How a Delhi cafe is trying to change how the city views minority ghettos

K-Cafe can host up to 50 people and regularly conducts workshops and talks

Even for those well past their college days, the Delhi University campus still holds a unique charm. One can stroll along tree-lined roads, walk into one of the countless cafes for some inexpensive grub and soak in the general air of youthfulness. At another corner of the city, Jamia Nagar doesn’t feature prominently on the radar of university nostalgists, despite the prestigious Jamia Millia Islamia attracting a large number of students. It isn’t as though it lacks restaurants. Rather it is a marker of how Delhiites view “other” parts of Delhi and, in fact, are largely blind to them. The K-Café in Jamia Nagar is quietly trying to change that.

Conceived as a community working space, the two-month-old café’s menu is rather limited — to tea and coffee, for now. But the intellectual and creative fodder is sumptuous. This café is the latest offering from Karvaan India, an organisation that aims to revive the forgotten Ganga-Jamuni tehzeeb (composite culture) and represent minority communities beyond the prism of stereotypes. Karvaan calls itself an “online journal of politics, heritage, culture and people”, but goes beyond simply publishing think pieces. “We founded Karvaan to change the narrative around how minority groups such as the Muslim community is perceived, how people view these ghettos and also give the local community a chance to be involved in this process,” says Asad Ashraf, journalist and co-founder of Karvaan India. 

Ashraf and Tanzil ur Rahman, a management consultant, founded Karvaan India in 2016 with a small cultural space that could host around 20 people. Through this space, it led workshops and seminars, bringing activists, authors and politicians to speak to the local community. “All of this was done with an ideological plan — to talk about secular nationalism,” says Ashraf. Karvaan first started out with a cultural activism project that expanded into the journal. The journal has people-focused, non-political — but not apolitical — stories. One talks about the oral history of the Hashimpura massacre, while another explores the idea of a “fundamentalist ghetto”.

“Though we are a non-profit, we also want to stay focused on generating revenue so that we are not dependent on grants and funding,” says Ashraf. The K-Café is a step in this direction, in line with Karvaan’s message of secular nationalism. Access is based on a subscription model where one can choose to pay a daily, weekly or monthly fee. Comfy chairs, internet access, air-conditioned spaces and even conference capabilities come with the package. As does tea and coffee for now, and some light café fare in the next 10 days. For a break from work, there’s conversation to be had and one can browse through the nearly 1,000 books on the shelves. 

K-Café can now host up to 50 people and regularly conducts workshops and talks. It recently hosted an interactive session with author Rakhshanda Jalil on her book, But You Don’t Look Like a Muslim. An Urdu workshop, led by Rahman, ended last month and Karvaan is accepting applications for the next batch — a six-week course to learn the basics of Urdu. “Currently, we are working towards increasing local participation and making it more affordable for the people in and around Jamia Nagar,” explains Ashraf. Its next initiative, the Ghetto Project, will steer its volunteers towards creating community awareness as well as advocating the needs of the residents to the relevant authorities. “The students around Jamia Nagar live in deplorable conditions. The K-Café is a space where they can freely work and foster their creativity,” says Ashraf. 

It may be a while before K-Café becomes a full-fledged café. But that’s perhaps a blessing in disguise, an oasis away from rambunctious Delhiites and a space for true artistic collaboration. 

Visit karvaanindia.com for details about their workshops and events