Bhavnagar - a study of its Colonial institutions

 Bhavnagar is tucked away in the southern corner of Gujarat. Earlier a stronghold of the Gohilvad Rajputs it was the first state to surrender its sovereignty to the Indian Union in 1947.Governed by a dynasty of benevolent Kings Bhavnagar prospered as a port and a thrived as an important commercial centre.

Alfred High School

My romance with the city began with a small trip to visit a cousin who was married to the great grand son of Sir Prabhashankar Pattani. Fondly remembered as Sir P.P. even today, people revere his contribution to the city. Staying in a huge palatial bungalow built about a century ago aroused a lot of interest in the local architecture. Being a small town one could easily cycle around the city and see the monuments of a bygone era. Schools, Colleges, Libraries, Places of Administration and Justice - they are all there standing as silent witnesses to the winds of change that are sweeping over the city. A desire to know more about the city and its history prompted me to take up the city as a subject for my dissertation for my final year.

Three buildings in three important locations attracted my attention. The first was the Darbargadh - The seat of power. An extension designed by the same architect who had designed the Victoria Memorial in Calcutta was too important to ignore. The second was a small library which came up after a existing gateway was demolished. A new institution designed to propel the populace towards modernity. The third was a hospital designed by William Emerson who designed Darbargadh and the Victoria Memorial.

Muir College, Punjab

A brief study of the old city became imperative to understand the position of these institutions and how they adapted themselves to the form of the city.

INTRODUCTION

Located on the Western sea coast of Gujarat, adjacent to the Gulf of Cambay Bhavnagar is nearly the geographical centre of Gujarat.

Bhavnagar was the capital city of the former state of Bhav¬nagar. After the independence of India in 1947 it became a part of the Saurashtra state. During the time of the British rule (1757-1947) it was a part of the Gohilwad district.

ESTABLISHMENT OF BHAVNAGAR.

Bhavnagar was established in 1723 by Bhavsinhji I (1703-1764). After realizing the vulnerability of Sihore in repulsing attacks, he sought a more secure place for his capital. He accidentally found a favourable site near the village of Vadwa when he was on his visit to the temple of Ruvapari. The new capital city would be in the open country in comparision to Sihore which was in hilly terrain and hemmed in from all sides. Bhavsinhji-I had intended his new capital to be a well protected haven, secure from attacks and also make it economically prosperous by establishing a port.

VADWA

Conjectural reconstruction of Bhavnagar, fort wall and Vadva village

The old settlement of Vadwa had the benefit of various village tanks such as Gam (Gangajalia) talao, Prabhudas talao, Brahman talao and other smaller tanks. Most of these tanks have now been absorbed but their names persist. The religious places which were on these tanks have survived and have played an
important role in structuring the city of Bhavnagar established in 1723 near the old settlement of Vadwa.

URBAN STRUCTURE OF BHAVNAGAR.

The main roads of the new capital city of Bhavnagar were oriented to face the cardinal points of the compass. These roads were bounded by gateways. A wall with a moat surrounded the city. The Darbargadh or the palace is located centrally and the hierarchy of institutions and street layout was established in reference to this important institution. The city was divided in four major precints. Each precints had "sheris" or streets which belonged to a particular caste of people.

After the demolition of the fort wall and Diwanpara

Within each sector or precint various religious institutions were located. These were not always located on street nodes or community spaces within the precint. The architecture was not very elaborate. These religious institutions normally belonged to a particular caste or religion. These institutions served as gathering places for the people of the caste. marriages and other important events took place in these institutions. Education was also imparted in some of them. Many such temples predate the establishment of Bhavnagar. The Nilkanth Mahadev was a temple on the Bhagga talao outside the original Vadwa village. This tank was reclaimed when the city of Bhavnagar was founded. The surviving temple has played an important role in structuring the precinct.

Character: these institutions were characterized by an enclosure around an open space. In a closely packed residential district the institution played the role of an open, community space.

During the period of about hundred years following the establishment of Bhavnagar the various kings were mainly concerned with the consolidation of territories and the security of the people.

After the entry of the British in Kathiawad in 1820 sweeping reforms were made in the administrative setups of most states in Kathiawad. In Bhavnagar the judiciary was formally established and for the maintainance of law and order a police force was created.Between the years 1870-78 Bhavnagar was under a joint adminstration. This period produced some notable reforms. The two important people who were responsible for these reforms were Mr. E. H. Percival and Sri Gaurishanker Oza of Bhavnagar.

These reforms were inthe areas of administration, revenue collection and judiciaries. Post and telegraph services along with railways were introduced and augmented. The port was also modernised and a new economic policy was introduced.

These reforms and changes in the system caused John Houston to say ""Bhavnagar is the most important and the most advanced of the native states of Kathiawar. From a very early date it became friendly with the British authorities.It was the pioneer of civilization and adminstrative activity in the peninsula and has ever set an example to neighbouring chiefs in the spread of education, in the prosecution of public works, in the development of commerce and in adoption of measures generally conducive to the welfare of its subjects."

THE BRITISH IN KATHIAWAR.

Though the British had made their presence in the peninsula of Kathiawar since the early 1800's, their active involvement in the matters of the states is seen only after the 1857 revolt of independence. This revolt is the key event in the history of colonial rule in India. It marks the beginning of a major shift in the attitudes and perceptions of the British.

THE BRITISH IN BHAVNAGAR.

The Kingdom of Bhavnagar had helped the British with all possible material help and had arranged the transport of British troops from the port of Ghogha to Ahmedabad. For the valuable assistance rendered by the Raval Jashwantsinhji (1854-1870) the British Crown conferred the title of "Star of India" on the King in 1867. After his death in 1870, Bhavnagar came under the joint administration of Mr. E. H. Percival and the Diwan Sri Gaurishankar Oza for a period of eight years from 1870-78. Maharaja Takhtsinhji (1878-1896) who ascended the throne in 1878 was educated in the Rajkumar college at Rajkot. The young King was influenced by the western system and introduced more reforms, initiated complex urban renewal schemes and commissioned many public buildings. Many new institution "types" came into being. Among these were the High Court, The High school, The Hospital and The Library. These new institution "types" were a direct result of Colonialism. This period (1870- 1896) can therefore be called "an institution building epoch" of the Bhavnagar city.

THE EPOCH.

The main urban renewal schemes of the period were the reconstruction and restructuring of the area near the Darbargadh and the Demolition of the fort wall. This span (1870-1896) is therefore critical in the growth of Bhavnagar as a capital city and can be studied for its architectural success and significant contribution towards the transformation of the city as a whole.

DARBARGADH - TRANSFORMATION

The Darbargadh or the Palace is located almost centrally on the confluence of the two main roads of the city. The complex was surrounded by business houses of the day. The two main roads divided the walled city into four main precincts/sectors. The hierarchy of streets was thus established in reference to this stronghold, Darbargadh. The area adjoining to the complex had business houses as well as residences for the nobility. Between 1854-1870 major repairs and new buildings were added to the rudimentary Darbargadh. Buildings to the east and west of the Darbargadh were demolished to give light and ventilation. Offices, built in the Indo-Saracenic style designed by W. Emerson, were added to the north of Darbargadh in the year 1893. The erection of the clock-tower on the premises and the building of the Percival market to the west strengthened the position of Darbargadh in the urban structure of Bhavnagar. This series of modifications transformed the area around Darbargadh and reflected the changing values of the society at the time. During this period the residence of the King was shifted to a quieter area outside the medieval walled city. The Darbargadh now became an institution of trade and commerce with the Darbar Bank to follow in the early twentieth century. Following this change most of the street edges around the Darbargadh area began to acquire a commercial character with the residences at the rear. The road from the Ghogha gate to the Khar gate was widened to facilitate transport all the way upto the port.The Darbargadh is therefore a dominant element and acts as a nucleus of aggregation within the city.

The Darbargadh area affords a prominent example of change and transformation at the urban scale. At the same time it can be examined as a primary element in its capacity to order and structure the city of Bhavnagar.

Darbargadh from Amba Chowk

Considering the spatial aspects of Darbargadh independent of its function, it can be seen that it is identified by its sheer presence on the plan of the city.The evolution of Darbargadh has largely depended on economic and political factors. The role of the three individuals in its evolution and transformation cannot be overlooked. This phenomenon of the transformation of the Darbargadh from a palace to an institution can be understood from two different viewpoints.Firstly, it can be said that the phenomenon of persistence of an urban artifact, in this case Darbargadh, is not only due to its function. It can be reasoned that it is "the capacity of the primary element to constitute the city, its history and art, its being and memory"

Secondly, the transformation of the function of the urban element can be attributed to the political and economic forces that were active during the period (1860-1896). With the advent of colonialism, the administration and the economy became more structured and institutionalized. Moreover the port of Bhavnagar was also attracting significant volume of trade which brought in revenue. These were the factors that transformed an institution of power, during the medieval times, to an institution of the economy. This proclaims the advent of a new age of modernism. The transformation is thus the transformation of the society from a monarchy to a democracy. The economy is now given an unprecedented importance
in the city.

SIR TAKHTSINHJI HOSPITAL.

This Hospital was built during the reign of Maharaja Takhtsinhji (1869-1896) during 1879-83 by the architect William Emerson. Other buildings in Bhavnagar during this period include The Barton Library, The High court, The Alfred High school. The latter two buildings were designed by Major Mant. The extension to the Darbargadh was designed by William Emerson.

ARCHITECT'S ATTITUDES.

Emerson was of the opinion that intermingling of styles would always lead to an interesting blend. "Indeed are not many of the most lovely plants and flowers hybrids, and has not intermingling of different families of the human race produced some of the noblest type of men?" He asked. Very often these notions assisted in overcoming an " inherent vulgarity". But then the future President of RIBA was only following the doctrine established earlier which insisted that the buildings meant for the natives should attempt to look "Indian". This "Indianisation" was achieved by incorporating a few Indian motifs and elements that the British architects thought were enough to serve the purpose.
The Indo-Saracenic style was a favourite among the British architects. Since the arch and the dome were principal features of the "saracenic" and "the most beautiful and economical they were used with an exuberance never seen before. Rarely, lamented Emerson did "the chance of introducing domes come to a builder in England. In India, where the British built on an Imperial scale, matters were different."

THE BUILDING

The hospital building is planned in the classical manner as suggested by Durand. The building surrounds a courtyard garden.
The porch is appropriately bestowed with a dome and is approached by a curving driveway. The covered verandahs run around both sides of the periphery. The building boasts four domed corner pavilions which are above the toilet blocks. The curved staircase is adjacent to the hall and is on the axis.

THE AMALGAMATION.

The building is an architectural synthesis of two culturally different concepts. The first is the Renaissance concept of "the villa" and the second is the response of the local architecture to climate - the courtyard. Both these concepts are put together with the axis as an ordering element. To this the elements characteristic of the British buildings -some climatically necessary while others to portray the image of an "Imperial Raj" -were added. The porch and the hall are situated on the axis while the verandah surrounds all the main spaces on both peripheries.

THE "STYLE"

The typical standard bay of the building reveal both Hindu and saracenic motifs. The balusters, the weather shade, the plinth and the bracket are of an Indian origin while the arch is saracenic. The mouldings of the cornice, the parapet and the ceiling have an European origin.


THE DEMOLITION OF THE FORT WALL.

Fort wall near Ruvapri gate

The demolition of the fort wall was a major effort in the urban renewal of Bhavnagar. This large scale effort brought about the existence of Diwanpara. The stones of the moat around the city wall were used as building blocks for the newly established grain market at the northern end of the city. This effort was also
synchronous with the installation of the Bhavnagar-Surendranagar Railway line and the transformation of the area around the Darbargadh. Amongst the other important institutions to come up on the periphery of the medieval city after the demolition were The girls school, The Alfred High school, The High court, The Jaswantsinhji dispensary, Barton library etc.

Institutions after demolition of fort wall near Barton Library

With the new administrative policies of the British there came into existence a new class of people who were the educated elite of the city. This new class of people had imbibed some values of the colonial culture of the British. This new class of bureaucrats and administrators were known as the "Divans" or ministers.

These Divans usually belonged to the caste of Nagar Brahmins and resided originally in the largest and the most ideally situated precincts of the walled city.

After the walls were dismantled, a circular road which ran along the original profile of the wall came into existence. The Divans built their new residences along the edge of this new road . These new houses were much larger than the houses in the inner city. The new residences were usually planned around a rectangular courtyard and presented an elaborate and ornate facade to the new main road. There was however a lack of interactive spaces that one finds in the walled city. The concept of the "khadki" as a shared unit of interactive and secure social space was abandoned in favour of a larger and self contained unit."The shape of plots of land in a city, their formation and their evolution, represents a long history of urban property and of the classes inti mately associated with the city. The analysis of the contrasts in the form of the plots confirms the existence of a class struggle. Modifications of the real-estate structure indicate the emergence of an urban bourgeoisie and the progressive concentration of capital."Moreover on examining the peripheral road that runs around thewalled city, one finds few connections to the inner city. The primary connections are only made at the positions of the original gates of the city. The next level of connections are few and far between and are observed at points where there was originally an opening in the urban fabric. This indicates that there was no strong desire to link the old city to the newer parts. The connections were merely a convenient mode of assisting thoroughfare instead of broad and comfortable avenues which came up in the newer parts of the city. The inner old city was now successfully reduced to a relic by the "new wall". What was previously a passive defense to ward off attacks from the enemy now took on the form of an institution involved in sociological isolation.

Ruvapari gate before demolition

THE BARTON LIBRARY.

The Barton Library was constructed near the old Ruvapari gate.This building occupies an important position in the new "planned" areas of Bhavnagar. It lodges on the former position of a prominent gateway of the city. It proclaims the advent of a new age of modernism.

THE BUILDING.

The Barton Library is a small,two-storied structure compared to other structures erected during the same period. The Library was constructed in the year 1882. The building is constructed in brick masonry and is covered with sandstone with a sloping timber roof. It boasts of a modest tower which is three storied high and is square in plan. It is oriented towards the centre of the crossroads. The building thus effectively negotiates a corner site and acquires the characteristics of a land mark.The building is planned around a small rectangular courtyard. The reading rooms occupy the ground floor and are accessible through a simple but adequate entrance. The ground floor has many windows which afford a view of the outside. The upper story is occupied by the books, reading spaces and the administration. The architecture of these institutions on the periphery of the walled city can be scrutinized for its style, planning and construction techniques.

Barton Library

Note: This article was published in Indian Architect and Builder in 1995. Many of the drawings were prepared for my Final year dissertation, School of Architecture, Ahmedabad in the year 1993. Please do not copy this material without appropriate references.

Doctors and Professionalism

For the past month, one would see the striking junior doctors on the road near the SSG hospital. Passers by would be mute spectators to the unfolding drama that the junior doctors put up. The issue was stipend and a corresponding raise. On Sunday, patients heaved a sigh of relief with the triumphant junior doctors returning with a 56% raise in their stipends.


Let us for a moment pause and examine the notions behind paying stipends to students. Most professions such as Law, Accountancy and Architecture require students to work as apprentices before they actually start their practice. The stipend encourages students to continue their studies and is a notional acknowledgment of their efforts towards the professions. Stipends are usually never sufficient for a person to subsist on – at least in India. Most professionals in India such as Architects, Chartered Accountants, Lawyers accept trainees and enable them to learn the ropes of the profession under their watchful eyes. The stipend is often negligible and very often not paid at all. Trainees work long, strenuous hours under these professionals as apprentices learning the tricks of the trade and about the profession. Junior Doctors work towards their post graduation degree and in such a situation one fails to see the logic behind the strike – that too for a raise in stipends.

Prasad Telang, a third year architecture student from Vallabhvidyanagar, commutes daily from his home in Nadiad to an architect’s office in Baroda for his training. “The training period enables us to see the professional world from very close quarters. Many things are interpreted very differently in the profession than in academics. It is in our interest to learn these aspects so that they would be useful to us when we start our practice.” Talking about the recent strike of the junior Doctors, he says, “I understand that the word stipend means a voluntary payment by the professionals to the trainees which is just a token amount. At the moment, I get an amount which is less than four figures! I don’t grudge the doctors their raise but are they going to save more lives because of their raise?” Students of law and accountancy also go through similar plights in their respective careers.

It is often argued, and rightly too, that Medicine is the noblest profession in the world. Doctors are lifesavers but it takes all sorts of professionals to make the world go around.

It was a deep feeling of anguish when these noble professionals brandished the weapon of a strike for the sake of a raise in stipends! It was sheer blackmail and violence of sorts. After fifty years of independence, we have used a non violent method for an extremely debatable issue. Imagine doctors’ shying away from their duties because they thought their stipend was not enough! But, the silver lining is very apparent. We are now very sure about the commitments of these professionals and little is left to the imagination as to their professional activities of the future.

Surely, we all agree that the compensation the doctors receive in turn for their superhuman efforts was measly. Nevertheless, there are two arguments that one could put forward as a professional. One, there are other professionals who receive even less and secondly, the strike was not the means to the end.



Published in the Baroda Times, October 13, 1998

Ravivari Market, Ellisbridge, Ahmedabad

Come Sunday mornings and most areas in the city wear a deserted look, but the eastern bank of the Sabarmati erupts with activity. The weekly market or the 'Ravivari' as it is locally known is conducted below the oldest bridge of Ahmedabad. This market is an interesting example of spontaneous shopping activity conducted in the city.

This market basically caters to the labour class and the millworkers. This could be the reason why the market is held only on Sundays.

The sunday market does not have any permanent structures or shops. The hawkers usually display their wares on charpoys or on the ground. One comes across a wide range of things being sold here. Used clothes, brassware, cycle spares, tools, wooden shelves and other similar items, books and magazines, cheap cassettes, household items and even caged birds! All this lends a very intriguing ambience to the market. Artists, found sketching and buying odds and ends for their sculptures are another unique feature. The vibrant nature of the market is a delight for a photography enthusiast. People from all walks of life find something of value in this market.

Within this milieu of screaming hawkers and bargaining customers, one cannot but wander how such a market is organized week after week with such clockwork precision. This informal market has been known to exist for over five decades. There appears to be a union where money is collected every week from each hawker towards rent. I saw a man collecting money from all the hawkers and systematically evicting the defaulters from the market. Indeed, the so-called unorganised sector comes up sometimes with effective and efficient solutions to problems which planners and municipal corporations have struggled to resolve!

Shopping has remained one of the most interesting, of all human activities. Wherever and whenever this activity becomes a mode of expressing people's emotions, it strikes a chord in one's heart. Every class of people in a city find their own outlets for expressing joy. The Sunday market or the Ravivari is just that - an expression of the people.

This article was published in the Indian Architect and Builder in 1994

Manek Chowk, Ahmedabad City

From blue chip shares to bhel puri and from books to bullion, Manek Chowk is the answer to any shopping that an Ahmedabadi does! Shopping in Manek Chowk can be quite a thrill and should be on the agenda of any tourist to Ahmedabad.

Locates on the axis connecting the royal buildings of medieval Ahmedabad - The queen's tomb, The King's tomb and the Jumma Masjid, Manek Chowk is the most dynamic shopping areas of Ahmedabad. Surviving through ages, it still maintains its importance in present day commercial activities of Ahmedabad. The virility and tenacity of the traders of Manek Chowk may have earned the name "Manchester of India" for Ahmedabad. Legend has it that a saint by the name of Maneknath had his ashram hereabouts and the agora may have been named after him. A temple by his name still exists at the southern edge of Manek Chowk.

The commercial activity in Manek Chowk is as old as the city of Ahmedabad. Its central location and easy accessibility are the main reasons for the commercial activity to flourish. This activity grew so intense that the royal buildings were gradually encroached.Totally blocking of the view to the royal buildings, the encroachments provided space for the growth of commercial activity more intensely. Because of this one gets a feeling of moving in a department store with medieval tombs peeking through the gaps as if reminding their presence amidst the fervent pleas of the hawkers. Being spread over a large area, a market for jewelry merges into the foodstuff market into books and so on.

The northern edge of the chowk opens onto the busy Gandhi road. The shops here are of a mixed nature selling a variety of items ranging from junk jewelry to hosiery products. The southern edge is mainly taken up by the gold and silver merchants. These shops are a part of the family heirlooms and are systematically passed from father to son. Hardly exceeding six by six feet at times, the location and the family name of the jeweler attract customers from far and wide. I met an owner of one such shop who said," I have been sitting at this shop since I was five years old." Being an octogenarian, I asked him since when was the shop in the family. he said," For at least a one hundred and fifty  years. My grandfather migrated from Kutch in the early nineteenth century and bought this shop soon thereafter." I was truly amazed when he told me that the value of the shop had gone up by  a thousand times after that. Asked if he ever thought of selling the shop for a bigger showroom elsewhere, he said," the customers do not come here because they like the architecture but they trust me totally." I had nothing further to ask. My questions regarding the marketplace were answered. I realised a market was made by the traders and customers- people who trusted each other and not by the massive departmental stores where the contact between people was reduced. This probably explains the spontaneity so much found in most of the Indian marketplaces.

The small pocket of space between the two edges is taken up by hawkers who sell steel utensils and cheap music cassettes from their laris. The inevitable chaiwallah does brisk business and so does the few panipuriwallahs and sandwichwallahs who satisfy the Ahmedabad's taste of something hot and spicy. The most fascinating character of this chowk is the changeover that happens as the night approaches. With almost clockwork precision the lariwallahs execute the changeover as if the shift were changing in a factory. The new shift now busies itself by serving the customers with tasty paubhaji, kulfi and the like. This batch continues its roaring business amidst blaring music till the wee hours of the morning. What was a busy commercial street during the daytime now acquires a festive character. Quite similar to the Ahmedabadi who slogs during the daytime and relaxes with his family as the evening approaches. The chowk apparently never sleeps. This then constitutes the main centre of Manek Chowk. The Stock Exchange accounts for the dense traffic and a multitude of haphazardly parked vehicles. Movement on foot and by vehicles is reduced to a snail's pace.

Some of the associated commercial activities are the Dhalgarwad- the cloth market, the fruit and vegetable markets, the spices market, the seconds book market. Perhaps one of the only markets selling exclusive ethnic cloth material of Gujarat is situated in the tomb of the queen popularly known as " Rani No Hajiro". The Dhalgarwad market sells dress material and ready made clothes. The market gives a feeling of a single tent where displayed dresses and eager shopkeepers vie for the attentions of the shoppers.



Old Stock market, Manek chowk



This market is so crowded that I had to stand up on the stool to take the photographs! The market for secondhand books is located under a " Fernandes Bridge" and has been the mainstay for poor and middle class Ahmedabadis. The market provides textbooks for school and college going students as well as books for competitive exams. All books bought from here can be returned at the end of the year for a small rent. Trust the economical Ahmedabadi to come up with a solution for books too!    

Though shopping in Manek Chowk can be delightful experience for the occasional shopper, it can be a nightmare for the everyday visitor. Endless and undisciplined traffic, lack of parking space make the chowk choke for breath. The problems are many and solutions hard to come by. The long awaited transfer of the stock exchange to the Ashram road may partially solve the problem. Manek Chowk badly needs a break after a long and arduous tenure as the prime commercial area of a commercial city like Ahmedabad.