We started working in Ahirkhedi in September 2023. Ahirkhedi is a basti in the suburbs of Indore, a semi-urban area not connected by pakka roads and lacking water supply, but next to two primary government schools. We began engaging with the youth and children of the Pardhi community through play and different kinds of creative expression. Then we started engaging with women through Dance/Movement Therapy. During this time, we used to conduct these sessions in different people’s houses, but because of complicated relationships among community members, it was tough to include everyone from the basti in these sessions, and only relatives of the people whose house the session was in would come. Also, it was difficult to ensure privacy. We wanted to create a common space where people from the community could get together for sessions, meetings, celebrations, reading, and learning; a safe space that would give everyone the opportunity to participate. With this objective in mind, we began to look for a room in the basti.
In the beginning, the search for a room seemed futile; it seemed like no rooms were available in the basti. Then we spoke to the youth we were working with. They quickly decided to not just help us in finding a room but took it upon themselves to find a room, make sure it was reasonable and not unfairly expensive. The room we found needed a lot of repair work. A part of the roof had come down. The toilet was broken. The room didn’t have a door and was missing a window; it also had no electricity. Thus began the process of planning repairs, finding the people skilled at various jobs, and organizing materials we would need. This process too was led by the youth. In two days, we managed to repair the roof for which materials would almost appear magically – ladder, water, wood, tools, whatever was needed was almost brought within minutes. For the work we couldn’t do ourselves, the youth helped us find the right people, taking the lead in the repair work. We cleaned the room, painted the walls, fixed the door and a window, and with great haste and excitement decided to celebrate the inauguration of the center. The celebration was attended by children, youth, women, and some men. We spoke about we intended to do in the space—to be open to the entire community, a safe place for various activities such as dancing, singing, playing, reading, sleeping, laughing, relaxing, and talking freely. Then we danced together in a circle, celebrating the day, the space, and everyone present, and finally ate many samosas, filling our hearts and bellies with joy.
We began our work in Ahirkhedi in September 2023. Ahirkhedi is a basti located in the suburbs of Indore, a semi-urban area with no pakka roads and lacking water supply, but situated next to two primary government schools. Our initial focus was on engaging with the youth and children of the Pardhi community through various forms of play and creative expression. Subsequently, we started working with women through Dance/Movement Therapy.
Initially, our sessions were conducted in different households within the community. However, due to complicated relationships among community members, it was challenging to include everyone from the basti in these sessions. Only relatives of the hosts would attend, and ensuring privacy was difficult. We aimed to create a common space where community members could gather for sessions, meetings, celebrations, and learning—a safe space that would be inclusive to all.
With this goal in mind, we began searching for a room within the basti. Initially, the search seemed futile as no rooms were available. When we spoke about this with the youth we were working with, they took it upon themselves to find a suitable room at a reasonable price. The room we found required significant repair work—the roof was damaged, the toilet broken, there was no door or window, and no electricity.
The process of repairing the room was led by the youth. Within two days, we managed to repair the roof with materials seemingly appearing magically—ladders, water, wood, tools—everything we needed was quickly brought to us. For tasks we couldn’t complete ourselves, the youth helped us find skilled workers, taking the lead in the repair work. We cleaned the room, painted the walls, fixed the door and window, and with great excitement, decided to celebrate the inauguration of the center.
The celebration was attended by children, youth, women, and some men. We spoke about our intentions for the space—to be open to the entire community, a safe place for various activities such as dancing, singing, playing, reading, sleeping, laughing, relaxing, and talking. Then we danced together in a circle, celebrating the day, the space and everyone present, and then ate many samosas, filling out hearts and bellies with joy.
