Case studies

PART 5

CASE STUDIES_VOICE OF LOCALS

Historic city of Jodhpur is not just a memory, but it is living, constantly modifying labyrinth. Here people are active agents who negotiate, interpret and adapt to fulfill the changing and challenging present needs. “It is a process of active regeneration and transformation of know how and practices within a contemporary local context, that does not exist on its own or apart from people that transmit it” (ASQUITH, 2006). A lot of times while passing through the arteries of the city, trying to peep into the reality of historic urban settlement and traditional houses, I always had some questions about the historicity of the buildings “Why don’t they understand the need to protect the historic buildings?”. The process of transformation in built environment with the introduction of new building materials with new forms is inevitable; making it difficult to identify and classify buildings as historic from an outsider’s point of view.

© Photograph by: Kevin Standage City as a constantly evolving labryinth.

“They” are the inhabitants of the city and their role is vital in making the past, present and the future of this place. They make it a home, a street, a bazaar and a city. It becomes vital to understand their side of the coin in order to get a holistic approach before we conclude through design.

HAVELIES_SATYANARAYANJI KI HAVELI

Satyanayaranji ki haveli is around 400 years old structure located in the middle of chawk Juni mandi with a mix of sweet shops, tea stalls, temples and a continuous traffic flow on three sides. Adjoining is a chowk, fenced with three peepal trees where women worship throughout the day while men play cards on the same plinth. Haveli sits on a raised plinth accessible through steps that leads to an semi open area with openings. Ground floor remains historic with uneven sptial modifications to accommodate present functios. Though being primarily an inherited residential building it has a homeopathic clinic in one room that opens into the courtyard which has a well and a peepal tree.

Drawings by: Rutvi Patel

The well is not only used by the residents but also by the shop owners and people living in the neighborhood. One third part of the ground floor is a temple dedicated to God Satyanarayan, which is o ften visited by people from the neighborhood. The inner courtyard is covered with the M.S grill and serves as a dinning space on the upper floor. The first floor has been reconstructed with same footprint as ground floor but with brick and concrete as opposed to stone and lime in older construction. What makes it different is the way the haveli lives. The façade of the house gives clear indication of the public and private areas, and old-newer modifications. Service wall of the toilets are part of the facade facing the chowk, where one can see beautifully articulated Jharokhas on the ground floor, but has neglected the continuation of the style for the upper floors. Jaalis on the north face are filled in to reduce the visibility from the market side. In between the chaos of these many activities, there is a smooth transition through behavioral patterns around these elements of sacred and profane, public and private but on the other hand it is difficult to find the same in architectural patterns because of recent modifications. Thus it seems, these things needs control by local bodies through their policies which gives guidance in order to avoid these circumstances.

Section by: Rutvi Patel highlighting the activities at the haveli