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The Masonry of Grit

The Masonry of Grit

Author: Darshan Desai
Publication: Outlook
Date: February 24, 2003

Introduction: Post-quake rebuilding in rural Kutch is an epitome of self-reliance

Drive out of Bhuj town and the real spirit of the Kutchis begins to show. Unfazed by the sudden, total destruction of their habitat by an earthquake two years ago, the average Kutchi has proved he's a great survivor.

In village after village, men and women have helped themselves and their neighbours rebuild their homes while their urban cousins complained of official apathy. Without seeking state assistance or waiting endlessly for aid agencies, entire villages that were flattened by the 7.8 Richter temblor have come up once again.

"Come, I'll take you to where it all began and then explain what we did," a beaming Bhimjibhai Dangar told us in Khengarpur, a village close to the epicentre that had felt the earth's full fury. They have rebuilt its 295 houses, all of which had been laid to waste by the quake. "Our houses are now bhukamp-proof," declares Bhimjibhai. The villagers took tips from construction engineers. "We had never heard of columns and beams, but now we know. Earlier, our houses were all stones and mud."

The villagers were promised an assistance of Rs 90,000 each by the government, but are yet to receive the last instalment. Says Bhanabhai: "We didn't wait for the government. We just built the houses. And our decision was right, for we are yet to receive the last instalment of aid and we hear that the government has no more money." In the neighbouring Umedpur village, all the 100 destroyed houses have been rebuilt jointly by an NGO and the villagers.

Of the 1,11,786 houses destroyed in rural Kutch, 50,846 have already been rebuilt and 26,226 of these by the villagers on their own. The rest were built with NGO help, with villagers taking the initiative. The NGOs are now looking at a wider ambit: economic sufficiency. Says Sonal Maniar of NGO Shrujan: "We've decided to hold on to Bhadli village (in Nakhatrana taluka) for another five years, for the real work starts now. We've to make it into a self-sustained model village. So far, they have got back their shelters, not their livelihood."

Bhadli's steely woman sarpanch Harkhoben Rabari is not educated but she knows all about earthquake-proof housing and now actively participates in Shrujan's discussions on improving the villagers' lives. Says Lavjibhai Shah, deputy sarpanch: "Water is a serious problem in our village. Now, with help from the NGOs, we've constructed 14 canals, 21 small ponds and 14 small check-dams. And to do away with the problems of procurement of quality seeds, we have decided to set up a seed bank."

The primary school in the village, jointly set up by Shrujan and the Mumbai-based Pentagon Charitable Trust, puts many a city school to shame. Vasant Vidyalaya is complete with a reading room, a 700-book library, a community hall for the village, a playground and what have you. "The people in Bhadli have displayed a unique sense of unity, setting aside all politics. So, their rehabilitation has been faster," says Sonal.

In contrast, Bhuj, Anjar, Bhachau and Rapar-the four worst-hit cities-are caught up in legal tangles. Though the development plan for these cities was in place a year ago, implementation is something nobody can agree about. Unlike in villages where there is a strong sense of community, vested interests take over in the cities. Many don't want to give up even a small piece of their land for the common good.

"The cities have become villages and villages have become cities," says businessman Ravinder Sabarwal in Gandhidham. He's fighting a legal battle against the Gandhidham Development Authority. He alleges that the authority is back to its old ways of randomly granting nocs to constructions.

The villages, in a sense, have a lesson or two for the cities. A slogan on a freshly painted house in Bhadli indicates the grit of the rural Kutchis: "Bahadur banva mate manasey potana kartavyathi vishesh karya karvu joiye (Being strong in mind is his basic duty.But man must achieve more than that)."
 


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