7

TABLE OF CONTENTS 8 RED KUTCH 2022

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Kutch RED KUTCH 2022 10

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Fig . 1.1 - Prof. shreekant standing next to a camel in rann of kutch 12 RED KUTCH 2022

Kutch “Kutch nahi dekha The largest district in India located in toh kuch nahi Gujarat state of western India, spread dekha” around 45,67 km2 and has a population of over 2 million. It is home to the Kutchi -Gujurat tourism community and the Kutchi language. It borders Pakistan to the North and northwest and Rajasthan to the northwest, Banas Kantha and Patan districts on the east side, Surendranagar district on the southeast, on the south by the Gulf of v and Rajkot district, and the Arabian sea towards the southwest of kutch. The largest district has a coastline of 406km and the headquarters of the district is in Bhuj- located around 350km from the state capital Gandhinagar Kutch is virtually an island shaped like a tortoise when seen upside down on a map. The word kutch means something that becomes wet and dry, like the rann of kutch which is a major part of the district as it covers almost one-third of the district. the rann of kutch also known as the white desert is salt flats that look like snow after it dries up before the monsoon season. COLORS OF RESILIENCE 13

Due to its unique geography and History connections to other parts of the world The history of Kutch can be traced back to and country, this has become one of the prehistoric times. The district has several most important hubs for international sites which can be related to the Indus export and import valley civilization such as Dholavira. The - the Mundra port is India’s largest private region is mentioned in Hindu mythology port located on the north shores of the and greek mythology Gulf of Kutch near Mundra, Kutch district When Alexander the Great reached kutch - Kandla deendayal port It is the largest in 325 BC, Rann was not a part of the sea port of India by volume of cargo handled and it was where the eastern branch of the located 90kms from the gulf of kutch Indus river emptied itself which made it a freshwater lake. Kutch is a completely new experience for anyone: the culture, the history, the kutch was divided and ruled by the Jadeja people and the rann of kutch. Thus brothers. Kutch was later unified under making the saying “Kutch Nahi Dekha one rule by Rao Khengarji I, and his direct Toh Kuch Nahi Dekha”- which was told by descendants ruled for two centuries and Bollywood legend Mr. Amitabh Bachan had a good relationship with the Gujarat in an advertisement for Gujarat tourism a Sultanate and Mughals. The state accepted hundred percent true, and kutch should the sovereignty of the British East India be on everyone’s travel list. Company in 1819, when Kutch was defeated in battle Kutch is also well known for its handicrafts and is a famous tourist destination its Kutch today is divided into 4 parts market Wagad - Rapar and Bhachau Taluka and has a lot to offer especially to those who Little Rann appreciate the work of artisans and respect Kanthi - Sea Coast area, comprising Mundra traditional crafts and half of Mandvi Taluka Kutch is most famous for its embroideries. Banni Region - Bhuj, Nakhatrana and surrounding areas Language Makpat which includes part of Nakhatrana The language most spoken here in kutch and Lakhapat taluka. is Kutchi- a dialect of Sindhi language. The Kutchi script has become extinct but today Religion it is written in Gujarati script Hinduism is the most common religion in this district and has a lot of religious and pious places such as Narayan Sarovar, Jogeshwari temple, Asha Pura Mata no Madh 14 RED KUTCH 2022

Kutch - Gujarat - India Fig 1.2 - Map of kutch in gujarat and india www. wikipedia.com COLORS OF RESILIENCE 15

(Noun) - The capacity to recover quickly from difficulties; toughness. - The ability of a substance or object to spring back into shape; elasticity. 16 RED KUTCH 2022

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The people of Kutch are very resilient, as every year, they go through a lot of challenges. The district of Kutch is prone to a lot of natural calamities, kutch is a dry wasteland with no active river as such passing through it is often threatened by the fear of drought. The frequency of droughts in Kutch is once every 2.5 years as the annual rainfall in kutch is only a mere 48cm, a major issue for the farmers is the inconsistency of the rainfall. Other than droughts, Kutch is prone to earthquakes. Major earthquakes have happened in the past. Fig 2.1 - a injured young girl,2001 The 1819 rann of the kutch earthquake was magnitude 7.7 -8.2 and a max- getty images imum perceived intensity of XI (Ex- treme) on the Mercalli intensity scale. 18 This earthquake also triggered a local tsunami killing over 1200 people. 1956 Anjar earthquake was of mag- nitude 6.1 and​​had a maximum per- ceived intensity of IX on the Mercalli intensity scale. the 2001 Bhuj earthquake occurred on 26th January 2001 and was one of the most devastating earthquakes the world had seen. The earthquake was of magnitude 7.7 and had a max- imum felt intensity of X (Extreme). The earthquake killed over 16000 peo- ple and left hundreds of thousands homeless and injured. The people of Kutch have been suf- fering and bouncing back. Today 21 years after the Bhuj earthquake the communities have only gotten more advanced and closer to their culture and art and crafts. With the help of a number of organizations that were established after the Bhuj earthquake of 2001 such as Khamir, hunnarshala, karigarshala, homes in the city, etc. RED KUTCH 2022

Fig. 2.3 Smritivan 2001 Gujarat earthquake memorial garden in Bhuj, Gujarat, India 19 www.wikipedia.com COLORS OF RESILIENCE

Banni Breeders 20 RED KUTCH 2022

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Fig . 3.1 - A maldhari jat man standing next to his cattle - kutch 22 RED KUTCH 2022

અમારી એક ભેંસ નેનો કારની Banni કિંમતની છેv Breeders - Banni breeder Maldharis are spread over 48 hamlets areas that are organized into 19 panchayats. COLORS OF RESILIENCE Maldhari population is around 17000 with 90% being Muslim and 10% being Hindu. they speak Kutchi in the Sindhi dialect. Both the Muslim and Hindu Muslim communities keep livestock while the Hindu meghwals, vadha Koil have a rich history of beautiful embroidery, leatherwork, wood carvings building of bhungas(traditional circular mud houses of the maldharis). Both the Hindus and Muslims have strong ties with each other and the Muslims in solidarity with the Hindus do not eat beef. Historically the Muslims provided milk and ghee to the Hindu meghwals who in turn provided the Muslims with leather shoes, saddles, reins, and satchels for carrying water and helped build their bangs. 23

There are different stories of how they The main purpose of the Association is came to live in the banni. The banni the preservation and improvement of was bequeathed as a commons by the the banni race, banni species recogni- erstwhile maharao to the ancestors who tion as a large-scale lace of the coun- were nomadic pastoralist originating from try, preserving the green landscape, the Sindh region of Pakistan. Custody was animal grazing, and regional organiza- given to them with the condition that tional milk markets, And reverse inte- we protect the grassland ecosystem and gration such as availability of creative share it communally for grazing and not water, animal feed, value fit, and sys- use it for agriculture or divide it up into the tematic animal marketing. In order to private property. we have since used banni recognize Banni Buffalo, the Breeder only as pastureland and discouraged any Association started a process of char- farming or private land within it. acterizing a bunny race and has devel- oped a breed descriptor with NGO and For many years, Maldharis (traditional Agricultural University assistance. They breeder) played an important role in the are also ready to participate in the ef- preservation and improvement of Banni fort to maintain varieties of banni. Buffalo. Banni’s Maldharis introduced “Banni Pashu Uchharak Maldhari Sangathan” (Banni Breeders` Association) to identify more than 970 animal breeders’ members from this area. The conservation and improvement of this scientifically supported germplasm are complementary to the banni grassland ecosystem. 24 RED KUTCH 2022

Maldhari way of life The way of life isn’t subsistence-oriented and our animals and animal products are produced for the agrarian market. They have bred the banni buffalo that is uniquely adapted to banni grassland ecosystem and produces high yields of milk with very low external inputs. The banni buffalo is disease resistant, can handle water stress conditions, and has a strong constitution. every year some of them walk hundreds of kilometers to deliver draught animals to farmers in different parts of Gujarat who pay us in installments over a period of three years. the Kutchi Goat, the Kutchi Camel, and the Pathanwadi, Dumba Sheep, and Sindhi Horse.” Fig 3.2 Buffalows in the field, banni breeders assosiation Hodka - kutch COLORS OF RESILIENCE 25

The banni breed is so unique that once, one of the maldhari’s banni calf went missing during night grazing. After 8-10 years the maldhari was going somewhere when suddenly on the way there he noticed a buffalo in someone else’s barn and he had a doubt that the buffalo was his just by a glance at it. The maldhari asked the lady there who was the owner, where did she find the buffalo and she asked him a few questions like when did he lose the buffalo and similar, it turns out that the buffalo he saw was the third generation of the banni he had lost 8 years ago. The lady kept all the money earned from that banni buffalos separately and asked the maldhari to take the money as it was not hers to keep the money but the maldhari asked the lady to keep it and also to keep the buffalos as a reward for taking care of them. These banni breeders live in such unity that they don’t care if there is a small argument over the cattle or anything else because they know eventually they will sort it out and will be in unity again. Fig 3.3 RED KUTCH 2022 banni breed of buffalows hodka region kutch 26

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Jats of kutch 28 RED KUTCH 2022

Fig.4.1 illustration of a jat lady COLORS OF RESILIENCE 29

Fig 4.2 A Jat Lady image: Ian Parker 2019 30 RED KUTCH 2022

Jats of kutch The jats of kutch are one of the maldhari communities of kutch. There are three divisions of jats in Gujarat divided on the basis of the location they belong to Halari Jat, Verai Jat and Kutchi jat Jats are a converted Islamic community that have descended from ancient tribes of the Indus delta in the region of Sindh in present-day Pakistan. They all come under the rabari community. Basically, the group of Rabari community that converted into Islam are called jats Jats majorly being a cattle rearing group, they also take part in camel breeding and taking care of them- today many rabari people give their camels to the jats for caretaking They are nomadic breeders and have no permanent place, they go around in kutch finding places to live where there is adequate water supply - either from a natural body or by digging wells into the soil to provide water for themselves and the cattle. COLORS OF RESILIENCE 31

Fig 4.3 and 4.4 living space of the jats of kutch near chachala 32 RED KUTCH 2022

Fig 4.5 Fig 4.6 Wells made by the jats to get ground water for their BANNI cattle cattle COLORS OF RESILIENCE 33

Dholavira RED KUTCH 2022 34

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Dholavira Dholavira. Ruins in Bachautarka, Kutch One of the unique features of Dholavira is Province. Located on the Tropic of Cancer. the elaborate water protection system of It is one of the oldest and largest places the canals and reservoirs. It was the earliest of the Indus Valley Civilization in India. .it discovered in the world and is made entirely is one of the five major Harappa sites and of stone. The city has huge reservoirs, three the most prominent site of the Indus Valley of which are uncovered. They were used Civilization. This site has been occupied to store fresh water brought in by the since 2650 but has declined since 2100 BC. rain or to store water diverted from two It slowly declined and was used until 1450 nearby streams. This was clearly a reaction BC. Abandoned and occupied again. There to Kutch’s desert climate and conditions, are a total of 8 sites:- which could be years without precipitation. - Harappa Seasonal north-south streams near the site - Mohenjo-daro were dammed in several places to collect - Ganeriwala water. Another reservoir was discovered - Rakhigarhi there in 1998. - Kalibangan - Rupnagar Dholavira residents created more than - lothal 16 reservoirs of various sizes in Phase III. Rakhigarhi is the largest Harappan site in [Some of these took advantage of the the Indian subcontinent. slope of the ground in a large settlement 13 meters (43 feet) high from northeast Dholavira is divided into 3 parts, the to northwest. Other reservoirs have been upper town, the middle town, and the excavated, some of which are in living rock. lower town which is based on a duality Recent research has discovered two large acropolis. The plan of dholavira is precisely ponds, east and south of the castle, near a proportionate whole with mathematical the annex. precision. The Harappan town plan was also based on the astronomical aspects, The reservoir cuts rock vertically and is one of the significant features was the approximately 7 m (23 ft) deep and 79 m roads ran across axially from east to west (259 ft) long. They surround the city and dividing all the units of the citadel, baily, the citadel and baths are in the center of and middle town in perfect halves. the hill. There is also a large fountain with COLORS OF RESILIENCE 37

Fig. 5.2 step well system at dholavira Authenticity Archaeological sites in Dholavira include Fig. 5.3 layout of houses and cottages at dholavira fortresses, gates, reservoirs, ceremonial sites, dwellings, workshop areas, and cemeteries, all of which clearly represent the Harapan culture and its various signs. City planning is evident from the in-site ruins of the city, which show a systematic plan. The credibility of archaeological sites is maintained by the principles and methods of minimal intervention and scientific preservation, and by preserving uncovered structures in their original composition and location, structural relics. No additions or changes have been made. The excavated ruins prove the architectural Fig. 5.4 a close of the layout of a house at dholavira style, the contextual evidence of the architectural elements, and the layout of the bead manufacturing workshop. These are stored in the field to maintain their reliability. Well-documented evidence of the composition of the city, preserved during the excavation work, is extensive planning, understanding of relationships and ratios and principles, and city-wide direction related to key points, catchments, and rainwater drainage. These features are mostly preserved because they are constructed of masonry with sun-dried bricks, and the architectural features are well preserved. 38 RED KUTCH 2022

Fig. 5.5 drinking water well at dholivara Water Fig. 5.6 step well system at dholavira Management Fig. 5.7 ventelation system at dholavira Dholavira is a vital site of the Harappan civilization having a complicated machine for accumulating and storing rainwater inside numerous reservoirs. It has an extended record of droughts, accordingly, the Harappans had been aware of the opportunity and had been consciously training water control. This is meditated withinside the incidence of numerous rock-cut reservoirs. These helped in accumulating rainwater withinside the catchment regions and bringing it to the reservoirs. This changed into done via an imaginative machine regarding stone bunds of dams that had been raised throughout the streams at appropriate points. From there, the monsoon runoff changed into carried to a sequence of reservoirs, gouged out withinside the sloping regions among the internal and outer partitions of the Harappan length city, via inlet channels. These water reservoirs had been separated from every different through bund-cum-causeways, which additionally served to facilitate get right of entry into extraordinary divisions of the city. The water control machine at Dholavira is primarily based totally on enormously superior hydraulic engineering, that’s favored and hired by even contemporary technicians. Also, the improvement of water sources and their conservation in this metropolis changed into now no longer best the obligation of the better authority but additionally the responsibility of the nearby community. COLORS OF RESILIENCE 39

Fig 5.8 illustration of the 10 symbols found at the site RED KUTCH 2022 40

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Khamir RED KUTCH 2022 42

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Fig . 6.1 - a worker at khamir drying cloth after block printing 44 RED KUTCH 2022

Khamir It is a platform for crafts heritage and “At Khamir, we strive to create a cultural ecology of the Kutch region of democratic and empowering space that Gujarat. Instituted after the post-2001 earthquake it is a=n area of engagement is a common umbrella where different and development for Kutch and its stakeholders can share ideas and creative industries. collaborate. We are working to change Khamir works to strengthen and promote the consumer’s perspective and increase the rich artisan traditions of the Kutch district. Our name stands for Kutch the cultural value of crafts. Heritage, Art, Music, Information, and Our vision is the dynamic and Resources. Kutchi is the local language sustainable Indian handicraft sector, of Kutchi, which means “essential pride.” where handicrafts and craftsmen are In Hindi, it means “ferment”, which is similarly appreciated by people all over equally appropriate because the ideas and activities that take place both within the world.”- the organization and in the common khamir cutch are constantly fermenting. Born in 2005 as a joint initiative of the Kutch Nav Nairman Abhiyan and the Nehru Development Foundation, Khamir was officially registered under the Social Trust Act that same year. Today, it serves as a platform for promoting the conservation of traditional crafts and related cultural practices, the processes involved in their creation, culture, communities, and the local environment. COLORS OF RESILIENCE 45

Campus Design The constructed areas are often a cultural construct, in which the structure is Khamir was designed to create a 2500 hired to reinforce an identification that sq.m facility for the promotion of craft in the humans of Kutch represent. Using kutch. The idea of making plans for this neighborhood substances and suitable center is derived from the neighborhood creation techniques, the completed streetscape and village sample stated surfaces (constructed as infills in a metal earlier than the earthquake. The making body of the homes) get hold of and plans of Khamir are carried out withinside mirror an acquainted light. The dust an equal way because the village road partitions whilst sprinkled with water, layouts form chowks and courts. as an emanate a recognized perfume, and the accelerator for the network areas for the thick rammed earth absorbs the sounds duration of the complicated, it establishes of operating tools. Responding to the a form of city technique having integrity seismic zone, the homes are propped on and involvement both. stout plinths. The rammed earth partitions upward push from the plinth, with seen Moving thru the verandas along with the layers of `making` accordingly lending the workspaces and throughout a sequence panorama vibrancy and scale. In elements, of shaded courtyards, references a stroll however, the partitions are plastered with thru the winding alleys which might be a combination of dust and dried cow dung, a function of rural Indian townscapes: to hold the interiors effortlessly cool. from a harsh sunlit panorama to a welcoming shaded courtyard, stepping onto an expanded veranda and sooner or later getting into the deep, cool interiors is an enjoy this is indispensable to the agricultural cloth of the place. Fig 6.2 A weaver doing plastic weaving at khamri 46 RED KUTCH 2022

Fig. 6.3 handloom kahmir bhuj Fig. 6.4 khamir campus bhuj kutch Fig. 6.5 khamir campus bhuj kutch COLORS OF RESILIENCE 47

“ The buildings of Khamir thus emulate the structure of the Indian village: workshop units cluster together to form narrow streets and shaded spaces, and the streets divide and meet in courtyards and chowks” - Prof. Neelkanth Chhaya 48 RED KUTCH 2022

Fig . 6.6 - illustration on khamir campus COLORS OF RESILIENCE 49

Fig . 6.7 - bundles of thread drying at khamir campus 50 RED KUTCH 2022