Jugaad ... the great Indian improvisation

Much has been said and written about Jugaad, the great Indian way of getting things done with local resources and improvisations. Every now and then, one keeps meeting people who have improvised on small little things.

Last month, I had gone to Gadarwara, a small town in Madhya Pradesh to visit two of my friends, who run an NGO there. During a visit to the gaon ki chaupal ... the village's centre (literally, the village's common platform), I came across a simple yet effective example of jugaad!

Guess what is that? It is a discarded CD that has been attached to the mud guard of the bicycle's rear wheel to be used as a reflector. Hats off to the imagination of the rustic man who thought of this bright idea. 

Most rural roads do not have any lights and the area where this man possibly travels has a state highway among other roads too. This re-used CD yet again establishes two things, at least for me. One, that given a chance, the rustic wisdom can come up with wonderful innovations. And, second, which is more important socially, is penetration of electronic waste (e-waste) right till such interior areas. One a cause of joy, the other of worry.

Heritage versus Development

Downtowns in any metropolis have a nostalgia value for a city, akin to childhood memories. Chandni Chowk in Delhi or Coloba or for that matter Girgaum in Mumbai are the best examples, I feel. And I recently discovered, this is not restricted to just Indian cities but a global phenomenon I guess.

During my trip to Singapore, I visited the Chinatown area, the city’s favourite shopping area for budget tourists. The small area on the Pagoda street lie ensconced between high rises with modern designs, mostly glass façade.      

The development versus heritage debate has plagued nearly every metropolitan city and for that matter, all upwardly mobile urbane centres.

 

Instantly I recalled Colaba and Girgaum … and yes, Delhi’s own ethnic heart, the Chandni Chowk. Slowly but steadily, the old charm goes missing as one by one, the dilapidated old designed buildings give way to high rises, almost all looking the same. The similarity was so striking; I couldn’t resist taking a picture showcasing the contrast.

And the worst part was the huge iron beams jutting out of the ground bang in the middle of the Pagoda street (right) ... right next to a heritage structure.

The colourful old buildings using mostly local resources and more important showcasing traditional architecture offered a contrast to the all-look-the-same buildings that are so-to-say ultramodern but not at all visually appealing. I always wonder, why can’t the architects stick to traditional methods that have a sensible use of local weather friendly designs? These rely on locally available materials that reduce carbon footprint.

Governments world over first encourage the builder lobbies to go for power-guzzling modern designs and the then go on to make efforts to save the built heritage. Delhi is no exception. While we have solid examples by way of, to name just one, Humayun’s Tomb – made famous by US president Barack Obama’s visit in November – and the grand havelis of the walled city, there are these ugly looking buildings in jutting out on the edge of the colonial era Connaught Place.  

Singapore, on its part has tried to conserve its past with a ‘Chinatown Heritage Centre’ housed within three beautifully restored shops on the Pagoda Street. I am not aware how popular it is amongst Singaporeans, but the government has at least made an effort.

Back home at Delhi, there is this ‘Shahjahanabad Redevelopment Corporation (SRDC) which has been trying to “restore” the lost glory of the walled city that the Mughal king Shahjahanabad built on the Yamuna bank. But even when old havelis of Chandni Chowk are giving way to newer construction, the government response is as slow as it can be.  

 What is the solution to the development versus the heritage debate? I think the answer lies in an adage one of my friends put for environment. Replacing the ‘environment’ with ‘heritage’, I can say: Put heritage first and development will LAST; put development first, heritage would be LOST.

Delhi's Flower Show

Many people feel - and that is what the Tourism Department advocates too - that winter months are the best season to "see" Delhi. But I believe that the national capital can be "seen" in any season round the year. Why tourists, even Delhi denizens themselves do not see other months as 'livable' and crib about the oppressive heat and humidity.  

But did you know that Delhi is as beautiful as ever in peak summer too? April end and May are the months that clearly are the best for Delhi roads what with over a dozen flowering trees showcasing variety of hues.

It was in May 1996 that I had come to Delhi for the first time when I saw rows and rows of Amaltas (Indian Laburnum) trees with dollops of lemon yellows. Circa 2011, I had this wonderful opportunity to 'document' the flowering trees of Delhi.

Digital grab of the full page report that was published in Hindustan Times on May 16, 2011

The photos by my colleague Ajay Agrawal were wonderful and so was the design of the page. In fact, the entire HT team was flooded with compliments that day for the beautiful page. For those who cannot read the page above, no worries! Please find the report below as it was published. But then, here instead of Ajayji's photos, the write up is interspersed with photos that I clicked.

So here I go:

The scent of summer and a flower show

Have you ever noticed the liberal sprinkling of bright lemon yellow dotting the city’s streets and parks this time of the year? No points for guessing that it’s Amaltas. And for that matter, have bunches of Gulmohar colouring the summer sky in hues of crimson, red and even light orange caught your eye?    

Mind you, Amaltas and Gulmohar are just two of the swathes of colour that can be witnessed around this time of the year. Contrary to general perception about summer being a dry and hot season, this is the season when nearly every area of the Capital witnesses a range of flowering trees in full bloom.

Subhash Chandra, former director (horticulture) of New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC), says, “Summer flowering of trees in Delhi is very special with Amaltas, Gulmohar, Jarul (Pride of India), Barna, Plumerias, Kanakchampa, Sita Ashok and Ashok competing with each other in adding colour and joy to an otherwise dull, hot summer.”

But have you noticed?

Pride of India

 Even if you are not someone who cares about the carbon footprint, cycling on the city’s road, especially early in the morning can be a good opportunity to observe these trees. Says Nalin Sinha, founder of the Delhi Cycling Club, “While cycling, you discover lots of things which otherwise you might miss.”

  

Indian Mast Tree (Ashok

If you don’t want to cycle, you can enjoy these blooming beauties while waiting for the traffic signal to turn green. If you are lucky to have a driver — or are in a bus — just look around to spot this abundance of colour in nature.  

Nandita Das, who travels seven km daily to work, says, “I capture flowering trees often in my mobile phone and share it with my friends on Facebook. I feel, we Delhiites are lucky as compared to other big cities.”  

The wide roads and parks in the NDMC area throw up colourful surprises every few metres. The roads and parks maintained by the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), too, have ample colour at this time of the year.

Pradip Krishen, the author of Trees of Delhi, a wonderful field guide about the Capital’s green wealth, says, “Like canaries in a mineshaft, one had expected the city’s trees to become early casualties in this dreadful unfolding of cause and effect. That this did not happen is a tribute to Delhi’s civic authorities. This is no small achievement in the face of an intense hunger for land.”

Amaltas (Indian Laburnum)

I had also given a long list of places where to 'spot' these flowering trees. For those who missed it this summer, better luck next time.