Revamping community space in Versova Koliwada

(From left) A before and after look of how the place-making activity at Bhandari well in Versova panned out

The Versova koliwada has around 16 fresh water wells dating back 200 to 300 years that were once thriving community centres. However, most of them are now defunct, thanks to the advent of tap water, coupled with poor maintenance and a degraded quality of water, point out architects and urban designers Jai and Ketaki Bhadgaonkar, co-founders of Bombay61, an urban think-tank. To help the community, especially the youth, reclaim and reconnect with these once-glorious public assets, the husband-wife duo, along with the Ministry of Mumbai's Magic (MMM), has taken on a place-making project at a nearly-200-year-old well in Versova koliwada.

Changing the narrative

The duo, who've been working on community-oriented projects at the koliwada since 2013, shares that their collaborative effort with MMM aims to amplify the voice of the kolis. "They're the indigenous people of Mumbai. Lately, we find that a slum narrative is being attached to the community. But koliwadas are not slums, they're villages," maintains Ketaki. She adds that this outlook is gradually impacting the youth, too, whose association with their koliwadas and the community is phasing out. "So, we thought that place-making can be a great tool to bring out the relationship of the community with their social spaces that are getting degraded over time. Place-making refers to enhancing or developing public spaces that are assets to the community, with their participation," explains the architect.

Jai and Ketaki Bhadgaonkar

Water heritage

During their recce in February, the duo connected with Vikas Koli, an active member of the community, who led them to the Bhandari well, a structure near Buddha Gully that's still in use today. Once owned by the Bhandari family, the well is located in one of the oldest parts of the koliwada; important landmarks such as the tehsildar's residence and the first photo studio of the village, now extinct, were situated in the area. "Wells are an important part of the koli culture. This particular well is located in the backyard of the Bhandari family's residence and was once the only source of water for the Bhandari chawl and its tenants. It's still used for washing today, and the locals worship the well regularly. It's also cleaned during Holi,"
Jai tells us.

The urban designers share that the older generation of Versova koliwada have fond memories of swimming in the wells. "But now, the youth can't even imagine drinking that water. Through our project, we wanted to turn the Bhandari well into the community space that it was, where people can come, sit, interact and not just pass by," Ketaki explains.

A role model

The first step was identifying the areas of concern. The Bhandaris' backyard was a mess of debris; the net covering was damaged; and there was residue formation, among other issues. The folks at Bombay61 refurbished the backyard. They created a large mural at the space to liven it up, so the youth are attracted to it.

"We repaired the jaali. We also installed a trellis where people can grow climbers, levelled the place, and added a seating area overlooking the well," informs Jai. The community chipped in with insights and participation. Locals started dropping by with plants and beautifying the area.

The duo hopes to replicate this project in other urban villages of the city, too. "These wells were once the front yards for communities, and now, they‘ve been relegated to the backyard as the dependency reduced. Water shortage is one of the biggest crises in the world. In the wake of that, place-making projects like this can be a role model for how you can restore water resources like wells, and enable urban villages to retain their identity," Jai signs off.