vartaphalakphotos

Articulate Spaces: A Photo-essay on the Culture of Writing Vartaphalak in Pune City

2007-09-22T12:30:00.000-07:00

Vartaphalak. An essentially ordinary element of the crowded landscape of urban centers in Maharashtra. Most of the times it does not even invite a second glance from urban dwellers, as they negotiate city life and its demands. Blackboards of varying sizes merge seamlessly into the crowd, the traffic, the riotous swirl of colour and buzz that our cities are.

And yet they stand out. At least they did for me, when I first began noticing these boards out of sheer curiosity. I thought they spoke to people, reached out to them with their range of vaarta- from announcing a death or a local meeting to satirical political commentary. From righteous moral messages to ideologically charged contentions. They reflected sentiments of anger and grief, celebration and devotion. The import of their content was local, communal, political and religious. And more often than not, they stood in a space which was necessarily a public space, community space. Vartaphalaks, I decided, definitely deserved more attention and thus embarked on this venture to capture the culture of writing vartaphalak in Pune city on film.

This photo-essay is an attempt to explore the role played by vartaphalak in the city’s life and in the lives of the communities which exist around these boards. There were several questions with which I started out: is the content of these boards political or ideological? Who writes these boards? What kinds of spaces exist around these boards? Do the boards carry their own identity markers overtly or covertly? Are they to be found across all parts of the city or only in certain parts? Does the content of the vartaphalak differ according to the community or area where it is located? How do people around relate to the vartaphalak?

The images which follow provide answers to some of the above questions, leave some unanswered. But I hope they are able to spark off an interest in the viewer to explore and make meanings of their respective spatial surroundings. We tend to take our everyday spaces so much for granted; but they are not mere physical spaces. They are inscribed with our own values, meanings and symbols and they respond to our changing contexts. Spaces like those inhabited by vartaphalaks illustrate this meaningfulness of spaces so well. And also give our cities their own unique culture and identity.

Locating the vartaphalak

2007-09-22T12:27:00.000-07:00

The exercise of locating vartaphalaks in the city was interesting. It led me just about everywhere. Gullis, mohallas, bastis, peths in the city. Bazaars, durgahs, dhobi ghat, taalim, rickshaw stands. Ganesh mandals, ‘young circles’, political party offices. Busy chowks and traffic-clogged main roads. The objective of providing this inventory of places is to demonstrate the two defining features of a vartaphalak – it is essentially found in community public space. And it always represents a collective, be it a Ganesh mandal, a workers’ union or a specific caste group. This makes a vartaphalak a social phenomenon.

The images that follow are familiar, everyday images. And therein is the point. Vartaphalaks are an inseparable part of the city’s landscape and of our everyday lives. To me they seemed to stand in their places stoically as life went on around them, looking upon the happenings and as we will see further, reflecting these happenings as well.

In this picture can be seen a vartaphalak adjoining a chawl in Budwar Peth.

Locating the vartaphalak

2007-09-22T12:23:00.000-07:00

Vartaphalak in a busy square in Laxminagar. One can see a garlanded photograph of Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar, since it was his birth anniversary being celebrated on that day.

Locating the vartaphalak

2007-09-22T12:15:00.000-07:00

This vartaphalak is located in Nana Peth adjoining a one of the oldest taalims (traditional gymnasiums where wrestlers train) in Pune city.

Above, boys playing, with a vartaphalak in the backgound, in Kasba Peth.

Locating the vartaphalak

2007-09-22T11:58:00.000-07:00

Below is a Shiv Sena vartaphalak on Kumthekar Road, Sadashiv Peth. Shiv Sena is a right wing political party in Maharashtra.

Above is a vartaphalak located at an extremely congested T-junction in Ganesh Peth.

Locating the vartaphalak

2007-09-22T11:54:00.000-07:00

A vartaphalak located in the predominantly Muslim area of Bhawani Peth

The vartaphalak (right in the back) is foregrounded by the busy market that sits in the narrow Mashi Aali (literally meaning the fish alley, because of the weekly fish market that sits here)

Locating the vartaphalak

2007-09-22T11:49:00.000-07:00

This vartaphalak is located in Bhawani Peth.

A vartaphalak located in a labyrinth of small crisscrossing lanes in Ganj Peth.

Locating the vartaphalak

2007-09-22T11:43:00.000-07:00

This vartaphalak is located in a Dalit basti (slum). The fact that it is a Dalit basti is in fact indicated by the message on the vartaphalak, which celebrates the 2550th birth anniversary of Lord Buddha. Buddha is extremely important for the Dalit community, since a large proportion of this community has converted to Buddism.

A Shiv Sena (a right wing political party in Maharashtra) vartaphalak located in Shaniwar Peth.

Locating the vartaphalak

2007-09-22T11:38:00.000-07:00

This vartaphalak is located at the end of a slum in Shukrawar Peth. It is announcing an engagement ceremony.

Vartaphalak in the Maashi Aali (literally meaning the fish lane, derived from the fact that a weekly fish market sits here) in Ganj Peth.

Articulate Spaces

2007-09-22T11:27:00.000-07:00

Vartaphalaks declare their identity to the outside world through a range of visual symbols or markers. In case of vartaphalaks of political parties these symbols are naturally overt, and hence easy to mark. The spaces around other vartaphalaks, however, also articulate their identity equally clearly. The variety of markers used here is much more interesting: colours that dominate the space, photographs of their respective leaders, important quotes, cultural artifacts like flags and sometimes even the structure where the vartaphalak is located (like next to a temple or a durgah).

It is fascinating how these symbols are instantly recognizable to all of us. We know precisely what a saffron flag or the invocation ‘Jai Bhim’ signifies. Associations with words like Shraddha and Saburi or the symbol of chaand-sitara (crecent moon and star) need not be explained to us. As a society, we have collectively made these associations and the spaces around vartaphalaks reflect these collective symbols in a creative manner.

Articulate Spaces

2007-09-22T11:06:00.000-07:00

This vartaphalak belonging to Sai Seva Pratishthan in Guruwar Peth has a garlanded photograph of Sai Baba on the top, with the words Shraddha (faith) and Saburi (patience) written on both its sides. The name of the organization itself is suggestive : Sai Seva Pratishthaan meaning organization dedicated to the service of Sai Baba.

This vartaphalak has a life size photograph of Dr. Hedgewar, the founder of RSS, the ultra-rightwing organization in India. Interestingly, in the bottom half of the picture is a safforn coloured image of India, with the words 'Yes, I declare this is a Hindu nation!' written across it. These were the words of Dr. Hedgewar.

Articulate Spaces

2007-09-22T10:58:00.000-07:00

Hanuman Jayanti (the birth of Lord Hanuman) being celebrated in this temple, which has a Sanatan Sanstha vartaphalak posted on one of its sides.

Articulate Spaces

2007-09-22T10:24:00.000-07:00

On the left is the Vartaphalak located in the Ram Mandir in Sadhashiv Peth. There are a couple of boards advertising 'Sanskaar Shibir' next to the saffron flag. These are basically 'Sanskaar' classes run for children during summer vacations, during which they are taught 'culture' (Hindu) and taught religious hyms , given information about significance of our customs, are told stories and so on.

The vartaphalak in Guruwar Peth (above) is a Congress vartaphalak as is obvious by the flag hanging from the phalak. The ward office of Congress party is located just next to the vartaphalak.

Articulate Spaces

2007-09-22T10:19:00.000-07:00

In some cases one can almost sense an emotion behind the expression of this identity. A couple of vartaphalaks which were located in a Dalit basti, for instance, declared their Dalit status proudly. The quotes chosen to accompany the board, the faintly charismatic photographs of Shivaji Maharaj, Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar and Lokshahir Annabhau Sathe, the blue coloured flag fluttering in the air: there is almost defiance in this expression.

Articulate Spaces

2007-09-22T10:14:00.000-07:00

Rajewadi Mitra Mandal vartaphalak, located in a Dalit basti (slum) in Nana Peth.

The Jai Bhim Mitra Mandal vartaphalak in Nana Peth.

Articulate Spaces

2007-09-22T10:11:00.000-07:00

It was most interesting that several Muslim boards had the tri-colour incorporated in a noticeable manner, somewhere in their spaces. As if they are responding to a compulsion they sense to publicly declare allegiance to the tri-colour…

Undoubtedly, larger social processes are being subtly reflected in these sites; were we to look more carefully, we would see several such narratives unfold.

In the picture is the KGN mission vartaphalak in Ghorpade Peth.

Articulate Spaces

2007-09-22T10:08:00.000-07:00

Mohammad Baksh Karim Baksh Young Circle vartaphalak in Bhavani Peth.

Articulate Spaces

2007-09-22T09:56:00.000-07:00

The vartaphalak of the Tiranga Young Circle (on the right) has a border of the three colours of saffron, white and green. Also the name of the group itself is suggestive, since its called Tiranga (the Indian tricolour)

What they say

2007-09-22T09:24:00.001-07:00

This is the core of articulate spaces – their words and their messages. These words determine how people relate to the vartaphalaks: whether they identify with those messages or feel offended by them, whether they laugh at them or simply derive news about local happenings around them.

The sheer variety of messages reveals the depth of their content. For instance, vartaphalaks which incite anti-minority sentiments clearly represent a specific socio-political context. Critiques of the establishment testify to a basic democratic spirit that our public spaces imbibe…

This vartaphalak in Laxminagar drips sarcasm! It has been written on the occassion of Makar Sankranti, a festival when people exchange sweets made out of sesame and greet each other saying Tilgul ghya ani god bola. Meaning that please accept the sesame sweet and talk sweetly.

The educated cry for jobs
Farmers commit suicide
Shop keepers increase the rates
And government ministers roam unaffected
Tilgul ghya ani god god bola

What they say

2007-09-22T09:22:00.000-07:00

Why does India not have such proactive Hindus (karmahindus)?

Hindu Janajagruti activist Bhavana Shinde stopped the desecration of Shri Visnu through a picture exhibited in ‘Rock America’, a trade center in Chicago city in America! Hindus born in India, what do you do when deities are being desecrated here at various places?

What they say

2007-09-22T09:19:00.000-07:00

Sonia Congress has only one policy
Nurturing Afzal, for votes…

Hindus! Give New Year’s wishes only on the day of Gudi Padwa! (This festival is considered to be the Hindu new year)
Since Brahmadev created nature on this day, the New Year starts from this very day. Hence celebrate the beginning of the New Year on this day.

What they say

2007-09-22T09:18:00.001-07:00

A photo-exhibition on the terrorist oppression in Kashmir and Bangladesh and a film on the harassment of Kashmiri Pundits, produced by ‘Fact’.
Date: Venue:
These victims of terrorism are our own brothers. Who knows, tomorrow you yourself might also become a victim of terrorism. Hence wake up to this reality! Come together!
Inform others about this exhibition and fulfill your religious duty!

What they say

2007-09-22T09:12:00.001-07:00

Some vartaphalaks stay away from overtly ‘political’ issues. They choose to expound on moral-ethical and spiritual matters through their daily suvichaar (thought for the day). One can uncover an entire set of social values, moral norms that we as a society subscribe to, through these one-line messages.

As the suvichaar on this vartaphalak of Sai Seva Pratishthaan in Guruwar Peth says, 'If a society loses its values, then it will lose everything'.

What they say

2007-09-22T09:08:00.001-07:00

Do the Namaaz as if you are seeing Khuda (God) himself. If you cannot manage this then do remember that Khuda is watching you.
Every child who gives its parents looks of love and respect gets a trip to Haj in return for each look.
A man who does not keep his promises, his day will never come.

What they say

2007-09-22T09:06:00.001-07:00

Imbibe and follow advice (updesh) in order to be able to face countless hardships in life and to make the path of your life easier.

What they say

2007-09-22T08:59:00.001-07:00

If your soul is pure then it does not take time to be happy…hence always keep your mind pure.

What they say

2007-09-22T08:55:00.000-07:00

We’d rather have the darkness, when our feet were on the path,
Light has brought us far from our destination

What they say

2007-09-22T08:52:00.000-07:00

Duty (kartavya)

It is but natural to be enthused by victory and be disappointed by defeat. However our tradition tells us that more important than victory or defeat is our duty.

What they say

2007-09-22T08:45:00.000-07:00

Only if you love the Prophet, will your prayers be accepted,
Otherwise, even a thousand pleas will go in vain
The love for the Prophet purifies the heart,
And if it becomes a mirror, it will reflect the vision of Medina

What they say

2007-09-22T08:37:00.000-07:00

The content of the following images is not political or non-political, spiritual or religious. It is mundane, ranging from cricket to erratic water supply to insurance for auto rickshaw drivers. But these are things which matter in common people’s lives, which is why these vartaphalaks come closest to becoming people’s spaces, reflecting their concerns, celebrations or anxieties.

The vartaphalaks also speak of a communal way of life where deaths and weddings are announced on the common vartaphalak. Where Urus of a pir or local festivals remain significant events in the community’s social life.

What they say

2007-09-22T08:35:00.001-07:00

Senior member of our locality (chowk) Rambhau Garud expired after a short illness today afternoon. May his Soul rest in peace. The funeral procession shall leave at 7 in the evening.

Its interesting to see that all notices announcing the death of a locality member are always garlanded as a mark of respect for the deceased person.

What they say

2007-09-22T08:33:00.000-07:00

The return ticket of Indian Cricket Team has been fixed…Sri Lanka beats India by 63 runs. India out of the first round after 15 years! Faint glimmer of hope, Bermuda should defeat Bangladesh.

What they say

2007-09-22T08:31:00.001-07:00

We heartily welcome the procession of Shree Navlobanath and Shree Narmadeshwar Utsav (a local deity)

What they say

2007-09-22T08:29:00.000-07:00

Beware!

Doctor’s advice to protect yourself from infections in the monsoon.
Drink boiled water. Do not let water accumulate for more than 24 hours.
Keep water containers clean and dry at least once a week. Do not eat uncovered food. Always keep food covered. Do not let pools of stagnant water accumulate.
Keep your surroundings clean.

What they say

2007-09-22T08:28:00.000-07:00

Because of a problem in the Parvati water purification centre, water supply will resume late (8.00) today
Sincerely yours, Nagarsevak.________________

What they say

2007-09-22T08:26:00.000-07:00

An appeal to the citizens

A street play is going to be presented by Dalvi Hospital Aarogyaseva Virodhi Manch. We request community members to attend this play. Time 6.30
A protest march will be organized against the privatization of Dalvi hospital on 7.06.07

What they say

2007-09-22T08:23:00.001-07:00

The Urus (special festival held in the honour of the pir Siddi Shah Moula) is a significant social event for the residents of this lane. The whole areas, including the vartaphalak wears a festive look during this period.

What they say

2007-09-22T07:24:00.001-07:00

Insurance policy

Good news for auto rickshaw drivers and owners. The Rickshaw panchayat has started a common insurance policy for rickshaw drivers. Do pay the annual installment of Rs. 110/- and avail of this opportunity.

What they say

2007-09-22T07:04:00.000-07:00

It is interesting to juxtapose the two series presented ahead to see the completely varied discourses that govern these two vartaphalaks and their writers. At the risk of interpreting too much in these lines, I may add that they are not just messages on notice-boards, but are two very different outlooks towards life situations in general.

What they say

2007-09-22T07:01:00.000-07:00

Religious education

The man of the house should worship all the Gods in the house daily. If a man is not present then the puja can be performed by a senior woman of the house. Everybody in the house should pray before God and offer flowers if possible. As much as possible everybody should remain present for the aarti and participate in the aarti. Everybody should sing the aarti together and melodiously. If that is not possible, then one person should sing and the rest should clap. One should not keep Gods in various places in the house and worship them.

What they say

2007-09-22T06:58:00.000-07:00

Religious education

To protect oneself from evil forces on new moon day or other days, one should offer a coconut to one’s family deity. One should pray that the bad energies troubling one self are transferred to the coconut and then the coconut should be broken in front of the God. A coconut is mediumistic in nature: it can attract and transmit good as well as evil energies.

What they say

2007-09-22T06:57:00.001-07:00

Religious education

The importance of worshipping Ganesh before worshipping any other deity: other deities cannot come to the worshipping site from any direction, without the permission of Lord Ganesh. Hence Lord Ganesh is always worshipped before beginning any new venture or on any good occasion. Once Lord Ganesh opens up all the directions for other deities, they are able to come to the worshipping site. This is called as Mahadwar Poojan or Mahaganpati Poojan

What they say

2007-09-22T06:54:00.000-07:00

Indian Civil Service (ICS)
This service was never Indian, ever more never Civil and not even a Service. What does IAS mean? The right to say I Am Sorry. I publicly declare that the IAS today has stooped down to a level of prostitution : Former Election Commissioner T.N. Seshan

What they say

2007-09-22T06:50:00.000-07:00

Reserved wards

Capitalists ‘regress’ in caste certificates for the sake of power
Oh Socialists, look at the progress of their wealth!

What they say

2007-09-22T06:40:00.000-07:00

Minority Commission

Why cannot India-Pakistan unite? – A. R. Antulay

Response: Dear ex-Chief Minister Sahib, is this as easy to decide as it is to decide whether policemen should wear full-pants instead of a half-pant? – Raj Pardeshi

For men only...

2007-09-22T06:29:00.000-07:00

Out of the many stories that vartaphalaks tell, this one is loud and clear: these spaces are highly gender-specific. In our society, there is a very clear demarcation of spaces into women’s spaces and male spaces. In our context where family and community’s honour rests on the izzat of their women, public spaces have historically represented a huge ‘risk’ for the violation of women’s sacrosanct honour. And hence they have been made inaccessible for this group.

Vartaphalaks represent a space where all talk about ‘women barging into male bastions’ suddenly seem facile. True, women might be using some of the surrounding spaces, the roads, markets, temples. But the quintessential adda or the katta around the vartaphalak remains a public, male space. Some of these images are not just about men being present around vartaphalaks; they are about the ease with which they exist in those spaces. Their stance, the casualness, their clothes, all testify to how much they take these spaces for granted as their own space.

For men only...

2007-09-22T06:25:00.001-07:00

Milind Mandal Vartaphalak in New Nana Peth on the right. Above is a vartaphalak in Kasba Peth.

For men only...

2007-09-22T06:20:00.000-07:00

On the left is a vartaphalak in Shukrawar Peth, while above is the public reading space run by Anil Agavane, in Sadhashiv Peth.

For men only...

2007-09-22T06:15:00.000-07:00

Sai Seva Pratishthan vartaphalak, Guruwar Peth above. Panchahaud Ganesh Mandal vartaphalak Guruwar Peth on the left.

For men only...

2007-09-22T06:11:00.000-07:00

Vartaphalak in Kasba Peth, on the left. Above, Muktai Pratishthan vartaphalak in Guruwar Peth.

For men only...

2007-09-22T06:05:00.000-07:00

Muktai Pratishthaan vartaphalak, Guruwar Peth

For men only...

2007-09-22T05:57:00.000-07:00

The vartaphalak on the left is located in Mahatma Phule peth. The board says 'It is prohibited for women to sit here'. The one on the right is the Siddi Shah Moula vartaphalak, Guruwar Peth.

For men only...

2007-09-22T05:56:00.000-07:00

Being a woman, studying the vartaphalaks meant continually entering and engaging with this overwhelmingly male sphere. This brought along its own learnings. My initial self-consciousness evaporated as people expressed interest in my work, extended co-operation and engaged with me. Most importantly, it helped me deconstruct my middle-class, Brahminical notions of men of a particular ‘class’.

People behind the words

2007-09-16T19:07:00.000-07:00

Amongst all the pre-conceived notions that I started this study with, my assumptions about the writers of these boards proved to be the most inaccurate. The profile ‘elderly, men, politically-inclined’ that I had imagined in my mind for the writers couldn’t have been more incorrect. As I interacted with the writers behind the vartaphalaks, got to know their backgrounds and motivations, I realized that the boards are as much expressions of personal convictions and individual creativity as much they are reflections of a social reality.

Though thoroughly inadequate, I try to present briefly the worlds and thoughts of some of these personalities in this section.

People behind the words- Shantaram Bargir

2007-09-16T18:59:00.000-07:00

Shantaram Bargir. Middle aged. Stays in a basti (slum) in Nana Peth. He and his community friends have been involved in Dalit activism since their youth. He is passionate about his mission and his community. Vartaphalak according to him is their medium, to spread the message of social upliftment as well as to inform the community of local happenings. He denounced all the vartaphalaks run by political parties, saying that they are run only for political motives. He said that he feels restless if he does not write on the vartaphalak regularly.

This message is to thank all the members of the community for contributing metal articles for the making of a Buddha idol. The Mandal had appealed to all the members to contribute anything they could for this venture.

People behind the words- Dattatray Rahalkar

2007-09-16T18:55:00.000-07:00

Dattatray Rahalkar. 67, retired advocate. A VHP activist, who owns a Ram Mandir in Sadashiv Peth. Though he doesn’t write on the vartaphalak anymore, he is proud of his messages written in the aftermath of the demolition of Babri Masjid, which, he claims, attracted people from all parts of the city. According to him, to be effective, a vartaphalak has to be aggressive and strong on rhetoric. It should reflect social, political and vaicharik (intellectual) issues, rather than merely reporting local community matters.

He has written on the vartaphalak after a long time in this photograph. It strongly opposes the move to nationalize Hindu temples. Though Christian and Muslim organizations get huge donations from foreign funds, he contends that the Government does not dare touch their organizations. This money is also used to spread hatred against the Hindus, according to him. He ends with a quote by Veer Savarkar, which equates leaving one’s religion to leaving one’s motherland.

People behind the words- Revati Pokale

2007-09-16T18:53:00.000-07:00

Revati Pokle. Has appeared for B.A. examination in psychology this year and aspires to become a counselor. She has been actively involved in the work of Sanatan Sanstha since 3-4 years and writes on the vartaphalak as a part of this work. Her task is difficult since her vartaphalak mostly carries anti-minority content; but that does not deter her, since she is convinced that they are showing the truth to the people. She believed that public spaces are gendered in nature because of the patriarchal set up that our society was based upon, but urged that today’s women should at least try to express their opinions and wishes.

This message claims success for Hindu Janajagruti Samiti, which protested strongly against M.F. Hussain, who has depicted many Hindu deities in an obscene manner. As a result of these protests, law suits have been filed against Hussain in 7 courts in the country. The message informs, that following the orders of Haridwar court, Mumbai police has also started confiscating Hussain’s property.

People behind the words- Raj Pardeshi

2007-09-16T18:50:00.000-07:00

Raj Pardeshi. Middle aged ‘auto-consultant’, engaged in the business of buying and reselling old autorickshaws. His vartaphalak carries some of the most interesting content, which bears his trademark style of writing. His comments on current social-political scenario are irreverent, satirical and humorous. For him, the essentially public location of the vartaphalak makes it a very effective medium. Only when people read certain things written in a public space, a discussion is initiated on the topic leading to process of opinion-formation.

People behind the words- Mohsin Kadiri

2007-09-16T18:44:00.000-07:00

Mohsin Kadiri. 18. Left school after Std. 8 and has been working in his brother’s air conditioning workshop since then. Mohsin is also the Khadim (priest) of the small durgah of Siddi Shah Moula, located in a building compound in Kachi Aali, Ghorpade Peth. He considers it to be a huge honour. He started writing the vartaphalak next to the durgah because he felt that whatever knowledge he was able to obtain from buzurg log (senior people in the community) should be passed on to other people. He gets the hadees (sayings by Prophet Mohammed) from the community’s maulana, who explains to him the meaning and writes them on the vartaphalak. Mohsin (in the center) with some of his friends on the occasion of the Urus at the durgah. He was in charge of the entire arrangements for the celebration, since being the Khadim of the durgah, he was the host for this festival.

People behind the words- Atul Mane

2007-09-16T18:40:00.000-07:00

Atul Mane, 21, S.S.C. Arranges theme parties and manages minor events, sells newspapers in the morning and helps his friend on the Chinese food stall by the night. Daily writes ‘suvichaar’ (thought for the day) on the Muktai Pratishthan vartaphalak in Ghorpade Peth. He was of the opinion that vartaphalaks which have an overtly political content do not give much to the society; he only wrote about the local community happenings and good thoughts on the mandal’s (youth collective) vartaphalak. Atul swears by his mandal, which seems to have provided him with a platform to connect with other boys, engage in several welfare activities and learn leadership skills.

People behind the words- Anil Agawane

2007-09-16T18:15:00.001-07:00

Anil Agawane. Works as a librarian in a local college and runs a sarvajanik vachanalay (public reading space) on Kumthekar Road. His conviction that every individual owes a debt to the society serves as his main motivation to run this reading space and to write on the vartaphalak. A member of BJP, Agawane is proud that his vartaphalaks do not reflect his political views at all; he believes that while serving the society, one should always reflect on what would be in the best interests of the society and not on one’s own selfish motives.

People behind the words- Madhumalti Naik

2007-09-16T18:08:00.000-07:00

Madhumalti Naik. 66. For her, the activity of writing a vartaphalak is part of her larger spiritual pursuit (sadhana), as defined by her organization, Sanatan Sanstha. According to her, Hindu religious practice had deteriorated a lot in recent times, and hence their vartaphalak content titled, ‘Dharma Shikshan’ (religious education) attempted to make people aware of our religious practices and heritage. She conceded that as a woman, she felt uncomfortable in writing a vartaphalak in a public space. She was even insulted at times, but said that her sadhana has helped her immensely in dealing with all kinds of experiences.
This message has been written on the occasion of Hanuman Jayanti, explaining the religious significance of the occasion and elaborating upon the method of worshipping Hanuman.

Last word...

2007-09-16T18:07:00.000-07:00

Interestingly, all these individuals were part of larger collectives/ mandals/ organizations which conducted welfare activities in their local communities. These ranged from formal activities like blood donation camps, free ambulance service, distribution of books to the needy, celebration of significant festivals and occasions, awareness programmes, religious satsangs, and bhandara (common meal) to informal level help given to those in need in the local community. The vartaphalaks and their writers are not located in a vacuum: the vartaphalaks seem to be a part of a larger value of social welfare and community service that is characteristic of these local level organizations. The community around the vartaphalak also relates to it in that context: as something which represents their collective context and their community activities.

Sarai Post # 4

2007-06-22T21:45:00.000-07:00

(Since this post is part text and part images, I have divided it into several sections. Sorry for this ‘broken-up’ posting!)

For my fourth post I plan to profile one vartaphalak in detail. Through this I attempt to place the ‘vartaphalak’ in its larger spatial as well as social contexts to explore how it constitutes a significant community space. I rely on the photo-documentation of this area and of the vartaphalak itself to explore this aspect of vartaphalaks. This would be complemented by excerpts from the interview with Shahid (name changed), who writes the vartaphalak here and discussion with other members of this committee.

The vartaphalak featured is run by Siddi Shah Moula Young Committee, in Ghorpade Peth. Siddi Shah Maula Young Committee is an old collective, probably around 20 years old. The chairman, Ayaz Shekh told me that it was basically formed to further religious activities around the Siddi Shah Maula Durgah. It also gave an opportunity for young boys in the area to come together and interact with each other, according to him. The Committee’s activities included celebrations around Urus Sharif and Sandal Sharif, Ramzan Id and Bakri Id and the monthly Chatta, to pray to Khwaja Garib Nawaaz, wherein kheer is served to the entire locality.

The locality, Ghorpade Peth is located in east Pune and is sandwiched between several other Peths, which constitute the old, heart-of-the-city area. It resembles typical old areas characteristic in Indian urban centers: tang galiyan (narrow alleyways), densely packed, often, crumbling houses, populated by lower middle and poorer classes, the volume of traffic here making things absolutely chaotic. This area definitely retains a different sense of communal existence, than the one to be found in distinctly middle class areas like Kothrud, Prabhat Road or Model Colony, which are inhabited by almost exclusively Maharashtrian (and largely upper caste) people and are marked by apartment colonies or spacious bungalows.

The area has Muslims and Christian populations, a host of communities within Hindus like Marvadis, several middle-level caste communities like Joshi-Gondhali community, the Bhoi community and a sizeable Dalit community. This community map is based upon my interviews with several key informants and vartaphalak writers in this area.

For me, raised in an exclusively Brahmin, middle-class residential area, the landscape and soundscape of Ghorpade Peth itself seemed faintly exotic. Initially I couldn’t help but stare at the imposing 120-year-old Church of the Holy Name standing tall amidst chawls, or linger near Medina Masjid in Mominpura with smell of kabaabs wafting through the air, every time I passed the road. Nobody seemed to notice these structures amidst them as they went on with their lives. But I realized acutely, how they had never been a part of the everyday landscape that I inhabited, thus acquiring an exotic value for me. It is only now that I pass these areas with some (practiced!) nonchalance, taking the variety for granted. Hearing the church bells toll every hour or the aazan was also alien to the sound-scape that was part of my everyday life and I still notice these sounds if I’m in these areas at that time. In that sense, this was an exercise of being introduced to ‘cosmopolitanism’ for me.

Again, based upon the information garnered from key informant interviews and interviews with vartaphalak writers, an extremely small percentage of the population in this area is in involved in the professional realm or does ‘service’, as many of my respondents put it. A large section of the population is involved in small business or minor jobs in industries, garages and workshops. There are specific communities involved in specific occupations. The Joshi-Gondhali Samaaj, for instance, was traditionally involved in performing Gondhal, a genre of folk art in Maharashtra. Several members of this community now are involved in the business of buying old clothes, repairing and washing them and reselling them in the weekly Juna Bazaar. Similarly, the Bhois have been the palanquin bearers since medieval times. The Bhoi community is now engaged primarily in fishing and selling their catch in the city[1]. This area also seems to specialize in catering to wedding ceremonies: there are about 3-4 brass bands located here, mandap decorators, ‘ghodi’ and carriage suppliers and so on.

Coming back to Siddi Shah Moula Young Committee, Shahid gave me a bit of information about Siddi Shah Moula. The vartaphalak is in a way an extension of the durgah of Siddi Shah Moula, who was a pir, who lived in that area dosou-teensou saal pehle (2-300 years ago), according to Shahid. No one seemed to know the exact historical period to which the pir belonged, but it was clear that it was a long time ago, or bahut pehle ke as people put it.

This durgah is located in the compound of a building, next to the vartaphalak. It is a rather small structure, built of concrete adjoining the compound wall of the building. As I was later told by an old man, who owns a shop in the building, the durgah was located right in the front of the building. During the construction of the building, the builder realized that this was a special place and hence avoided breaking it down and himself constructed a small temple-like structure in the building compound, where the durgah was shifted.

[1] I have interviewed two vartaphalak writers who hailed from these communities respectively. Hence this detailed information.

Post # 4 contd...entering Ghorpade Peth

2007-06-22T21:42:00.001-07:00

Cathedral of the Holy Name.

It kind of towers above all the houses in this locality. There are few apartment buildings here; mostly it's one or two-storied sloping-roofed houses, built in the style of a waada (traditional Maharashtrian house, built around a courtyard) or then like a chawl.
The varataphalak for Panchahaud Ganesh Mandal can also be seen in the picture. This is the vartaphalak which Mrs. N (featured in the last post) writes as a part of her Sanatan Sanstha work.

Post # 4 contd...vartaphalak at Siddi Shah Moula Durgah

2007-06-22T21:38:00.000-07:00

The durgah of Siddi Shah Moula is located in the compound of the building seen behind the vartaphalak. One can see that a sitting space (paar, which is traditionally built around trees) has been specially built for people to sit here. The lane narrows quite a bit as one travels further down.

Post # 4 contd...glimpses of Ghorpade Peth

2007-06-22T21:35:00.000-07:00

This lane runs parallel to Kachi Aali, where Siddi Shah Moula vartaphalak is located. Another Muslim vartaphalak, run by Tiranga Young Circle is located in this lane. This vartaphalak is also adjoining a durgah of another pir, Usman Shah Mastan Baba. Several activities of Tiranga also center around this durgah.

Post # 4 contd...glimpses...

2007-06-22T21:29:00.000-07:00

Another vartaphalak located right on the fork between the two lanes (right in the center of the photograph). Though largely left blank within the four months that I’ve been visiting this area, this place is always dotted with young men sitting around and chatting. The evenings here are particularly busy, since a kabaabwallah parks his redi (cart) next to the vartaphalak. There also is a pan poi (earthen pots which serve water) located on the left side of the vartaphalak. This photograph has been taken in the middle of a Sunday afternoon.

Post # 4 contd...content of the vartaphalak

2007-06-22T21:17:00.000-07:00

Shahid started writing the vartaphalak on his own two years ago. He is 18 and after having studied till 8th standard, started working in his brother’s air conditioner repair worship. Interestingly, he is the Khaadim (priest) designated to look after the durgah, which he considers to be a huge honour. He had asked for it himself. Even all the Urus announcements were made by his name. When I asked him why he asked for the priesthood of the durgah, he replied that he had seen the durgah closely, he knew how to take care of it. He said that one really had to work hard to fulfill the commitments of a khaadim. Khud ke shareer ko kaatna padta hain… (One has to cut oneself for this). But he said that only after getting the experience himself, his faith got consolidated - Humne aajmaaya hua hain. I thought it was remarkable that an 18 year old had asked for the khaadimgiri of the durgah and also the fact that the community had allowed such a young boy to take up this responsibility. Mohsin had also mentioned in the passing that he traced his lineage from the pir’s family. Maybe that had a role to play in his getting the khaadimgiri.

According to him, buzurgon ke saath baithte hain toh achhi baate samajh mein aati hain – one gets to learn good things when one spends time with knowledgeable and senior people in the community. He started writing the vartaphalak because he felt that whatever knowledge he was able to obtain from them should also be passed on to other people. He gets the hadees (sayings by Prophet Mohammed) from the community’s maulana, who explains to him the meaning and then he writes them on the vartaphalak.

Post # 4 contd...life in Kachi Aali

2007-06-22T21:10:00.001-07:00

This is a typical afternoon in Kaachi Aali. The paar is generally occupied by older men ‘hanging out’, or children playing around. Notice that the man sitting on the paar is extremely casually dressed, in vests and pajamas. A group of young boys were playing carom in the open space behind the vartaphalak. A woman was sitting outside her door and cleaning grains, just behind from where I took this photograph.

Post # 4 contd...Kachi Aali...

2007-06-22T21:01:00.000-07:00

Evening times in Kaachi Aali. One can hear both the aazan as well as the church bells tolling here. This flock of sheep returns home around the same time in the evening, completely occupying the narrow Aali and causing a traffic jam of sorts. A herd of buffaloes also traverses to and fro from their shed down the road. It is only later in the evening that Shahid and his friends gather here, after returning from work.

Post # 4 contd...neighbourhood around the vartaphalak

2007-06-22T10:44:00.000-07:00

This is Maashi Aali. The lane gets its name from the fish market that is held here everyday. This is located in a couple of lanes parallel to Kachi Aali, and officially comes in the adjoining area, Mahatma Phule Peth. The congested alley is basically a fish- cum-vegetable-cum-everything-else market, flanked by Dalit basti on one side and Ghorpade Peth on the other.

Post # 4 contd...neighbourhood...

2007-06-22T10:31:00.000-07:00

This cinema parlor (above) is located right on the periphery of a Dalit slum adjoining Maashi Aali. It was a surprise as I thought cinema parlors had disappeared from the city at least. I also discovered another such parlor in Shukrawar Peth during another of my trips.

Another vartaphalak (below) located in the Dalit slum. A message wishing people on the occasion of the 2550th birth anniversary of Lord Buddha.

Post # 4 contd..Kachi Aali again...

2007-06-22T10:24:00.000-07:00

These photographs were taken around 8 in the morning. As I walked down the Kachi Aali, I was struck by one activity that all the women in the Aali as if collectively engaged in…washing clothes and utensils. Small rivulets of water originated at regular intervals along the Aali, as almost every household had a woman sitting in front of the door with piles of washed and wrung clothes and utensils. Water supply must be lasting till about 9.30 or so in the morning here after which there was probably no chance of water supply being resumed till late in the evening.

It might almost sound comic but another thing that struck me about the landscape of Kachi Aali was the presence of a variety of animals there. I passed baskets of eel-like fish kept in water (probably to be taken to sell in Maashi Aali next door), cows tied in a shed amidst overwhelming smell of cow dung, hens scampering about in the middle of the road, clucking as if panic-stricken. In the lane where Tiranga Young Circle is located, a make-shift stable had been constructed for a couple of horses, who probably belonged to a wedding contractor. The shiny Victoria-like carriage stood outside, blocking half the road.

Post # 4 contd...Urus at the Durgah

2007-06-22T10:12:00.000-07:00

This was a special day for Siddi Shah Moula Durgah. It was the occasion of the Urus and Sandal Sharif in the honour of the pir. There was great hustle and bustle around the entire space when I had landed there a day before the festival. The entire Siddi Shah Moula Durgah committee was busy running around making arrangements. On the day of the Urus, the place had been transformed completely. Green flags, mandap decoration lined the roads. The small durgah was also elaborately decorated with flowers , a new metal ghumat was affixed atop the cement structure to give it an authentic durgah look. Massive loudspeakers were stacked up on one side of the road, in readiness to blare out qwaalis at deafening decibels. Children played frenziedly and my presence there with a camera made their frenzy climb a notch higher.

As the prayers began to be recited by the Moulana, some women (including Shahid’s proud mother, sister and aunt) joined me to watch the ceremony from outside. The 30 minute long prayer was followed by an absolutely mesmerizing performance by the dhol-tasha (drums) party specially invited to play for this occasion.

Post # 4 contd...Urus...

2007-06-22T09:55:00.000-07:00

A bhandara (community meal) was organized on the next evening. Shahid was looking dapper in his spotless white kurta and a green coloured silk fez. It was clear that he was the host for the function, running around, shouting directions for food to be served, welcoming the elders and making sure that they were comfortable. The road in front of the vartaphalak was occupied by small groups of men sitting to share the meal. This lane is closed to traffic for 4 hours for the bhandara. Volunteers carried buckets filled with daal and huge degchis of rice rushing to serve the different groups. The menu was vegetarian, since according to Shahid, the people from the entire Kachi Aali come to partake of the pir’s prashaad on this day. I was directed to a separate place where all the women folk were served.

Post # 4 contd...a chat with mohallawallahs

2007-06-22T09:39:00.000-07:00

I had a chance to chat with the entire group of the committee members, people staying in the neighbourhood to talk about my study and what they thought about it. Referring to the content of the vartaphalak they said that they always stayed away from anything that was remotely political. They wanted nothing to do with it. Their only concern was to convey good thoughts to people. And they categorically stayed away from a political agenda. I also asked them about the anti-Muslim boards. Ayaz, the committee’s chairman, was a rickshaw driver and he instantly pointed out the board near Lokhande Taalim and said that that was a really aggressive one and it was meant to incite people (bhadkaane ke liye).

Ayaz Sheikh also mentioned that women, when they passed the vartaphalak could also get an opportunity to read some religious matter. He said that in their community women were not given much education and hence through this vartaphalak they could at least read some good thoughts. At the same time he admitted that attitudes in the community towards women sitting out in public were conservative, making it impossible to occupy such spaces.

There was also a lot of talk about the unity in their mohalla. But they said that even when there are riots, their area is never affected. They all stay together. Everybody helps each other. They also told me about the time when a lot of thefts were happening in the neighbourhood. The boys used to patrol in the nights till they caught the culprits and handed him over to the police. Even for the Urus, Shahid had mentioned that they did not take any vargani (contributions) from the people. The entire mohalla contributed towards the effort by contributing in kind; giving foodgrains and other necessary material. Shahid’s uncle had provided all the electrical equipment for both the days of the festival.

the moral discourse

2007-05-24T03:19:00.001-07:00

जेव्हा विचाराचा दिवा वीझतो तेव्हा वर्तन आंधळे होते। When the light of reason extinguishes, conduct becomes blind.

i had written in my earlier post about a set of vartaphalaks which espouse on the 'good ways', 'ideal behaviour' and overall laud a moral life...here is a sample to give you an idea of the content and the rhetoric that goes into this moral discourse...

तुमचे विचार जर शुद्ध असतील तर आपल्याला जे वाटते अ फेव मोरे जर जे बोलतो ते करणे सोपे जाते। If your thoughts are pure then it is easy to say what you feel and do what you say।
साई सेवा प्रतिष्ठान, गुरुवार पेठ

a few more...

जर एखादा समाज आपली नीतीमूल्ये गमवील तर तो सर्वस्व गमवील । If a society loses its values, then it will lose everything. sai seva pratishthaan

सामर्थ्य...महत्वाकांक्षा...निर्भयता...अभिमान आणि औदारय या सदगुणांचा सुरेख संगम तरूणाईत असला पाहिजे!
Youth should be a beautiful combination of the virtues of capability…ambition…fearlessness…pride and generosity! muktai प्रतिष्ठान

यशस्वी माणसं स्वप्न डोल्यासमोर ठेवून काम करतात। अयाशस्वी माणसं केवळ कागदी घोड़े नाचावतात। यशस्वी माणसं आपल्या बरोबर इतरान्नाही यश प्राप्ति होईल या विचाराने काम करतात। यशस्वी माणूस वचनबद्ध असतो। अयाशस्वी माणूस फक्त आश्वासाने देतो।

Successful people have their dreams in front of them while working towards them. Unsuccessful people merely build castles in the air. Successful people think about how others would also benefit along with their own selves, while working. A successful person is bound by a promise given. The unsuccessful person merely gives false assurance. kumthekar road sarvaajanik vachanalay

Sarai Post # 3

2007-05-19T23:30:00.000-07:00

Its time for the third posting and I hope to give you a glimpse into the profile of some of the people whom I interviewed for the study. I conducted three interviews with persons who write messages on the
vartaphalak. It is interesting to see how these three interviews represent three diverse discourses, which have influenced the lives of these interviewees to a large extent.

Mr. Anil Aagavane, Sadashiv Peth

Anil Agavane runs a sarvajanik vachanalay (public reading space) on Kumthekar Road in Sadashiv Peth. The first image above shows the location of his sarvajanik vachanalay. He works as a librarian in a local college, though I later came to know that this seems to be just one of the many designations that he holds. He is a local BJP activist, deputy chairman of his caste association (Charmakar caste), on the Shaniwarwada Mahotsav board (a local annual cultural festival), and member of 3 other civil society bodies.

I met him early in the morning to catch him writing the board at Kumthekar Road, so that I could take some pictures of his writing the board. He swept the area first and then fetched the board from somewhere where he must be leaving it at night. The board was meticulously cleaned, before writing the thought for the day. On the day, he elaborated upon the definition of ‘suvichaar’ (good thought): a suvichaar enriches us, elevates us to a higher level, helps in destroying all temptations and purifies our soul.

This was followed by an elaborate, almost ritualistic procedure of stamping and stapling the newspapers, folding them and putting them in their designated racks. The photographs of Ganapati and Laxmi put up just above the newspaper racks were cleaned, the old garland was changed, and incense was lit.

The rhetoric of ‘social commitment’ and ‘social service’ was all pervasive in Mr. Agavane’s basic outlook. According to him, the main thing which motivated him to write the vartaphalak was his staunch belief that every individual owes a debt to the society (samaajala dena lagane). Two things which have influenced him and led him to take up this current work has been his work in the education sector and his work as a BJP activist. He said that this work made him realize that he is the part of a larger whole and that he owed the society something.

He described this activity as being ‘dyaandaan’: giving away knowledge as charity. He claimed that dyaandaan in our context was even ranked higher than annadaan. He saw himself as a part of the larger society and hence this sense of social awareness (samajik bandhilki) was extremely strong in him, motivating him to do this activity. The notion of ‘welfare’ as contributing to the process of nation building came across prominently in his narrative. Thus such vachanalayas and vartaphalaks had a role to play in rashtrakarya, according to Agavane; newspapers have the unique status of being a people’s medium (lokamadhyam), due to which they form the pillar of democracy.

Mr. Agavane strongly felt that it was not correct to express one’s ideology through the vartaphalak. According to him, if one is doing a kind of social service, then one cannot look at one’s own selfish interests; one has to think of what is in the interest of the larger society. Incidentally, in our first conversation, Agavane had proudly mentioned that though he was a BJP party member, he had never let his political ideology come out through his vartaphalak messages.

Anil Agavane writes his vartaphalak in Sadashiv Peth area, which is predominantly a Brahmin area. According to Agavane this area was inhabited by uchhaprabhu (well-educated) people. According to him, there were at least two graduates per each family, which testified to their highly educated status. He mentioned that since all of them were highly educated, they were much more critical and he had to be very careful when writing his board. One could not afford to go wrong, the content had to be grammatically correct.

I had met Mr. Agavane once before the interview as well, when we talked in detail about his work. He had then offered to show me all the letters that he had written to the newspapers about various issues. Most of these letters were concerned with civic problems, problems in the local area or the city at large. This included a wide range like: problem of statues in the city, unsafe bridge without railings, how citizens should drive carefully in the monsoons, how Kumthekar road (where his ‘vachanalay’ is located) needs to be repaired urgently, how the ordinary tax-paying citizens should vote proactively, how politics has become business, that women should not be objectified, there should be steps taken to halt the obscene activities going on at a city bridge etc. A lot of these issues had themselves been a matter of great debate in the local newspapers at specific points of time, and it was obvious that Mr. Agavane had participated in these print debates with gusto.

I was also shown a few hundred photographs which featured Agavane in assorted programmes ranging from AIDS awareness lecture to distribution of notebooks to poor students. It was notable that while showing me these photographs, where he could be even amongst one in the crowd, he was mentioning names fast and furious. These were obviously names which mattered in the local political scene. (Though the names of the other interviewees have been changed to protect their identity, Mr. Agavane's name has been retained on his request)

Mrs. N, Guruwar Peth

Mrs. N is 66 years old and lives in a traditional waada in Guruwar Peth. She is a member of Sanatan Sanstha (SS), a religious organization and writes on 3-4 vartaphalaks in her area as a part of her SS activities. The second image in the post is a photograph of the vartaphalak written by Mrs.N, explaining the ideal way to perform an aarti.

She is a matriculate and had been working as an assembly line technician in an electrical goods’ company for almost 33 years. N mentioned that she came to be associated with SS around 8 years ago, when she joined the organization seeking mental peace in the face of her unhappy domestic situation. After practicing namahsmaran and involving herself in spiritual pursuits, she actually started benefiting from her activities in the organization. Even though her domestic situation remained unchanged, she said that now she got the strength to cope with her situation. She started involving herself more and more in their activities. After she quit her job, she also got more time, which she then began devoting to SS activities.

She defined the organization’s objective as preaching spirituality in the society and working towards turning the society towards spiritual endeavors. According to her, Hindu religious practice has deteriorated of late and hence their organization attempted to make people aware of their religious practices and heritage. At the same time, she also mentioned that SS also worked towards raising a voice against deshdrohi (anti- national) and dharmadrohi (anti-religion) elements in the society.

Writing on the vartaphalak constituted one of the many activities prescribed to SS members as a part of pursuing their sadhana. N mentioned that since all the sadhaks are supposed to do it as a part of their sadhana, they are never felicitated or praised for this work. The ego (aham) of a person inflates because of such praise, hence this policy. I also happened to meet a senior person of the organization at a later date who also introduced another interesting aspect to this. According to him, insisting that all the members write vartaphalak as a part of their sadhana, had another objective behind it. This was to help them get over their aham (ego). Writing in a completely public space makes you feel humble, since you are writing before the entire crowd. He gave an illustration of an extremely rich, old sadhak who used to go in his car to one the vartaphalaks and write on the board as a part of his sadhana. I thought this was an extremely interesting angle of looking at vartaphalak as a public space and how this Sanstha, which had a large middle class base, looked at using this space as a way to get over their egos, to be humble. Implicit in this is the assumption that using this kind of public space is something that people like us would avoid, we would be embarrassed by it, our egos would not allow it.

The sadhaks had been instructed by the organization to obtain permission to write on as many such vartaphalaks as possible in order to reach out to a maximum number of people. She mentioned that at this point they write on about 500 vartaphalaks in Pune city and that they are doing this work on a war-footing (yudhapataliwar).She admitted that she initially felt a bit embarrassed (sankoch) about going and writing on a vartaphalak in the neighbourhood. Also when she first went to write on a board in a Muslim area, a few men questioned her, accusing her that SS wrote anti-Muslim matter. But according to N, she was convinced that she was doing God’s work and that they needed to pass on this heritage to the younger generation.

The content of the vartaphalaks is ready made, provided in small booklets brought out by the SS. N decides what kind of matter she wants to write; for instance, if any festival is coming up then she would probably choose something which explains the importance of that festival and details of how to perform specific rituals on that day. SS brings out a daily newspaper called ‘Dainik Sanatan’ which runs a special column everyday titled, ‘Vartaphalak prasiddhisathi’ (for writing on vartaphalak). The messages are clearly anti-Christian or anti-Muslim in nature, drawing people’s attention towards the various anti-national or anti-(Hindu) religious activities that these communities were engaged in. Interestingly, N mentioned, because of the high presence of other religions in her area, she did not feel comfortable writing dharmavirodhi matter. She said that SS notice boards in Kasba Peth, Tambdi Jogeshwari wrote a lot of dharmavirodhi stuff, but they can get away with it. In her area there were also a large OBC population. Given this variety, one had to write what is acceptable to all, according to her. However she protested against this, since she thought that was nothing wrong in bringing to light the reality, if certain bad elements indulging in wrong doing.

She contended that while most notice boards catered to the specific issues of that area or the collective, SS work catered to the larger public; it is addressed to all and is not limited to certain areas only. Responding to why vartaphalaks are largely to be found in the older parts of the city only she opined that newer areas are largely dominated by the ‘flat-system’, where people are self-centered, where they don’t come together. In Peth areas, people still retain that sense of community (ekatrit, sanghatit). According to her, people in newer areas do not probably need a vartaphalak.

The amount of initiative taken by the organization in meeting me and orienting me towards their work was remarkable. I got to meet two of their senior members, was invited to their monthly meetings and satsangs right away.

Mr. R, Sadashiv Peth

Mr. R is a 67 year old retired advocate, who owns a Ram Mandir in the heart of Sadashiv Peth. Incidentally, the vartaphalak in this temple area is also written on by a member of Sanatan Sanstha. However, in my first meeting with Mr. R, he mentioned that he used to regularly write on the vartaphalak a few years ago. He is a member of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and told me that he was actively writing on the board for 3-4 months especially in the wake of the demolition of the Babri Masjid. I have interviewed him as a key informant for this study, since he represented someone who has used the vartaphalak towards a very specific political agenda.

He right away launched into what he thought was the ideal vartaphalak practice. Vartaphalak according to Rahalkar, is a good medium for raising awareness (lokjagrutiche changle maadhyam). According to him, the vartaphalak is a cheap, cost-effective medium to reach out to people. The writer here has full freedom to express his opinion. One can write one’s opinions to the newspaper, but that need not necessarily be published by the newspapers.

He was of the opinion that a vartaphalak should not reflect merely what is reported in the newspaper. The writer has to include one’s own comments on that matter to make it more interesting. Also certain things which are hidden by government or political parties should be revealed by these boards. It was clear that for Rahalkar, the boards were clearly political in nature. They have to be aggressive for people to take notice, according to him. He mentioned that rhetoric was extremely important while writing the vartaphalak. At the same time he was clear that vartaphalaks should be within the framework of law.

Vartaphalaks reflect the existing social and political environment or reflect certain contentious issues; according to him, people are generally not very interested in reading about adhyatma (spirituality) (he was probably referring to many boards written by Sanatan Sanstha, which focus almost exclusively on issues of spirituality).

He was extremely dismissive about the existent vartaphalak culture in Pune city, which according him, only reflected local issues: of someone’s death, some programme being organized, some meeting, good thoughts etc. But that’s futile use of this space. Vartaphalaks, according to him, should reflect vaicharik issues (intellectual issues). His contempt for this practice was obvious as he commented as to how there is no point in having vartaphalaks which limit themselves to extremely local or exclusively spiritual issues.

He also proceeded then to give me a few samplers of his messages. Most of them were very specific to a typical Maharashtrian upper caste cultural background: use of Marathi bhavgeete (a specific genre of popular music in Marathi), of Sanskrit shlokas and so on. For instance:

Dona aaplya bhinna aakruti, antaraat punha ekach preeti (though our silhouettes are two distinct ones, we are unified in one love internally). He had written this in order to express what is necessary in order to really achieve national integration. It would not be achieved through simply faking unity, but that feeling of unity should be inherent.

In another quote he had made use of the fact that most of Hindu deities are shown to be carrying different types of weapons and Hindus worship deities which bear arms:
Asha shastra-astranchya devdevtanchi puja karnare Hindu, itke shandha kase? (How come Hindus, who worship Gods bearing arms and weapons, are so impotent?)

There was a definite sense of pride in how, he being an advocate, he had always managed to express what he wanted on his vartaphalaks, within the legal framework.

I stop here for the time being. The profiles have turned out to be rather lengthy, but I also think the detailed context was necessary to see the various strands of discourses that might be operating behind the vartaphalak writing activity. Till the next posting then…

लोकल वार्ता

2007-05-18T19:23:00.001-07:00

आपल्या चौकातील जेष्ठ नागरिक रामभाऊ गरूड़ यांचे आज दुपारी अल्पशः आजाराने निधन झाले। इश्वर त्यांच्या म्रुतात्म्यास शांती देवो । अंत्ययात्रा सायांकाळी ७ वाजता निघेल

senior citizen of our locality Rambhau Garud expired today afternoon after a short illness. may his soul rest in peace. the funeral procession will leave at 7 in the evening.

लोकल वार्ता

2007-05-18T19:15:00.001-07:00

एस एस सी परिक्षेस बसलेल्या विद्यार्थी व विद्यार्थिनिंना हार्दिक शुभेछा

best wishes to all the students appearing for S.S.C. examination

हिंदून्नो!

2007-05-18T10:49:00.000-07:00

हिंदून्नो, ख्रिस्त्यांची राक्षसी धार्मिक महत्वाकांक्षा जाणा!
दक्षिण भारतात २००४ साली सुनामिने घातलेल्या थैमानानांतर कार्यरत zaalelya ख्रिस्ती मिशनरयांनी सुनामिचा फटका बसलेल्या गरिबांना भावानिक व प्रसंगी आर्थिक मदत करून त्यांचे धर्मांतर घडवून आणले, असे एका आन्तार्रष्ट्रिया संस्थेने केलेल्या सर्वेक्षणात उघड झाले आहे.

Hindus!! Know the monstrous religious ambitions of Christians!
It has been revealed in a survey conducted by an international organization that the Christian Missionaries who were working in South India in the wake of the Tsunami in 2004, converted the poor people affected by Tsunami by helping them emotionally and at times financially.

vartaphalak run by Shri Bhavani Pratishthaan, Sadashiv Peth

I Am Sorry..

2007-05-18T10:23:00.001-07:00

Indian Civil Service - This was never Indian, even more, it was never civil or a service. What does IAS mean? The right to say I Am Sorry. I openly claim that Indian Civil Service today has deteriorated to the level of prostitution: Former Chief Election Commissioner, T.N. Seshan
Mahatma Phule Autorickshaw Sanghatna vartaphalak is never blank. From local civic elections to bad roads to the definition of politics, this vartaphalak keeps the torch burning so to say...

2007-05-18T09:56:00.001-07:00

स्वातान्त्र्याशिवाय जीवन जगणे म्हणजे मूर्ति शिवाय मंदिर होय ...

Life without freedom is like a temple without an idol...

Koutuk Autorickshaw Sanghatana, Ghorpade Peth, celebrates Republic Day.

Sarai Post # 2

2007-05-17T20:25:00.000-07:00

Hi all! Am just managing to put in my second posting before my designated week gets over. I’m beginning to think this practice is nice though…gives you a chance to stop and look back on where your work is going. And this is how and where my work is going:

By now I have a fairly concrete idea of what is the pattern of content of the notice boards (vartaphalak) I’ve been covering in different areas. To give a crude categorization, here are the ‘types’ of content that are put up in the vartaphalak:

Pertaining to religion: There are actually three broad categories in this type. The first one concerns overtly technical information about religious practices (in the context of Hindu religion of course). Very pedagogic in nature, these are small tips on how to perform puja, where to place ritual objects, how to make a ritual offering, what is the significance of a particular festival and so on. The language used is extremely formal, some of the words almost alien to everyday language. These boards are homogenous since they are ‘adopted’ by a local organization ‘Sanatan Sanstha’, whose volunteers write these messages on the various vartaphalak. I’m not yet completely sure what the organization is all about, whether it is affiliated to the political Hindu right and so on. More on this in the next posting definitely!

The second type is again related to religious teachings, but which are largely couched in a spiritual-moral discourse. The 3-4 Muslim boards included in this study fall in this category. For instance, some of the messages generally revolve around extolling the virtues of Khwaja Garib Nawaaz or explaining the generosity of a particular pir.

Lastly, there are the overtly Hindu fundamentalist vartaphalaks, which have a specific agenda of consistently spewing forth hatred against Muslims and Christians. The content here is acidic, the rhetoric strongly communal. It is not a surprise that these 3 vartaphalak are to be found in the Sadashiv Peth-Narayan Peth areas, which are almost exclusively Brahmin populated.

The moral discourse: I have given this title to this category for the want of a better term. But I’ll try and explain what exactly it entails. There are 3-4 such vartaphalaks, wherein a ‘Suvichar’ (Thought for the day) is written everyday. There is a strong rhetoric of morality, ‘good’ behaviour, ethics, values like humanism, benevolence, courage that is reflected in these messages. They present an archetype of ‘ideal’ citizen, who is moral, ethical and patriotic in his outlook.

Political commentaries: This is an interesting category. There are 2 vartaphalaks which constantly engage in commenting on the recent political happenings, at the local as well as the national level. Both the boards use an irreverent, satirical style while critiquing the happenings around them.

I will try and give a sample of a few messages of each category the next time.

I have also realized that the frequency of these messages tends to be pretty inconsistent, barring a few. So some boards that regularly used to change their content, have now hardly anything new to say. In such cases, I’ve been confused as to whether to include these in the study or omit them.

By now I have almost close to 300 photographs, since a photoessay is also one of the outcomes of this study. It’s a shame one cannot put up images on the reader-list, otherwise it would have given everyone a greater sense of what I was saying.

That’s all for now. Waiting for some feedback, comments, whatever.

Sarai Post # 1

2007-05-17T10:01:00.001-07:00

This study revolves around a particular ‘genre’ of public space that is a result of a popular practice among the various collectives in Pune city. The practice is that of putting up ‘vartaphalak’ or notice boards which serve as visual markers of the collective that exists in the precincts of that notice board. In many cases, these notice boards are not ‘stand alone’ markers, but are a part of an entire set of accoutrements, which the collective uses to declare its presence in that space. Most commonly, the additional accoutrements are in the form of a small covered space, like a bus stop, which serves as a place where people can sit and read daily newspapers provided in a rack. Or there could be a couple of benches, adjacent to the notice board, again meant for sitting. Sometimes there is an additional provision of space where drinking water is made available to the pedestrians during summers in huge earthen pots (pan poi). It is also not uncommon to find a small temple in this same space.

These notice boards are put up by collectives which are constituted by political as well as non-political organizations in the city, including local, branches of all the political parties, collectives like Ganesh mandals, ‘Yuva mitra mandals’, residential collectives, auto rickshaw drivers’ unions etc. The content of the notice boards ranges from local, collective-specific concerns to commentary on current regional or national issues. These spaces become the centre point around which many local celebrations like ‘Satyanarayan Puja’, Ganesh festival, Independence Day and so on are organized.

The remarkable feature of these spaces is that they have extremely rich visual content. Firstly, there are the various comments, notices, announcements written on the boards for local community members to read. Examples of this include notice offering condolences to the family of the deceased, who was the local resident, announcement of a blood donation camp organized in the locality, congratulatory message on the occasion of Independence Day, comments on some current issue, like the financial budget or Samjhauta blasts and so on.

At the same time, the various symbols and imagery that is inscribed in and around these spaces, though ubiquitous, are significant visual markers of identity, local, regional or even national. These range from the symbols of political parties, displayed prominently on the boards or the newspaper stands, colour of the newspaper stand itself, photographs or pictures of prominent national leaders/ icons like Gandhi, Ambedkar, Jyotiba Phule, Shivaji etc. Similarly, the content of the boards itself also is a clear indicator of the political/ ideological alignments of the collective that the boards represent. These identity signifiers are particularly underlined during a local celebration, which centers around that space. In many places occasions like Gudi Padwaa, Ambedkar Jayanti, and Independence Day are celebrated with great pomp, with the enthusiastic participation of the local community members in the organization of the events.

These hubs thus serve to weave in multiple levels of concerns for the local community members. By reflecting interests and happenings within the local community, it serves to consolidate the local communal fabric. At the same time, articulation of the regional or national identity makes it possible to extend and strengthen this sense of solidarity to include the larger regional or national ‘community’. Identity building and consolidation of the same is a major area of study in the context of these spaces.

As already mentioned, several of the notice board spaces are sponsored by local branches of political parties. Notably, all of the newspaper racks are also financed by various corporators’ ward development funds. The political link is obvious in many places, while it is obscured, though present in several others. Based upon the assumption that these spaces do play a considerable role in strengthening community identities through activities couched in religious or social service sphere, they also become a convenient strategy for political mobilization and political activity in the local areas. In this light, what kind of population are these spaces aimed at, would be another point of inquiry. Who makes use of these spaces, who takes initiative in maintenance and organization of the spaces and celebrations around it, what is the class, gender, and age profile of people who access these spaces; these are some of the questions that the study would seek to explore.

Another significant aspect of the ‘varta phalak’ culture is the spatial distribution of these hubs in the city. One can safely say that the network of the hubs is definitely denser in the older parts (peths) of the city than those which have been recently developed. This is not a coincidence, given the fact that it is largely the older parts of the city which participate in the political identity formation of the city. A crude caste-based division is evident across the older peths as some areas have a predominantly lower caste/ artisan caste populations as opposed to some others, which are inhabited by upper caste populace, notably Brahmins. The question is whether there is a difference in the rhetoric used in the notice-boards here, based upon the differential caste population in the respective peths. A primary level hypothesis is that the rhetoric used in the areas inhabited by lower/ artisan castes is directed more towards strengthening local level community and regional identity, while the rhetoric used in upper caste areas is at a different level, appealing to identity linked to cultural heritage and nationalism.

Given the nature of these spaces, the study would be inadequate without a gender analysis of the same. Analyzing the users as well as the composition of these spaces from a gender point of view would be interesting, especially since these spaces constitute sites for articulation and consolidation of identities as well as political mobilization. I plan to construct a photo-essay comprising of maximum 35 photographs, covering the above issues. The outcome of the study also includes a review paper exploring these issues in detail; it would be based upon the fieldwork done during this study as well as a review of literature in the area of public spaces, visual culture and identity formation.

Work completed till now
I’ve managed to finalize my ‘field areas’ so to say, as well the specific vartaphalak in those locations. I would be including a maximum of 15 such vartaphalaks, spanning the four areas of Sadashiv Peth, Narayan Peth, Guruwar Peth and Ghorpade Peth. The first two areas are almost exclusively Brahmin populated areas, while the latter two display a high proportion of lower caste communities and Muslim population. The vartaphalaks belong to a variety of collectives, including political parties, local yuva mandals or ‘friend circles’ and religious trusts. Majority of them are Hindu collectives, though there are two Muslim collectives from Guruwar and Ghorpade Peth.

The exercise of building rapport with people who are associated with these spaces was a huge learning, to say the least. Let me locate myself as a researcher here: I’m a middle class Maharashtrian Brahmin woman, who has always inhabited the ‘progressive’ ‘modern’ part of the city. Sadashiv Peth and Narayan Peth are the kind of areas with which I’m familiar; but in my growing years, areas like Guruwar and Ghorpade Peth, people there, were definitely the ‘other’: lower middle class, non-Brahmin communities. This study gives me the opportunity to deconstruct my own notions of class and community as I interact with this very group of people to understand what these spaces mean to them. Till now I have gotten an enthusiastic response to my venture, with members of local collectives promising earnest co-operation.

My brief interaction with people who actually write the content on the varaphalak led me to concretize my intention to profile these persons, their backgrounds and their political aspirations. But it’s hardly a homogenous group and developing some kind of an interview guide requires much thinking through and some more interaction, I think.

Brevity was never a skill with me, as is obvious now. But any comments, questions and feedback on the study is most welcome!