Analysis

At the time of the partition of India and Pakistan, a trading community, called Sindhis, moved to various places in India as refugees. One such place is in the Khamla area of Nagpur, Maharashtra.

This area was ‘gifted’ to them by the government. The government constructed barracks for them to live in. As time passed and they accumulated enough wealth, they demolished the barracks and constructed a basic living space called “Baithi Chawl”.

Since the people of this community practice trade, they needed a space for their activities. But due to lack of space, these practices started emerging onto the streets.

In the case of barracks, people used to have their living spaces in a linear arrangement of bunk beds. This type of living gave a sense of very elementary space which is necessary for primary survival. It also gives an idea of different families of the same community living together.

Since the people of this community practice trade, they needed a space for their activities. But due to lack of space, these practices started emerging onto the streets.

When they constructed the Baithi Chawls, they still had the idea of living together, so they built a space that could house the living quarters, storage, and cooking area. These chawls were built according to the number of family members (siblings).

The walls gave a sense of separation but the common passage that connected different rooms gave a sense of togetherness.

As at the time of Barracks they didn't have the space for their trade practices, here too they faced the same problems.