Sheher Mein Gaon: How Delhi's urban villages navigate conflict, change

Sheher Mein Gaon: Culture, Conflict and Change in the Urban Villages of Delhi

by Ekta Chauhan

Published by Penguin India

205 pages  ₹399

 

Ekta Chauhan’s  Sheher Mein Gaon: Culture, Conflict and Change in the Urban Villages of Delhi  is a study of nine urban villages of the National Capital Region (NCR) including well-known localities such as Shahpur Jat, Sonipat and Hauz Khas along with lesser-known areas such as Mitraon, Deoli and Sungarpur. Through meticulous research and multiple conversations, Ms Chauhan brings to readers the lived realities of these areas. 

Delhi has been the focus of numerous writings, both fiction and non-fiction. But these urban villages continue to be side-lined in the majority of these writings and scholarly examinations. Irrespective of their exclusion, Ms Chauhan points out, these villages are spaces that have always played an important role in shaping the diverse character of the metropolis. Whether it’s through housing migrants from various corners of the country as well as nations such as Afghanistan (in the case of Khirki), or whether by becoming centres of “cool” (Hauz Khas), these urban villages play an important role though they continue to be largely ignored by the urban spaces around them. 

Ms Chauhan demonstrates how the character of these spaces has been changed by the forces of urbanisation. These forces often brought the urban world to their door, but refused to provide them entry, a pattern that continues. She also shows that many of these villagers’ concerns tend to have roots in administrative and bureaucratic apathy, coupled with the lack of political will to treat their inhabitants as more than vote banks. Another common thread is the unplanned urban growth that turned land into a profitable commodity, changing fortunes overnight instead of providing a sustained model of development. A recurring impact of this apathy and skewed development is seen in the loss of access to communal spaces in these areas. This is visible in the case of the Begumpur Mosque, once an integral part of the life of the village’s residents. Now a monument under the Archaeological Survey of India, it witnesses the younger generation’s apathy at best. Another example is the temple of Deoli’s ancestral goddess, which is now out of bounds because the land surrounding it has become part of a protected forest area. 

The book also foregrounds the often deeply patriarchal character of these spaces. This feature, and the uneasy relationship toward migrants deemed “outsiders,” adds layers of complexity to the nature of these areas. Many conversations with inhabitants illuminate simmering social tensions and underlying unease. These conversations reveal that the landlords and other locals see the migrants and their lifestyles as a threat to the village’s traditional way of life. On the other hand, the migrants, who often belong to a less affluent class, struggle to exist in the unfamiliar city one day at a time. This underlying conflict can be seen even in cool and hip areas such as Shahpur Jat and Hauz Khas. Behind the façade of glitzy showrooms and restaurants lie the struggles of the artisans and workers. 

Because these spaces offer few options to the younger generation, consequences range from the migration of young people to these areas becoming hotbeds of criminal activity. But as Ms Chauhan points out, attempts are being made to create spaces for dialogue and mutual trust by the younger generation. 

Ms Chauhan, an assistant professor at O P Jindal Global University, Sonipat, hails from Khirki village. This provides her with a unique vantage point. As someone who is an insider yet an outsider (given the traditional idea of a woman becoming an outsider to her ancestral home once married), her writing combines her experiences with solid research. This also helps include women’s perspective in the final chapters which, as Ms Chauhan herself points out, is missing from the narrative along with perspectives of the marginalised communities. 

The biggest strength of Sheher Mein Gaon lies in its skilful blending of the analytical with the conversational. Ms Chauhan merges the personal with the political, memory with reportage, history with the human element. An example of this is her use of subtitles in each chapter that cleverly capture the essence of each space in just a few words. The use of original Hindi in reporting snippets of conversation followed by their English translation also adds to the book’s distinct flavour. By bringing to the centre those spaces that often stay confined to scholarly margins, Sheher Mein Gaon fills an important gap and will interest readers beyond the geography it studies.

 

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The reviewer is an independent writer and translator