How do you think about privacy? Have you ever considered what privacy means in relation to yourself, your friends and family, and your communities? The researchers at PUKAR, in collaboration with the BMW Guggenheim Lab, have explored these questions with the citizens of Mumbai. This study explores people’s perception of privacy, city and space.

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We knew that the Youth Fellowship Programme was a great idea when we started it back in 2005. PUKAR’s flagship project has now received the highest form of flattery- Society of Labour Development (SLD) wants to adapt this unique pedagogical model in Delhi!

 In November, 2012, SLD’s Shena Gamat and Praveen Kumar visited PUKAR to discuss ,with Executive Director, Dr. Anita Patil Deshmukh and the Youth Fellowship Team, the prospect of a collaboration. They even met some of the research groups and attended a workshop. Back home in Delhi, they selected a cohort of 40 research fellows and organized for an orientation programme on November 28^th-30^th. Sunil Gangavane and Rajendra Jadhav, armed with several years of experience with the Youth Fellowship Programme, facilitated the orientation.

 Their approach was two pronged, to orient the fellows and to train the trainers. Based in the industrial belt of Delhi, Kapas Hera, the cohort was a diverse mix of students, domestic workers and migrant labourers. Ranging from 18-40 year of age, there was a balanced gender representation. Given this diversity, it was heartening to see that people were accepting of differences and sensitive to other people’s problems. However, people’s exposure to different realities was limited as were the arenas in which they felt comfortable enough to express sensitive opinions and discuss socially critical issues. Both of these were provided to them in this first orientation meet. The workshop gave an opportunity to participants to speak of their private struggles in larger political terms, making that all-important connection between the personal and political that forms the backbone of the Youth Fellowship Programme.

The hall at Studio X, Fort saw a stream of people walking in continually from 6.00 pm on November 2, 2012. The occasion of PUKAR Monsoon 2012 !!

The Public event of PUKAR Monsoon started  with a photo exhibition; whereby all the photos were clicked by the Barefoot Researchers themselves and were related to their Research topics. And consequently the event went into its much-awaited format of Research topic presentations. 3 research topics were presented by the youth groups themselves through a multi-media presentation.

The event turned out to be a greater success than expected with an audience of more than 100 city-dwellers participating and engaging fervently  in the discussion and debate around all of these topics. “Dalit basti sudhar yojna” was the topic which created an atmosphere of political furore. While the topic of “People’s participation in Urban Sabha” imbued a lot of curiosity on the said model. The topic “Dual life of MSM’s” drew much attention from the audience with mixed reactions though displaying curiosity to understand this community of sexual minority.

The concluding session of the event was full of excitement and pride for all the 30 presenters (for the entire event) who were felicitated with trophy for their respective groups and certificates of recognition for their work.

After three years of intensive community based participatory research to archive and document the unique historical and cultural significance of both areas in the first phase of the project, the team is now training 20 community youth for over a period of one year in photography and filmmaking to produce various media products, so that a critique of the ongoing redevelopment process reaches wider audiences through Media. The Mythologies of Mumbai team wants this community based knowledge to help create debate and discussion about the future planning processes within this dynamic city.

The ten community youth from Girangaon and Dharavi have produced photo essays on the changing face of their communities through the lens of redevelopment. PUKAR will be exhibiting the photos of these young community content creators in two Ganesh mandals –

Ghodapdeo Sarvjanik Ganeshotsav Mandal at Ghodapdeo, Cotton Green

 Mrutyunjay Mitra Mandal in Rajiv Gandhi Nagar, Dharavi  

between September 21st to 28th, 2012.

Supported by: The Ford Foundation

From September 16, 2012 – October 14, 2012