Journaling Khirki #2
This set of illustrations is based on KhirkeeVoice Issue 8.
1) Khirki's Unknown Record Keepers
”gaon ki history mujhe nahi mil rahi, aap logo ko kaise pata hai?” (How do you know so much about the history of the village, when I cannot seem to find anything).
Khirki Village was established by Kushboo Singh in the 12th Century. Generations of the settlement have had their stories and family trees recorded by "Bhatts" - A wandering community of record keepers who travel from village to village telling stories and recording family trees. These records used to be on birch barks called Bhojpatras and were later transferred to paper records called pothis, written in the ancient Chakravartian script. Bhatts used to form an important part of Khirki life, their arrival was celebrated as a festival, they would gather crowds and tell stories from their travels, and formed a revered part of the community. Nathu Ram Rai, the current Bhatt of Khirki talks about how his community's relevance is dying in the wake of an ephemeral demographic rising in Khirki. This does point towards the fact that Khirki is split into two worlds, one belonging to students, migrants and the moving population, and one to the families that have stayed there for almost 9 generations.
2) Public Spaces are for so many things
Khirki's public spaces take many forms through the day. Khirki Masjid turns into a beautiful location for newly wed couples to have photo-shoots. Sudden onset of rains drives vendors to desperately push their carts towards the nearest temple in hope for some shade. Empty parking lots quickly transform into cricket fields on sultry afternoons, as kids skip school to indulge in the gentleman's game. Tapris (tea stalls) turn into creative hot spots for local artists at 3 AM, looking to recharge with a cigarette and cup of chai. Gossip sessions start about these streets and tapris regarding the plight of the Indian working man, and the influx of immigrants from neighboring countries. These immigrants are often subjected to flippant arrests by the police. Overall, there's hidden layer of socializing and networking that happens in Khirki, in the most unexpected of places.
3) Where are the women?
One thing becomes increasingly obvious as you traverse through Khirki. The lack of women in public areas. Men monopolize the parks, streets, nukkads (corners) and shops as they indulge in political debate, gossip, a game of cards or a casual smoke.
"The void of female bodies on the streets leads to an air of female mistrust upon safety, value, and position"
"Meri Kahaani Kaun Sunega?" (Who will listen to my story?)
Young women feel the social pressure to blend into their surroundings, dress a certain way to avoid attention, occupy spaces at only certain hours and talk in a certain slang in order to feel accepted in the community. And this is more apparent with women who have not lived or are part of families that have lived in Khirki for a while. One could ask if Khirki's spaces should become more domesticated, should women have their own spaces ? and many other such questions arise. One thing is for sure, layers of resistance do exist, as women attempt to carve out a larger position in this settlement
Few more excerpts from Issue 8:
Full KhirkeeVoice Issue 8: