[Reader-list] Fifth Posting:Kalyan:The Idea Of Jamshedpur

[kalyan nayan]

This posting would focus on the aspect of paternalism in the city. We
would try to explore its impact on the city. We would also see if this
had any influence on the planning mechanisms that had been initiated in
Jamshedpur.

"We do not claim to be more unselfish, more generous or more
philanthropic than other people. But we think we started on sound and
straight forward business principles, considering the interests of
shareholders our own, and the health and welfare of the employees, the
sure foundation of our prosperity".
Jamshedji Nusserwanji Tata 

The above statement might not be a remarkable and original insight into
the social philosophy that should endow a man of wealth but it would be
of interest to contrast it with an equally frank statement ten years
later. During a conference in London with Tata’s representatives in
1904-05 regarding concessions in freight rates for bulk conveyance of
raw materials, iron and steel, the Managing Director of Bengal Nagpur
Railway said:

"It does not appeal to us at all if you can only show that in an
indirect and remote way this would be for the benefit of India. The
only appeal that can be made to us is that we can make money out of it.
This Railway Company, you must always bear in mind, is a commercial
undertaking, and must only be actuated by commercial motives. We must
not consider the advantages to India and, must not be actuated by
anything like patriotic or philanthropic motives 
 we do not consider a
snap of the fingers about the advantages to India".  

One could only guess the fundamental difference in opinion, which later
on became the foundation stone of Indian industrial bourgeoisie at that
point of time. To follow from the previous chapter we would be able to
see as to how the values of the Tata Iron and Steel Company were
reflected in the city plans and architecture, how human interactions
have been influenced by the architecture and urban design and how
people have reacted to the Company’s built environment. We have traced
the lineage of the city in brief but here we will not only see the
establishment of Jamshedpur but also the sustenance of it as the oldest
and the largest existing Company town in the world. It was the
prototype for post independent Indian industrial cities such as Bhilai,
Rourkela and Durgapur, which were established in completely rural
areas.
Closely following J. N. Tata’s ideas we will also see that the
objective of building the city was not considered only on the basis of
philanthropic motives. There was a larger philosophy behind it. In
fact, world over the experience has been that the Company towns are
excellent examples of rational attempts by planners and architects to
mould workers and manipulate social and economic interactions for the
primary purpose of improving industrial production. I will like to
build upon this idea and try to weave segments of Jamshedpur here for
greater continuity and understanding. 
For the purpose of moulding the worker, planning served as a
significant tool. We have traced the intention and scope of planning in
Jamshedpur in great detail to demonstrate the desire on the part of the
Company to constantly intervene in the built atmosphere of the city
whenever it saw things escalating beyond control. It was true that one
of the guiding factors of planners in doing so was their concurrence
and inspiration from the European and American industrial conditions.
But it was also true that these planning mechanisms became a tool in
their hands to make regulation of space serve their need of controlling
and disciplining the labour. For example, housing was one of the prime
considerations of every planner. Efforts were made in every plan to
negotiate with this impending requirement. But it was also a means to
dissuade the worker from building whatever it liked. To quote Lefebvre:

"In the extension and proliferation of cities, housing is the guarantee
of reproductivity, be it biological, social or political. Society i.e.
capitalist society no longer totalizes its elements nor seeks to
achieve total integration through monuments. Instead it strives to
distil its essence into buildings". 

In other words planning was also for the creation of a modern,
industrial working ethic. It was not a matter of carrot and stick
policy for the Tatas. The city served as the extension of their
hegemony. To put it in more precise terms, it was a platform to
practice paternalism.  For we have seen that in our period they
resisted every attempt to let go, the control of the city from their
hands, even if it meant a huge expenditure for them. 
Regulation of space was necessary for instilling in the workers a sense
of purpose and discipline. It was also significant for obtaining
optimum performance levels and guaranteed competence. Lefebvre
referring to the concept of ‘spatial practice’ stated,

"Spatial practice embraces production and reproduction
Spatial practice
ensures continuity and some degree of cohesion. In terms of social
space, and of each member of a given society’s relationship to that
space, this cohesion implies a guaranteed level of competence and a
specific level of performance
It embodies complex symbolisms, sometimes
coded, sometimes not linked to underground side of social space". 

This cohesion and creation of purpose seemed to be one of the primary
objectives of the Tatas. One could still ask why this moulding and
shaping of the worker? It has been observed that ‘each mode of
production has its own space; the shift from one mode to another must
entail production of a new space. A fresh space needs to be generated,
a space which is organized and planned subsequently’.  Not only this,
it has to be fashioned, shaped and invested by social activities during
a finite historical period. Probably this mindset, although not
pronounced, justified the refashioning or remoulding. 
But it was certainly not a one way process. There were contending urges
for hegemony, between worker and the capital, and there seems to be
contention over space for extending counter hegemony. This contention
metamorphosed into an aspect of ‘ambivalence’. An ambivalence, which
invited more and more negotiation rather than confrontation in the
city.


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