[Reader-list] Independent Rearch Fellowship-Posting 4

[rajaram bhadu]

  Study of cultural transition in urban slums of jaipur city

Posting-4

To all for comments and suggestions

Cultural forms and practices are not commonly visible in urban slums 
as we stated earlier. We can see these processes on some special 
occasions only. Whereas the assumptions, beliefs and values of 
slum-dwellers are manifest in their routine behavior. In Nagtalai 
basti wedding ceremony of kumhar and balai Community still having a 
traditional pattern. Most of these families followed the traditional 
customs, women used to sing songs, make rituals and perform dance in 
groups. The residents of the slum belong to the various villages but 
common cast-base linked them primarily as community. Secondly, in 
which villages these people have came here; that area have same 
lingual and cultural background so it was quite natural to acquire as 
a cultural community in a place like slum. Kumhar, balai and other 
hindu resident of the basti celebrate holi, deewali, gangour and 
other festivals in a same manner and modes.

Balai and kumhar community have some particular festivals. Balai 
celebrates navaratra as a special festival. In navaratra they pray 
the god bharoonji, they give bali of he goat and distribute pieces of 
the meat as prasad bhog and eat it collectively. During the nine days 
of navaratra, they did jagaran. In jagaran, they did whole night pray 
with a team with singing bhazans in the praise of bharoonji, they 
called it bhagtai. The bhazan mandli (A particular group of singers) 
used different musical folk instruments such as daffs, chung, 
manjire, ghanti and thal etc. At the climex point of the jagaran some 
bhagats (preachers) feel bhav (incarnation) of bharoonji, then other 
people request him to solve their problems. Kumhars celebrates 
sheetalastami in a different way. Kumhars are worshiper of sheetla 
mata (a goddess). A fair is organized yearly in Chaksu on the 
occasion of sheetalastami in the temple of sheetla mata. Kumhar 
families of the slum attended this fair respectively.

One and of Nagalai, an old temple of lord shva is situated. Some 
hindu residents participated in this temple at the time of 
puja-archna. The hindu community of basti established one another 
temple of lord shiva and hanuman collectively. The preparation and 
distribution of posh bada (a type of prasad prepared in the holy 
month of posh-January) is an annual collective activity of local 
people. Every body participated in this procession without any 
discrimination of cast and religion. In the muslim community, wedding 
ceremony generally arranged outside the slum. Women played major role 
in the rituals and cultural processions of marriage. In the Id 
(festival) of muslim community, hindu families also shared their 
greetings. Recently, muslim community of this slum prepared tazia in 
a collective manner.

Prahlad, a resident of Nagtalai is a teacher in govt. school. Before 
this service he was a teacher is bodhshala running by Bodh shiksha 
samiti. Bodhshala is an innovative school in which teachers 
circulated lots of books other than prescribed textbooks to the 
children as reading materials. In bodhshala, teachers motivated 
children for creative writing, painting, singing, dance and 
handicrafts. But after the schooling, children would not be able to 
continue these things. The factor behind this is lack of continuity 
in their further education after the completion of primary education 
given by bodhshala. Another factor is that, there are not any 
opportunity and space available to enhance their aptitudes and such 
type of creative interests. In this condition they also become a part 
of slum's ordinary youth or develop as a peculiar type of character 
who would not adjust themself with other. If this young generation 
got the proper guidance and encouragement for creative direction, 
they could be change agents in the cultural scenario of the slum. 
Cultural support for children and youth should be a continuous 
process.

Here child marriages a prevailing practices in the slum, although in 
these days it is declining. Prahlad told about a case. One student of 
bodhshala has engaged for marriage. He opposed it in his family and 
community with the support of his collegues. Now the boy is a 
lecturer and gets married after getting the job. In reduction the 
cast discrimination, children taught from bodshala have played a 
mazor role in the slum.

Earlier when the bhattas (Furnace of limestone) were running at that 
time total family was engaged in a particular work place. After the 
closing of these bhattas, people were pressurized to search the jobs 
from other place for their liveihood. In changed situation, it was 
not possible that whole family could found the work at the same 
place. Then wherever one found work, he joined it. This new condition 
weakened the family institution. This affected the intense family 
relationship and broken the joint family system. Now nuclear family 
trend have increased.

When TV serials i.e. ramayan and mahabharat telecasted first time, 
number of TV sets in the slum was very few at that time. People used 
to see these serial at some certain places collectively and during 
this period they discussed the episodes. At present 90 percent 
families have their own TV sets. Now the world of entertainment has 
personalized, but number of coloured TV sets and VCR'S are not more, 
so people see the new feature films on VCR collectively. In film 
viewers, youth have in a majority. From slum 20 percent young people 
attended film shows at cinema halls in the city. More than 100 
newspapers have circulated in the slum. It is obvious that the number 
of newspaper readers will be multiplied.

In recent years, we find the crime rate have risen in the slum, 
simultaneously indulgence of police thana also increased. In crimes, 
the illegal distribution of liquor, gambling, theft and inter 
conflicts are included mostly.

There are not such cultural form are generally in pratice in the slum 
in which there any scope or space will be available for self 
expression and collective interactions. Exclude the singing and 
dancing programme performed in marriage ceremonies and festivals, TV 
programmes and films are the only medium of entertainment. The visual 
media is not interactive in it's nature, so audience have only 
passive role as viewer. Last year a group of youth have played some 
street drams in the slum. The residents of the slum enjoyed the 
performance, but they were not able to understand the inherent 
message of the plays because they were not familiar with this 
cultural form.

The status of women is not better in the slum. The majority of women 
earn livelihood like their male partners. They have to work for 
earning as well as at the home. The use of liquor is very common in 
the basti; women are the sufferer of the consequences of liquor. Some 
women also victimized by male violence. In spite of it, women fully 
participated in the activities of the slums. They are also 
articulated. As the recent development, a feeling of independence is 
also growing in the slums women toward sexual relationships.

The people of the slum assumed that the moral values are decayed in 
these days. The collective's spirit has reduced and individualism is 
increasing rapidly. The family and marriage institution have 
weakened. The feeling of respect for elders have also reduced in 
younger generation. People are not caring toward social 
accountability. The slum people, especially younger considered 
inferior their life conditions in the comparison with urban life 
style.



In Paldimeena slums rehabilitation scheme 148 families of university 
kacchi basti are shifted and settled in D-block of the scheme called 
Ashok vihar. There families belong to koli, dhobi, rana, kharawat, 
thakur, balai and harizan castes. The most interesting case is that 
two harizan (sweepers) families told to the people, that they can 
allot him two houses at the corner of the colony but the people 
prefer him and allotted the houses of center place of the colony. The 
practice of untouchability or cast discrimination is not accepted by 
anybody in this habitation.

These families have passed two years after resettlement. In this 
period more than 10 marriages have took place in this habitation. 
Every family participated in the rituals and bhoj etc. Meanwhile at 
one marriage time, the father of groom have died, people manage the 
death ceremony as well as wedding process simultaneously in 
cooperative manner.

There is a triangle park in the block in which a temple of lord shiva 
have constructed by a sikh factory owner. Actually factory owner 
contributed for his affection toward the residents in which some 
people are labour in his factory. Now people use to pray and pooja in 
this temple without any discrimation. Children used the park as 
ground for playing. One voluntary agency is operating a Janshala for 
children.

Unemployment is an acute problem for the people at this sight. In 
university slum; they were engaged in their particular occupations. 
Most of them were involved in handicraft, gardening and labour work. 
Women were engaged in agarbatti work, tailoring, weaving and working 
as housemaids. But now all routine have disturbed. One person have to 
spent 25 rupees daily for conveyance if he want to find a job in city 
and there is not certainty to get the job. Sitaram Sisodia (30) who 
was a screen painter, is now unemployed. The unemployed youth and 
group of women either play cards or pass their time in gossiping and 
watching TV at home. The use of liquor is also catching the younger 
generation because the liquor is so cheap in this area that a bottle 
is available here in only 30 rupees. After drinking, people criticize 
the incidence of shifting the basti at this place.

Moolchand Bunkar was the leader of the slum. When the matter of 
shifting was raised in university slum, he leaded the people and 
fought a long struggle to rehabilitate properly. People won in the 
struggle but Moolchand loosed his dairy service in this fight. Now he 
also faced the bitter anger of unemployed youth everyday who charged 
him for shifting and present misfortune.



According to a recent survey, there are 2657 families in Manoharpura 
slum in which 250 families are muslim. In this slum more than 20 such 
persons are living who use tantras to cure their patients. They 
claimed that they have some supernatural power that helps him in the 
treatment. In these persons there are three muslim peers. Every peer, 
ojha and tantrik used his particular way and style for treatment of 
their patients.

A.R. Rehman is a peer. His main occupation is making utensils of 
alloy in old city. Since the morning, lots of sufferer gathered in 
front of his door. Most of them are children and women. Every 
sufferer came there with a stem of neem tree in his hand and sit in 
the queue.  Rehman sit on their knees and starts to attend them one 
by one, take the stem from the sufferer and whisper some mysterious 
words while doing the jhada with neem branch. One can see a pile of 
neem stems in front of Rehman's house.

Earlier Rehman was the resident of old city at Ajmeri gate. He 
studied till secondary. In 1986 his family shifted in this slum. 
Rahman's parents were died in his childhood. After leaving the 
school, Rehman started to sale the ice crème candy. Then he worked as 
driver. In job of driving he used to drink alcohol and gambling. In 
1997 he met an ustad who taught the koran to him. In the influence of 
the ustad and teaching of the koran he left alcohol. Subsequently he 
met a hajji and visited Muradabad. He did not find himself satisfy 
there and came back at Jaipur . Then he started to work at a shop of 
alloy utensil and still working the same job.

In 1976 Rehman got married and in 1979 he opt the silsila community 
(a commune of sufi followers). With the effect of new following, he 
left the gambling practice. During this time, a bengali women told 
his wife about the Manoharpura kachchi basti, where both husband and 
wife make their hit. After shifting here, his wife started the 
embroidery work. Now they have a pakka house.

In 1989 Rehman got khilaphat from his peer. Then he started to treat 
the sufferers. He is having fame in and outside of the slum. 
According to Rehman, two types of powers exist in the universe-one 
physical and second spiritual. He helps to the people in spiritual 
matters. In patients, mostly ill children, harassed and tensed 
persons and the people having sexual problem, especially young girl 
came to consult him. People pay him for his dua (treatment) 
willingly. He utilizes the money in the maintenance of peer baba's 
mazar (tomb) and on organization the urse (a religious programme). 
Silsila organized three urses in a year in which kabbalis and mahfils 
are the mazor activities. What is the mystery of his miracle? Rehman 
replies that he attended five times namaz regularly and used to jikra 
(discussion) of malik (Allah) and regards the raza and sufi-sizra as 
holi rituals.  

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