In this Oral History series, we hope to dialogue with people from different backgrounds about their thoughts on public spaces – their memories of a neighbourhood space from their childhood, their own usage and experiences of a park, a marketplace, a maidan and so on as well as any ideas they may have on places for social interaction in the public realm.If you’d like to be interviewed or if you have a new topic for conducting oral histories, reach out to us via mail.

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Mariam’s dada (87) is a retired professor who loves to read and write. He is also a religious person. He shares the fifty years of transformation in the neighbourhood of Jamia Nagar-Okhla that occurred in front of his eyes.

Mariam's Dada

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The vegetable vendor occupies the space on the collector street junction which links Jodhpur Gam and Anand Nagar. He talks about the transformation of the street due to the pandemic and how the Municipal Corporation has helped them in various ways during the pandemic.Interviewee: AnonymousInterviewer: Eklavya KoralkarLanguage: Gujarati

Vegetable vendor at Jodhpur Gam

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Gauri is a resident of a high-rise, high-density residential community in suburban Ahmedabad. She describes the changes witnessed on the street, specifically, in relation to a market located on the way to her workplace in Bopal.Interviewee: Gauri KoralkarInterviewer: Eklavya KoralkarLanguage: Marathi

Gauri Koralkar

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Astu is a resident of a low-rise residential community abutting the Shyamal Cross Road and the Jivraj Flyover. She finds that the number of customers at the street-side vendors of her neighbourhood has increased after the pandemic. She shares how the residents in her area have begun to use their terraces more during and after the lockdown.Interviewee: Astu PanchalInterviewer: Eklavya KoralkarLanguage: Gujarati

Astu Panchal

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Tripathi Bhai uses a tempo and the space outside it, where he sells cigarettes and other packaged food. After the pandemic, he has upgraded his setup with a chai stall beside the tempo. He talks about the changes in the street just before and after the pandemic and the significant decline in the customers at the food vendors and cloth vendors there.Interviewee: Ashokbhai DesaiInterviewer: Eklavya KoralkarLanguage: Gujarati

Tripathi Bhai

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Ashok Bhai is a chai vendor situated on Drive-In Road abutting the Commerce junction. He shares that this area has witnessed radical changes due to the pandemic as well as the ongoing Metro construction. He says that there have been significant changes in the movement patterns of people. He adds that after the first lockdown, there has been a 50% reduction in the customers visiting his stall.Interviewee: Ashokbhai DesaiInterviewer: Eklavya KoralkarLanguage: Gujarati

Ashok Bhai Desai

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This chai vendor is situated in a place surrounded by various educational institutes in the University area in Ahmedabad. He shares that his customer base has decreased substantially during and after the pandemic with the online operation of educational institutions and firms operating nearby.Interviewee: Jitubhai DesaiInterviewer: Eklavya KoralkarLanguage: Gujarati

Chai vendor at PC Point

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Praharsh is a resident of Anandnagar and lives in a low-density housing colony. He shares with us the story of the transformation of a food court abutting the SG highway. He says that he himself prefers spaces that are less crowded and especially the ones located around the ring road in Ahmedabad.Interviewee: Praharsh DaveInterviewer: Eklavya KoralkarLanguage: Gujarati

Praharsh Dave

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Madhuri is a resident of a gated community in the South Bopal locality. She talks about how there has been an increase in vegetable vendors and chai vendors due to the rise in construction sites in this area. She observes that streets are now being used more as the access to other public spaces has been restricted.Interviewee: Madhuri ShrikhandeInterviewer: Eklavya KoralkarLanguage: Hindi

Madhuri Shrikhande

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Rupa is a resident in a high-rise apartment in the Anand Nagar neighbourhood near Jodhpur gam in Ahmedabad. The neighbourhood consists of a vegetable market and a public park where there is a decline in the number of senior citizens while a rise in user groups from a younger age group after the pandemic.Interviewee: Rupa HathiInterviewer: Eklavya KoralkarLanguage: Gujarati

Rupa Hathi

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Harshal is a resident of a bungalow within a gated community in South Bopal, a suburban neighbourhood of Ahmedabad. He talks about the changes in the nearby public park and the spaces around the retail stores on the street next to his residence.Interviewee: Harshal OzaInterviewer: Eklavya KoralkarLanguage: English

Harshal Oza

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Young Isha resides in Pune, Maharashtra. Her way of putting across her playtime experience can easily let you stand in her shoes in how much she cherishes her 2 hours of playtime, in and around the colony. Adding to this, she also mentions something which will probably resonate with those who were once or still are mischievous!Interviewee: Isha BAge:13Interviewer: Vidisha SahayLanguage: Hindi

Isha B

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Young Chandni resides in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. Interestingly, she has put down for us a great deal of analysis of the places she likes and least likes which might strike a cord with a person who is fond of nature, walking and playing, just as she is. The spaces she has brought up are an open plot in her colony, the canal, a garden at the nearby colony and a public garden (AUDA garden).Interviewee: ChandniAge: 14Interviewer: Vidisha SahayLanguage: Hindi

Chandni

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Here we have a group of cousins from the city of Bhilai, Chhattisgarh. They are ever enthusiastic about playing outside of their home but their neighbourhood does not have any dedicated public space for play but what they cherish are the empty plots in between the buildings that act as playgrounds for them, the pros and cons as well as an alternative is what they discuss in detail. They also tell us about their parents’ playtime experience.Interviewees: Anu, Aditya and AbhishekAge: 14,14 and 10Interviewer: Vidisha SahayLanguage: Hindi

Anu, Aditya and Abhishek

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This is a conversation between two close friends who reside in a gated colony in Panaji, Goa. They start by guessing the other’s ‘go to’ play space, followed by them breaking down the play group dynamics at their colony. Ending with a note on the kind of places their parents had for play. Guessing the other’s preference was a great ice-breaker in this interview, also encouraging equal level of engagement, given that these two girls have very different personalities (one is laid-back while the other is articulate).Interviewees: Yashvi B and Swathi JAge: 12 and 12Interviewer: Vidisha SahayLanguage: English

Yashvi B and Swathi J

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Young Rahul is a resident of Panaji, Goa. He tells us why he prefers to visit his friend’s colony over the play space that is available to him at his own colony, along with sharing some observations he has made during his playtime. Throughout the interview he had been frank about his thoughts as well as excited about the fact that he was going to be interviewed.Interviewee: Rahul SAge: 13Interviewer: Vidisha SahayLanguage: Hindi

Rahul S

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Kirti’s Dadi (76) is a nature lover and likes to visit near by parks in the morning. She is also very fond of shopping from her favourite places like, palika market or quila road etc. in the city. (Rohtak).Interviewee: Dadi of KirtiInterviewer: Kirti

Dadi of Kirti

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Kirti&#39;s Nanaji is a simple person who belongs to a small village in (Hasanpur) Samastipur, Bihar. He likes to go for walks in the local college ground and here he has talked about his experience there.Interviewee: Nanaji of KirtiInterviewer: Kirti Kumari

Nanaji of Kirti

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Ayushi&#39;s Nani (63) is a very religious person and enjoys visiting temples, shrines and holy places. She is also fond of shopping from crowded market areas which form a major part in the heart of her hometown/city (Hazaribagh).Interviewee: Nani of AyushiInterviewer: Ayushi Kumari

Nani of Ayushi

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Ayushi&#39;s Nanaji (67) is always on a busy schedule and has to visit different cities from time to time which allows him to discover a lot of new places. He also likes a walk around the local lake area in his city (Hazaribagh) and observing the surrounding areas.Interviewee: Nanaji of AyushiInterviewer: Ayushi Kumari

Nanaji of Ayushi

In 'The City Remembered' section, we hope to dialogue with people from different backgrounds about their thoughts on public spaces – their memories of a neighbourhood space from their childhood, their own usage and experiences of a park, a marketplace, a maidan and so on as well as any ideas they may have on places for social interaction in the public realm.