PUKAR seeks to democratise research and create a body of knowledge that is generated from within communities. The Mythologies of Mumbai Team, has over the last five years created such a body of knowledge. In Girangaon, the team has built relations with citizens in the area, documenting facts and history little known to people otherwise. Similarly, in Dharavi, we have made inroads through dialogue and community involvement, which is a move away from the usual exploitative attitudes that Dharavi residents are often subjected to.
The team has produced new knowledge through video documentation, interviews, mapping, focus group discussions, from informal associations, from attending and organising community events. All these processes have built a warehouse of information about caste structures and social stratifications in habitat, livelihood and education, as they continue to exist in areas that are otherwise fast changing in appearance. Significantly, they have found and documented trends, views and facts that were little known and unrecorded.
Our vision is to disseminate this body of research with the aim of creating an aware citizenry. We believe that knowledge precedes action, and that by active dissemination, we will be able to not just educate people about the city’s history but also tap potential movements in other parts of Mumbai as also the country. The communities within which the research has been conducted will be motivated to carry forth their struggles, as well as find their histories etched in public memories.
Project coordinator of Mythologies of Mumbai, at the community Radio station
Mumbai, India’s financial capital, was built on the struggles of the mill workers. The thriving textile industry in Girangaon has significantly contributed to this city’s present, to its cosmopolitan character, and its economic status, not to mention cultural richness. We hope to reach out to people in this segregated city, who see Girangaon and Dharavi as alien parts of this city that have no bearing on their existence or sensibilities.
Moreover, the process of redevelopment and the experience of Girangaon could well resonate with movements in other parts of the city, even the country. It is through dissemination of our experiences that we may be able to highlight the commonalities of community struggles and give impetus to these, and to raise crucial questions about the future of our city and development processes.
To achieve all of this, we realise that a multi-media approach would be the most effective and far-reaching. With this view, and with our inclination to use media as a strong research tool, our future vision is to foray into media, use different channels and modes to create a strong interactive knowledge base.
We believe that this kind of outreach will lead to a wider knowledge dissemination and will inspire people from different communities, both local and global, to initiate social movements for their rights and their securities.
