Dehat Uthan and Cultural Society

This Foundation Project titled Mera Aas Pados, implemented by IFA will engage fourth and fifth grade students studying at BND Public School, a school run by Dehat Uthan and Cultural Society in New Delhi, Delhi to facilitate an exploration of their cultural roots and identity through a series of multidisciplinary activities. The project attempts to foster a connection to their lived experiences in Katwaria Sarai. For this project Yadvendra Singh, General Secretary, and Sukbir Singh, President of the society are the signatories, and Bhabesh San San Wal who works on pedagogy and programmes will be the Project Facilitator. Dehat Uthan and Cultural Society is a non-government organisation working for the education of marginalised children in New Delhi, Delhi. The school, BND Public School, is registered for Classes 1 to 5, and has 165 children enrolled under the Municipal Corporation of Delhi. BND Public School is dedicated to providing quality education to the children of economically and socially marginalised sections of the community, with a focus on those from the migrating population settling in the Katwaria Sarai village, South Delhi. Given their experience Dehat Uthan and Cultural Society is best placed to be the Project Coordinator of this Foundation Project of IFA.  

Katwaria Sarai is a village in Lal Dora area and is intricately tied to the historical classification rooted in Delhi's land revenue records. Lal Dora refers to villages where the British used red ink to demarcate collectively-held residential land from agricultural land in village maps for the purposes of tax collection. In the years following independence post 1947, the Delhi government acquired agricultural land of many Lal Dora villages and absorbed them into the expanding city. The government declared some Lal Dora villages as Urban Villages and exempted them from various development norms in part to keep their rural identity and community land ownership intact. But over time, these exemptions from building regulations led people in these villages to construct houses and buildings across the area in a haphazard way.

The absence of formal planning and regulations has led to a high prevalence of informal economic endeavours, with migrant workers often finding employment in sectors such as street vending, small businesses, and unorganised labour. These endeavours contribute to the growth of local service-oriented businesses, including transport services, food establishments, and other services tailored to the community's requirements. Moreover, the cultural diversity brought by the inhabitants enriches the social fabric of this area, creating cultural and social hubs that contribute to a vibrant community life. Lal Dora areas emerge as dynamic spaces shaped by a combination of historical classification, pressures of urbanisation, and the resilience and creativity of their diverse population.

This 18 months project sets out with the overarching goal of empowering students to explore, write, and illustrate the surroundings of their homes and neighbourhood, and share their unique perspectives on them. This initiative addresses a significant challenge faced by immigrants in the city who often grapple with losing the identities of their home and becoming ‘‘Delhiwalas’’. The project also aims to celebrate the cultural elements of migrants, including food, spaces, and practices, thereby enabling students to reconnect not just with Katwaria but also with the homes their parents left behind, ultimately bridging the identity gap. 

Keeping in mind the context, environment and the potential of the school, Bhabesh envisages an intense engagement with six teachers and 165 children, introducing them to a variety of art activities such as drawing workshops, interactive group discussions, photography, painting, and three dimensional model making. By bringing the lived experiences of students into classroom learning, the project intends to create a more meaningful connection between theoretical knowledge and real-life encounters. This approach aims to enrich the language and social science curriculum with diverse narratives drawn from the students' backgrounds, contributing to a deeper understanding and connection to their education. Not confined to the traditional understanding of teaching art to children, their engagement will be a process allowing the teachers and children to explore their inner-realities and express them creatively. Ultimately, the project seeks to empower students academically and culturally, instilling a sense of pride and belonging in their unique identity. 

The workshops unfold in two distinct parts Mera Ghar and Mera Mohalla that includes crafting two types of models – one that represents the school and another that reflects the neighbourhood and home, allowing students to decide the proportional allocation of space for each measure. These models serve as a medium for sharing individual perspectives on spaces. The relationship behind each student's model will be documented through guided discussions, unique narratives and diverse viewpoints enabling them to reflect on their immediate and extended surroundings. These workshops will also provide a platform for collaborative ideation, feedback, and refinement of the curriculum design. Arts experts will contribute insights and methodologies from fields such as drama, fine arts, and craft to infuse innovative elements into the curriculum during the workshops. Teachers and children will maintain journals to document their experiences.

The outcome of the project will be an exhibition and a publication. While an exhibition will display the visual and unique perspectives on school, home, and neighbourhood environments, the booklet will serve as a documented record of the explorations, insights, and artistic endeavors of students through images, stories and interviews with the community members. The Project Coordinator’s deliverables to IFA with the final report will be photographs, the copies of the publication, the process document and video documentation of the entire project.

This project suitably addresses the framework of IFA’s Arts Education programme in the manner in which it attempts to connect students and schools to the cultural knowledge of the places they inhabit. 

This is the third year of the national school projects that is aimed at inspiring the teacher community to introduce arts pedagogy into the school ethos. This project will serve to demonstrate the value, potential and impact of arts education to students, peers, school authorities, artists and local communities.

IFA will ensure that the implementation of this project happens in a timely manner and funds expended are accounted for. IFA will also review the progress of the project at midterm and document it through an Implementation Memorandum. After the project is finished and all deliverables are submitted, IFA will put together a Final Evaluation to share with Trustees.

This project is made possible with support from Cholamandalam Investment and Finance Company.