[Reader-list] first posting:anjali jyoti

[anjali jyoti]

Hi everyone,

I’m Anjali. I am an architect presently working in
Delhi.

When in comes to communication, I usually end up
writing staccato, and talking in cryptic, disjointed
sentences with enough hand gesticulations to give a
kuchipudi dancer a run for her money. So I took to
other ways of expressing myself- photographs, film
making, sign language, cartoons...

I’d like to add that I’m a single girl child so had I
been born in today’s day and age I would have gotten
free education

.Am also left-handed. Have no clue how
such meaningful insights are related to my reasons for
doing this particular research project, or maybe they
are at some subconscious intrinsic level, (this comes
after an overdose of Paulo Coelho).
Enough of kidding around; though its kids, precisely,
who are the basis of my research.
Here’s what its about:
Living in Delhi for anyone new can be nightmarish-
with its grandness, its mysteriousness, its filth, is
traffic, its traffic jams, its politics, its dark
areas, its people. More so for children with no adult
guidance; but their own sensibilities to guide them.
Street children, who have learnt to outsmart Delhi and
survive. Their Delhi must be quite different from
ours. 
What is that Delhi? 
The idea behind ‘Home Street Home:A street child’s
survival guide for Delhi’-is to put together a guide
{something like a Lonely Planet for street children)
which is packed with information given by the street
children living in Delhi, about Delhi.
The booklet would focus on various aspects of a street
child’s life in the city and contained inputs from
children themselves about their views, their ratings,
and most importantly their first hand advice.

Delhi as a city- how does it fascinate them, scare
them, entertain them
, does it protect them.
Delhi through the eyes of the children-the character
of places, the characters of the people, the class
divide, police ,anti-social elements, work, crisis
centres, hospitals etc.
Based on findings an analysis will be made of the
kinds of practices and systems prevalent in Delhi
which the children of the street have taken advantage
of in order to survive and also those which negatively
affect these children and change them into’mini
adults’.

The guide would be in Hindi and English, with area
level and city maps, cognitive maps drawn by children
of areas, descriptive drawings by children,
photographs
In addition - relevant audio, film documented during
project, which may be stored in the Sarai archives
along with the printed compilation.
Right now I’m working on a questionnaire for the
children which I plan to upload soon. Then the idea is
to go out there and talk to as many children as
possible, dividing Delhi in 5 zones (N,S,E,W and
Central) and covering a certain number of children per
zone.

till my next post
anjali



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