[Reader-list] Introduction to Nangla Maachi

[Jeebesh Bagchi]

Dear Friends,

One of Sarai/Ankur's Cybermohalla labs is in Nangla Maachi for the  
last two years. Nangla Maachi is in New Delhi, behind Pragati Maidan,  
opposite the Bhairon Marg crossing. A bus stand and a big CNG filling  
station frame the settlement.

Nangla Maachi came up after the floods of 1978, during the same time  
that Jamuna Pushta came up. It has grown over the last 25 years into  
a fairly big settlement with about 6000 dwellings and a population of  
approximately 100,000 people. The older village called Nangla Gaon is  
still there, but has been dwarfed by the settlement.

Now, in it's latest rulings, the Supreme court has been breathing  
down MCDs case to clean up the `encroached spaces` around the banks  
of the Yamuna. The MCD has argued that it is not possible to do so,  
as there is very little land available for re-settlement. The hearing  
is on.

NM's population is very heterogeneous and it is a fairly dense place.  
Over the last 25 years it has passed through many scares of eviction  
and various forms of surveys and documents have been generated during  
this time. The earliest was around 1984, after which some forms of  
`billa` (badges) were introduced as a marker of legitimate presence.  
Then came the ration card, mostly got through complex negotiation  
with lower level bureaucracy of the Food and Civil Supplies. It seems  
it is difficult to get a ration card and needs intervention of local  
politicians or some "extra money".

The scare of eviction and constant negotiation to get infrastructural  
facilities has made Surveys and Documents take a life of it's own.

There are many kind of surveys:i) - Census (usually understood as  
`ginnti` (counting) and `kum` (less) informations.ii) - Health  
surveys conducted by community workers and young doctors.iii) -  
Surveys whose specific question is to ask for `pramaan` (evidence of  
residence and members of the household unit). Two `pramaan` are  
ration card and election identity cards. You get election cards if  
you manage a ration card.iv) - Surveys by police to ascertain the  
`permanent addresses` of residents. (One recently conducted after the  
Diwali blast.) In this survey police goes from house to house and  
writes down the `village` address of the residents (where they have  
come to the city from).

Last Saturday night, the local masjid loudspeaker announced some news  
about demolition of `Moolchand` basti (behind Rajghat) and about  
impending demolition here, in NM. All were asked to gather and go to  
Rajghat with their voter i-cards (pehchaan patras) for a  
demonstration in buses provided by Tajdar Babbar (a local congress  
politician, fairly influential in many of these settlements). As it  
turned out from the news at night, the demonstration was about `urban  
villages` and threat of demolition of construction in these villages!

What, I have realised over many conversations in NM lab is that the  
`survey` and the `document` has a spectral presence. It appears to  
oscillate as a sign between `saab theek ho jayega` (all will be fine)  
and `aab to jaana hi padega` (now we will have to leave).

This oscillation produces various strategies of survival practices.  
One can sense a `preparing` for eviction in progress. Moving into  
safer localities like Loni and slowly moving out parts of belongings  
and keeping parts, in hope of some future land somewhere. Alongwith  
this is a stubborn sense of located-ness and pride of having made  
this space. Eviction takes away this pride.

[Pyaason ki pyaas bujhata hai Nangla.
Dilli mein aane walo ka basera hai Nangla.]

And, a slow wait for the appearance of the Notice Board announcing  
the dates of eviction.

For more, keep an eye on the postings from <nangla at cm.sarai.net>

salaam

jeebesh