Interviews
The Dharavi team has completed 50 audio-video interviews with a wide range of people. The conscious decision to record interviews using media instruments was not only to create a unique form of research but also to train the young researcher\’s from the neighborhoods in using media methods and skills. The team met with, interviewed and built relationships with local residents, business owners and workers in Dharavi in a process to create community profiles about their community, caste and industry they are associated with. Each of these interviews is a valuable resource, replete with information and knowledge, many poignant tales from the mills, profound revelations about caste structures and cultural heritage. The interviews also record opinions and stands of stakeholders in the urban renewal process.
Longitudinal Case Study
Researchers in Dharavi are following two families as part of a longitudinal case study, which will span over the three years of the project. The aim of the longitudinal case studies was to track the changes as experienced at an individual level by the families, be it cultural or economical, using the issue of land redevelopment as the backdrop. While initially the researchers visited these families every three months, they soon realized that even small events in peoples lives could have consequential impacts, hence it was concluded that three-month gap was too much time. Today, they have built closer relations with these families and visit them every other week.
Educational Survey
The methodology employed by the Dharavi project is a combination of data analysis, survey questionnaires and interviews. In each college we formed a group of 10 students and one faculty member to assist in data collection.
The questionnaire includes academic records, family background, assets & tenures, habitat & expenditure, whether and how many students are also earning members in their family, the admission structure of the institution, availability of admission forms, the education experience and overall college experience of these students. Conscious efforts were made in focusing on different occupational groups, which also reflect diversity in caste & cultural background.
New Media
Aerial View – Spatial and Temporal Archiving
The aim of capturing aerial views of Dharavi and Girangaon is to track how the areas have undergone changes, if any. This is done through clicking photographs every three months. This has been problematic in Dharavi as the landscape has not in fact changed given that the redevelopment of this area has been temporarily stalled. In Girangaon, on the other hand, we have captured structures that are fast disappearing.
Mapping
Moving Maps
Moving maps is a concept wherein we follow five different women—a community health worker, government hospital nurse, a woman deserted by her husband, an LIC agent, a single woman and activist, working with a self help group—in Dharavi to document their everyday routine, the places they visit, their daily negotiations, areas they access for work etc. For this purpose we are mapping the different areas that these women visit and creating a profile based on that.
These maps have revealed many interesting facets of the religious and political associations of these women and how they maneuver these affiliations. For example, our research informs us that many residents choose regional parties or even local parties with communal biases for resolving their day to day issues but their political affiliations change when it comes to voting at the national levels where parties with secular agendas are favored. These complex political negotiations of the residents are of deep interest of study to us.
GPS (Global Positioning Systems) Tracking
The Mythologies of Mumbai team started with an initial preparatory mapping exercise, which was done manually. In June 2009 the team travelled to Pune to attend a workshop on the use of GPS technologies in mapping. Now PUKAR has acquired a GPS mapping device, which is being employed by the team to map religious institutions, educational institutes and public spaces in Dharavi and Girangaon. In Girangaon, the team has recorded changes in the area, structures and streets so that they can compare the past with the present fabric of the area. In Dharavi, the mapping exercise is used to study the profiles of different communities, revealing demarcation along religious, ethnic and linguistic lines in the area.
GIS (Geographical Information Systems)
Given the important role that maps play in the research process of the Mythologies of Mumbai project, in terms of visually and graphically depicting data, GIS Mapping Workshops were organized to build staff capacity in this regard.
Two team members attended a 3 day workshop organized by Delhi based organization; Development Alternatives, on GIS mapping in order to understand how PUKAR could initiate the process of GIS mapping in the overall project. This workshop helped the members to get acquainted with the concept and initiate steps to implementing GIS mapping in their respective projects.
Additionally, Dr. Nikhil Shejwalkar, from Pune University, was appointed as a GIS trainer for training team members in using GIS software to analyze spatial data and transform the same into maps.
Interactive Web Mapping
The Mythologies of Mumbai project aims to upload community based data on the open source web mapping websites, connecting information and photos, to actual sites that can act as a powerful advocacy tool, and also build skills that can improve community cohesion and interaction. Participatory mapping can be a powerful tool that can empower community members, advance community agendas, and enhance democratic processes.
