Into the heart - Yelahanka Old Town Photo project

INTO THE HEART

Jaishree Garg

FIND INSIDE TABLE OF CONTENTS

02

Journeying into the heart of Old Town

06

08

40

42

Stepping into my Line of Inquiry

Into the Heart Through My Lens

Yelahanka Old Town Journey Map

38

Pictures that I didn’t take

Data Collection Prcoess and Interview Notes

Acknowledgments

36

Reflections from My Journey

JOURNEYING INTO THE HEART OF OLD TOWN

When I first stepped into Yelahanka Old Town, all I could see were colorful buildings, brightlydressed people, and tiny shops. My first impression of Yelahanka was just that – it was a colorful, crowded place. But as I ventured further I came to realize that there is one thing that gives Yelahanka its identity – the people and the work they do.

WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE? Well they are ordinary people like you and I. They love, live, eat, play, and work - they do all that and more. But the one thing that helps them give Yelahanka a face is their “work”. They don’t build rockets nor do they design fancy apps, they do things we often forget to consider “work”. Work is money to all of us, no denying. But is it more than just money to them?

WHAT DO THEY DO? When I first encountered the people of Old town, I labeled most of what they did as “activities”, I didn’t consider them “work”, at least not in the sense I consider what I do as work. When I stepped out of this notion, the meaning of work changed for me and they helped me see that.

When you’re in Yelahanka you’ll see that no work is big or small, work is not just about making money; work is not just a way to kill time. Their work is a part of their identity; their work is what helps them make Yelahanaka unique.

WHY DO THEY WORK AND HOW DOES THEIR PERSEPCTIVE OF WORK GIVE YELAHANKA ITS IDENITITY? Why do we work? - To make money? To survive in this world? Maybe, but think again, why do you do what you do – that specific work that you do, the profession that you chose – why did you choose it? I asked them that, half scared that I’ll just hear depressing answers about how money is such a struggle. Mind you I got those too, but then there was so much more. Let them tell you.

I SEE, I THINK, I WONDER This exercise helped me make sense of the data I was gathering visually, mentally, and physically on my photowalks.

I listed down the entire process of seeing, perceiving, and wondering. which led me to my line of inquiry.

STEPPING INTO MY LINE OF INQUIRY As can be seen from the map, my line of inquiry unraveled itself with every walk I took in Yelahanaka Old Town. Over the course of 8 photo walks, my line of inquiry changed primarily as I transformed from being just a spectator to being a part of Old town.

My Line of Inquiry is - “How do people at old town perceive the work that they do?� This particular question striked my fancy when I started to talk to people about their work. In the beginning a lot of people told me that they worked for money and that was about it, but as I met more and more people I started to hear some very interesting answers.

For instance - I met a girl of about 22, who told me that she worked part time as an accountant and as a tutor while also pursuing M.com simply because she wanted to study and also apply her knowledge to work settings. She worked to learn more. This answer sent me on a journey to find people who worked for not just money, but much more. I believe that Yelahanka Old Town is unique not just because of its colorful houses, its array of temples, or the chaotic lanes - I think the businesses, people, and the work they do is what makes Yelahanka special.

Quick look at my line of inquiry process

INTO THE HEARTTHROUGH MY LENS

01 “

WORK = MONEY

I have been cleaning my house and almost half the street for over 35 years. I have never received any money for it. But can you tell me that this is not work?

”

Chengamma cleaning the road outside her house as part of her “everyday work”. She then applies “rangoli” to the ground with white chalk powder.

CHENGAMMA is a 58-year old

house wife, who has cleaned the stairs outside her house and the surrounding road for over 35 years now. She has never “worked” outside the house, because the work at home has kept her busy. Her day starts at 6 am and gets over only after rest of the house is asleep.

When I asked her if she’s ever worked, she smiled at me and asked me to spend a day with her and see just how much work she gets done. From cleaning the toilet in her house to shooing away greedy cows from her door - she does everything with little or no help.

Doesn’t Chengamma’s take on work make you wonder why we always compare work with money?

02 “

I WORK TO KEEP MY FAMILY’S PROFESSION ALIVE

I come from a family of cutlers. We have been doing this for more than 100 years. So I don’t see this as work at all. This is my life.

”

HUSSAIN is 32-years old and was born

in a family of cutlers in Kolar. He comes to Yelahanka every weekend to be a part of the Sunday santhe on down bazaar road.

In a crowd that’s mostly selling vegetables and fruits, Hussain stands out with his little backpack filled with razor-sharp knives.

“I’m the only mobile cutler here”, he said beamingly when I asked him why he’s come all the way to Yelahanka to sell and repair knives.

He never wanted to be anything else, but a cutler. As a kid he used to go with his ajja to his appa’s wokrkshop and watch him make knives.

He wanted to be a professional cutler himself, because this was never just a profession for him, but his whole life itself.

Makes you wonder if it’s such a bad thing to adapt to your dad’s work and make it your life?

Hussain getting ready for his day at the Yelahanka Market with his backpack full of sharp knives and cutlery tools

03

Gangamma sitting outside her son’s shop in down bazaar road, stitching a fall to a saree. She only uses her hands to stitch and sew; she despises machines.

“

I WORK TO FEEL ALIVE

Work? It’s necessary, otherwise how will you know that you’re a functional person. It’s the only way to believe that I’m not a vegetable.

”

GANGAMMA is almost 80-years old and lives with her son in Yelahanka. Her son runs a steel and plastic shop that she and her husband opened many years ago.

When I asked her why she was still working when her son made enough money, she frowned and said, “If I can then why should I not?”

Her son then explained to me that she was on bed arrest for almost 8 years before this so is usually irritated around people, but loves to keep herself busy.

Work to her is not money, but a way to feel alive.

Still thinking of that retirement after 40?

04 “

I WORK BECAUSE I’M GOOD AT IT! Why tea? - Why not tea! I love making chai, I love the smell of tea leaves, I love interacting with people and my tea business gives me both!

Plus I’m good at it

”

Sundar pouring a glass of tea. Shot from inside his small tea stall. Like Sundar said Isn’t this art too?

SUNDAR has been making tea for 25

years now. He’s had shops at different places, but his expertise has always been the same - TEA! When he pours the tea into a jug, it almost looks like an effortless stroke of brush - no exaggeration, he feels the same way. When I told him that I am an art and design student, his eyes lit up and he said, “this is also like art no?”

What’s amazing though is the fact that Sundar’s customers feel the same way about their interaction with Sundar and told me that they make it a point to drink Sundar’s tea once a day at least. His tea is indeed a work of art for them.

05 “

WHAT WE DO IS NOT EVEN CONSIDERED WORK We go from place to place and sing when we beg for money, because our voice is all we have left. People call it begging, so we do too

”

CHENGAPPA, GAGANAMMA, VENKATRAI, and HOGELAPPA

are friends from Tumkur, who migrate their way from one place to another, singing bhajans for a living. They used to all have jobs once, but health and children both failed them. Now Gaganamma and Hogelappa take care of the other two who are partially blind.

This is their only way to survive. Holigeppa says that they enjoy singing and listening to different bhajans at temples and practicing.

A lot of people don’t consider this work, because how can walking around and singing be work?

But I wonder what really is the difference between them and the singers we listen to on the radio?

The quartet captured in the middle of their song, where the background music came from some small instruments that they carried in their plastic bags.

06

Rachna arranging the saree-wrapped wooden planks outside the folding room so that they can be taken in for refolding in the set order.

“

I WORK TO STAY INDEPENDENT

I don’t want to be dependent on my parents or husband.

When I work, I am my own boss and I like that.

”

RACHNA works at the textile mills,

but believes her work is quite unique.

She is incharge of loading the sarees on to the wooden plank and then fold them precisely to put them into plastic bags, making them shop-ready!

Every once in a while she gets the task of perfecting loose threads and embroideries on the saree, which she loves. When I asked her about what she thought of her work, she said that to a lot of us her work might seem insignificant, but her role in the saree making process is just as important as the machine that weaves the threads.

She further added, “Everybody has a part to play in completing a task, my work is my contribution to the nice sarees women wear.”

07 “

WHAT IS WORK?

I sit on this stone outside my house and interact with people on the street, especially kids. I also take care of my plants. That small tulsi plant is my favorite. I do this everyday without fail. Can you call that work?

�

Jayamma sitting outside her house observing the activites of the street on two different days

JAYAMMA is almost 75 years old and has been sitting religiously everyday outside her house for the past 10 years.

She says that this is what she does, work or not.

“But I don’t just sit, mind you”, she adds.

“I water my plants, I keep cows and dogs away from my house and the plants. I also interact with people just like I’m interacting with you.”

Like Jayamma said, “What really qualifies as work?” Who’s to say!

08 “

WORK IS HAPPINESS

I had money troubles so I started early with this work, but I also loved embroidery and textiles, so I stuck to it and made it my profession. I find my happinness in this.

”

SYED NAWAZ has loved to

hold the needle and thread since he was 15. He says it was awkward in the beginning, because boys his age didn’t sew - that was perceived a bit girly. But he eventually found a place in his uncle’s shop, who has been doing embroidery for more than 40 years. He says it gets boring and tiring at times, but the colorful threads around him keep him engaged all day.

He also loves listening to old hindi songs and kannada music when he is working. Music makes him happy, so does his work. “Happiness is an important part of work apart from money”, he says.

Syed Nawaz engrossed in embroidering a piece of blouse for a client’s wedding saree.

09 “

WORK IS EXPERTISE

I’m a bench jeweller and good at what I do.

Work has never been about money to me. It’s about being an expert and being good at your work. That is why I’m able to survive in today’s growing market also!

”

Ramesh bhai attentively listening to Nagraj’s testimony about his work.

RAMESH BHAI wanted to be an

alchemist, so he found his passion in Gold and other metals. He has dedicated 35 years of his life to getting better at this profession. He says he could have made lots of money doing what he does, but he is content with his corner shop and his loyal customers.

I had a chance to meet a Mr. Nagesh, who has been visiting Ramesh Bhai’s shop for over 7 years. He believes Ramesh bhai truly is an expert in his field and his work shows this proficiency.

10

A shy Laxmi amma covering her face as I try and capture her smile. The empty plate sits next to her on her make-shift porch idli store on Down Bazaar Road

“

WORK IS SATISFACTION I work because I like to be independent, but it is also out of habit. I used to help my mother with her breakfast business when I was a teenager. It felt weird not to do it for a while, so I started my own.

”

LAXMI AMMA is almost 68 years old and she loves her breakfast business more than anything in the world. She’s been cooking since she was 14 and wants to run this Small business till her body supports it. She says that the satisfaction of seeing an empty plate beats everything else for someone who has been cooking the same kind of food for more than 35 years.

11 “

WORK IS DOING SOMETHING DIFFERENT Not everybody does something like this. My neighbour used to make sprays and potions to kill insects rodents. I used to watch him mix different things and really liked what he did. He used to make enough money too, so I decided to learn and do this too

�

AKRAM has been making rat and bug

poison for over 15 years now. He used to sell vegetables before this, but did not find that work very interesting, because he didn’t get to make anything.

He runs a home shop around Yelahanka and roams the Down Bazaar street every sunday to sell his home-made rat poison.

When I asked him how he came to start such a peculiar business, he said it’s not at all peculiar as rats are common sightings around the area.

12 “

MY WORK IS MY LEGACY

I am a Fakir’s son, but I am no astrologer or mystic. I was interested in learning about the stars, signs, and birthstones, so I found my calling in selling rings.

”

MOHAMMED SHAMI runs a

shop in Ajmer, Rajasthan that has been in the family for over 150 years.

His entire line of ancestors have been in the same line and he believes his kids are also destined to follow the stars and continue this legacy.

Shami has been visiting Bengaluru from the past 5 years with his brotherin law Mohammed, who is also a Fakir. I ended my final photo walk of the week by getting my future predicted by and told me that I’m destined to do great things while handing me a an imitation sapphire stone ring.

Shami handing a ring to his uncle to hand it over to me, while also telling me what the stars have in store for me

REFLECTIONS FROM MY JOURNEY When we enter a new place, we often carry a very biased opinion or notion of that place and I’m no different.

When we were asked to go for a photowalk to Yelahanka Old Town, I expected to find only chaos and clutter. I did indeed find al, but that was the challenge isn’t it? - To find clarity and focus in clutter.

As I started my Old Town journey, I found myself getting fascinated by the littlest of things. My first few walks were spent in getting further lost in the clutter. On my fourth walk I realized that the reason for this clutter was not the place, but how I looked at it. I was carrying a camera lens, but I forgot to use the mental lenses that would have helped me find a focus. That is when I started using the “I see, I think, I wonder” technique to arrive at a line of inquiry before venturing further.

The journey of my line of inquiry from perceving Old Town as a boring place to a soulful place transformed into something much deeper that influenced the way I saw work and activities and the role people’s businesses played in creating an identity of a place.

As I ventured deeper, certain questions started to pop in my head about “what really quaifies as work?” I called everything that was happening around me an activity, when in reality these were not just mere activities, they defined the way people of Old Town lived and interacted with each other.

Our idea of work is very rigid and hierarchial. To me, work is to climb ladders and get from one point to another, this doesn’t necessarily mean money, but it essentially means that I work to get from little knowledge to more knowledge, little respect to more respect, little money to more money, among other things.

I wanted to know if money was indeed the only motivation that encouraged these people to take up odd and small jobs or was there something more to these professions. While a lot of them said that “money” was their primary motivation, there were a quite a few people who had a host of interesting things to say.

Their perception of work changed the way I saw work around me; it changed the way I thought of a place in general. We often think that a place is beautiful or soulful because of how it looks and forget to go deep into the heart of the place.

I’m just glad that I got the opportunity to interact with nearly half the Old Town and unravel the stories that lay hidden behind the veil of material things.

Journey and process and questions that led to the line of inquiry

Quick mind map of Old town after a walk.

PHOTOGRAPHS THAT I DIDN’T TAKE These sketches are a part of the photowalks at Yelahanka Old town, inculcating a practice to see more than what the eyes show you and observe. Below you see 4 different live sketches made by me in different settings, capturing various elements and people of Old town. This exercise was a great way to be a part of the Old Town by spending sufficient amount of time observing and sketching it.

DATA COLLECTION PROCESS AND NOTES

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This book is part of the “Contextual Inquiry Process” taught at Srishti Institute of Art, Design, and Technology, as a part of the PGDP Bridge program, facilitated by Sudebi Thakurata and Mahesh Bhat.

I would like to thank both Sudebi and Mahesh for introducing us to basics of photography, design, and the art of visual storytelling. Without their constant guidance and feedback this photobook wouldn’t have been a reality.

I would also like to acknowledge and thank the heroines and heroes of my photobook - the people of Yelahanka Old Town, who opened up their hearts and homes to a total stranger. This book is for them and for their undying zeal to get on with life despite the many troubles that plague their community.

A special cheers to the kids of Yelahanka, especially Uday, Likita, Yashash, and Bhaskar, who often donned the role of a tour guide and showed me around, helping me also learn sulpa sulpa kannada.

I think my classmates deserve a special mention for helping me walk around Yelahanka with a fractured leg. Their help with getting me into an auto to pulling chairs for me in the class helped me concentrate on my tasks without much difficulty and I’m extremely thankful to them for that. Thank you Siddhant and Sahil for often acting as my assistant cameramen and holding my camera bag on all my photowalks!

I hope you guys enjoyed the photobook as much as I enjoyed making it.

Cheers, JAISHREE GARG

This Project is part of the PGDP Bridge 2017-18 Program at Srishti Institute of Art, Design, & technology

YELAHANKA OLD TOWN