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Module 5: Poetics and Politics of Urban Spaces Lecture 30: The Gemeinschaft in the City: Urban Neighbourhoods

The Lecture Contains:

The Case-study of the Pols of Ahmedabad

Characteristics of the Pols

The Mahajan Guild

The Panch System

Activities of the Panch

References

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Module 5: Poetics and Politics of Urban Spaces

Lecture 30: The Gemeinschaft in the City: Urban Neighbourhoods Neighbourhood in India is a colourful institution. Very often they are teeming with primary relations and community based associations. Padas in Kolkata, peth in Pune, pols and fadia in Ahmedabad, mohalla and gali in north India are important social institutions. It evokes a sense of personalized and safe environment for children to play and inhabitants to freely interact with each other. In this lecture, we will be looking at the traditional pol neighbourhoods of Gujarat.

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Module 5: Poetics and Politics of Urban Spaces Lecture 30: The Gemeinschaft in the City: Urban Neighbourhoods

The Case-study of the Pols of Ahmedabad

The city of Ahmedabad was founded in 1411, by Sultan Ahmed Shah. The walled city covers 5.4 sq. km. and emerged as a Central Business District (CBD). This evolution has put an enormous pressure on the traditional built fabric of the area. Ahmedabad has a strong tradition of neighbourhood grouping called pols in Gujarati. Currently, there are about 596 pols in the city. The word pol is derived from the Sanskrit word pratoli meaning entrance to an enclosed area. Pols are residential areas occupied by a set of people from the same religious background often involved in the same trade.

Architecturally they are a gated-community having a labyrinthine street system. The main street of the pol is divided into narrower streets and they go on further division to an extent that they are left only with a narrow passage to walk.

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Module 5: Poetics and Politics of Urban Spaces Lecture 30: The Gemeinschaft in the City: Urban Neighbourhoods

Pols are known by the name of the community living in the enclosed area. Initially formed along the line of profession they began in the pre-industrial phase of the city’s growth. Pols acted as a link between an individual and the larger city. Ecologically speaking, pol is a residential street. It has gates and sub-gates, the narrow streets widen at a point to accommodate community activity. It has:

● chabutra (meant to feed birds)● temple● play area

The dense and vertically high building ensured cooler interior in blazing summers while higher floor brought in warmth in winter. Structurally the pols have a defense orientated structure. There is a dead wall at the end of the street. Houses are built with great care with a massive dead wall and a small entrance. Inside the houses you will have an open court-yard and covered water reservoir.

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Many houses have a secret underground cellar with a carefully hidden entrance. Some of these cellars have air-shafts that run through the walls. It served as retreat for men in hiding.

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Lecture 30: The Gemeinschaft in the City: Urban Neighbourhoods The households located within the pol follow certain rules and regulations. If slighted, the offender used to be fined and till he paid up he was not allowed to light a lamp in his house or to give a feast.

The pol council used to be very active till the recent past. The council, known as the pol-nu-panch, used to regulate the behaviour of the members and manage the local affairs. Sometimes a pol is further subdivided into smaller identifiable units each having its own panch or council. Two types of membership existed in these councils—membership for owners and tenants. The tenants did not have rights to the pol property and decision making in the pol council. But they are considered as equal members in matters of the community—day to day living and on special occasion like death, marriage, and birth and such other occasions when a family requires the help of the collectivity.

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Module 5: Poetics and Politics of Urban Spaces Lecture 30: The Gemeinschaft in the City: Urban Neighbourhoods

In earlier times the administration of the walled-city was organized at two levels: At the commercial level there was a mahajan guild and at the residential level there existed a panch system.

The Mahajan Guild

The merchant community of Ahmedabad worked under a guild system, which regulated their activities, and the Nagarsheth was respected as the head of the Mahajans.

The mahajan guild had its activities around trade. The mahajan guild was a regulating body and the mahajans were like the guardians of traders. These bodies protected the traders from injustice at the hands of the rulers in past. They were responsible for improving and maintaining the quality of goods in the market.

Several social work activities were undertaken by the guild. In times of war or national crisis, guilds often came forward to protect the city. Almost all public buildings, including schools, colleges, hospitals, libraries etc. first came into existence with the generous donations of these mahajans.

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Module 5: Poetics and Politics of Urban Spaces Lecture 30: The Gemeinschaft in the City: Urban Neighbourhoods

The Panch system

The panch members were elected unanimously from the older and experienced persons in the pol.

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Module 5: Poetics and Politics of Urban Spaces Lecture 30: The Gemeinschaft in the City: Urban Neighbourhoods

The social activities undertaken by the panch:

● Providing assistance to poor students/members in terms of loans ● Running a vadi (community gatherings) ● Solving social problems and conflict resolution ● Organizing religious/recreational trips/sport activities

The economic responsibilities of the panch:

● Community/pol level organisation like the Yuvak mandal are financed by the panch. ● Provision of relief/assistance during the times of calamities. ● Raising funds for the pol.● Collecting donations from the rich residents. ● The membership fees collected at the pol level. ● Rent obtained by renting out the ''vadi''and other pol property.

The administrative activities undertaken by the panch:

● Formulation of rules/regulations and pol level decisions making. ● Appointing watch men /guard for security purposes. ● The worked for the upkeep of public facilities like water and public toilets.

A neighbourhood dog in a traditional pol area

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Module 5: Poetics and Politics of Urban Spaces Lecture 30: The Gemeinschaft in the City: Urban Neighbourhoods

Reference

● Garrioch, David and Mark Peel 2006 “The Social History of Urban Neighborhoods”, Journal of Urban History 32: 663-676.

● Ray, C. N. (2008). “Changing Pattern of Traditional neighbourhood in Walled City of Ahemdabad"; Case of Vad Vali Pol and Navi Pol”, CEPT University Ahemdabad.

Further Reading

● Cattell, Vicky. 2004. “Having a Laugh and Mucking in Together: Using Social Capital to Explore Dynamics Between Structure and Agency in the Context of Declining and Regenerated Neighbourhoods”. In Sociology. Vol. 38, pp. 945-963.

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