1

JAL!CULTURESOFWATERIN

RURALRAJASTHAN

Workshop1(9–11January2018)

2

TABLEOFCONTENTS1.BACKGROUNDTOTHEPROJECT2.PURPOSEOFTHEWORKSHOP3.SCHEDULEOFEVENTS4.DAY1JAIPURHILTONWORKSHOP

4.1Agenda4.2Participants4.3Presentationsummaries

5.DAY2PACHEWARSITEVISIT6.DAY3STEPWELLSITEVISIT7.FORWARDPLANNING–KEYPROJECTS

7.1Jal:TellingitTogether(Sabnani)7.2ThePop-upWaterMuseum(Roy)

8.OVERALLSCHEDULE

3

1.BACKGROUNDTOTHEPROJECTIntroduction: this project involves the development of an inter-

disciplinaryresearch networkof environmental and social scientists, water

expertsandartistsonthethemeofcareandwaterinfrastructuresinRajasthan,

India. The group is exploring experiences of care associated with the

development and maintenance of traditional and small-scale water

infrastructures. These infrastructures include technologies such as local

rainwater harvesting structures (earthen dams, storage and irrigation tanks

known as tanka and Talabs) and the ancient and monumental step wells of

Rajasthan.Bycarewereferto:

• the roleanduseofwater infrastructures in social, cultural andphysical

well-being(asasustainingandenrichingpartoflife).

• thepracticesoflookingafterandmendingwaterinfrastructures

• theroleofinfrastructuresasagentsincareassemblages

Ourconceptofcareincludesthewaysthesewaterinfrastructuresaddresswater

scarcity; impactsocial relations (e.g. theroleofwomen);andcontribute to the

overallflourishingofsocietyandcultureinRajasthan.Ourfocusisontheways

thattheartscancontributetotheseprocessesandsupporttheirsustainability.

Water infrastructure in arid Rajasthan: Over the last 150 years water

management in this largely rural and dry part of India hasmoved away from

community-oriented and simple technologies (e.g. rainwater harvesting) in

favour of more complex, state-managed groundwater extraction. However,

modernsystemshavenotalwayssucceededinprovidingreliablewaterservice

toruralareasofRajasthanandthenumberofvillageswithnoaccesstoadequate

and/orpotablewaterremainshigh.WithinRajasthanandIndiathereisalong-

standing tradition of water conservation through the design of rainwater

harvesting structures and management. These include methods of harnessing

surfacerainwaterrun-offaswellasgroundwaterextraction.Nevertheless,these

technologiesandapproacheshavelosttheirsignificanceduetostate-sponsored

modernization policies and interventions. As a result, traditional water

4

infrastructures and practices have been severely eroded and even eliminated.

This deterioration has worsened over time despite the fact that the present

systemof centralized supply andmanagement ofwater has failed tomeet the

needsofalargenumberofpeople.Ofparticularimportanceislossofthecultural

andsocialrolethesestructuresplayedinthegrowthanddevelopmentofIndian

society. Further, there has been significant damage to the ecosystem services

thesewaterbodiesandstructuresprovided.Indianwaterexperts,includingthe

membersof ournetwork, argue that it isnecessary to takea fresh lookatnot

onlywhatwe can learn from the traditional sources and systems but also the

rolethattheycanplayinthewidergoalsofprovidingsustainablewatersecurity

to all and re-establishing the social and cultural values associatedwith small-

scalewatermanagement.

Socially Engaged Arts and Community Empowerment: It has been known for

some time that the arts can offer significant social benefits in terms of

communityempowermentandthatthis isnowtakingplaceinaglobalcontext.

Theactof‘givingvoice’throughartisticfacilitationandmediaoffersasignificant

means of bringing local knowledge into the public domain. Much of the

experienceassociatedwithtraditionalmeansofwaterharvestingisheldbythe

inhabitantsofthevillagesofRajasthan.Artistswhohavespecialisedinprocesses

ofcreativefacilitationareparticularlywellplacedtoworkwithlocalgroupsand

develop expressions of this knowledge that will not only disseminate

informationwithinthearea,butalsotakeitinanaccessibleformintothewider

globalarena.

This is a 1-year project (2018), funded by the Arts and Humanities Research

Council(AHRC)throughtheGlobalChallengesResearchFund(GCRF).

Projectwebsite:https://rajasthanwater.weebly.com

5

2.PURPOSEOFTHEWORKSHOPThe focus of this workshop was to collaboratively explore the conditions of

water scarcity and water infrastructure in Rajasthan and to identify ways of

workingwithlocalcommunities.Additionalobjectivesincluded:

• Facilitate face-to-face discussion amongst the team and exchange ideas and

experiencesaroundwaterinfrastructuresandwatercontexts.

• Expand participation in the network through engagement of partners in

RajasthanincludingIndianwaterpolicyandmanagementorganisations(govt.

ofRajasthan)aswellaslocalartsorganisationsandartists.

• FacilitatediscussionaboutwhereandhowIndianartistsarealreadyengaging

withthecountry’ssocialissuesandexaminewhatthesepracticescanofferto

thesituationofwaterscarcityinRajasthan.

• Discuss and develop engagement and outreach opportunities including the

potentialforcommunity-orientedartspracticesasameansofinquiry.

• Identifycollaboratorsandopportunitiesforfuturegrantwriting.

6

3.SCHEDULEOFKEYEVENTSTheworkshopincludedasymposium(heldattheHilton,Jaipur),twositevisits

andothernetworkingactivities.

DAY1:9THofJanuary2018

Symposium (HiltonHotel) to explore ongoingworkswithwater infrastructure

and rainwater harvesting in Rajasthan and to discuss possible roles and

contributionsoftheartswithrespecttowaterscarcityandconservation.

DAY2:10thofJanuary2018

SitevisittovillagePachewar,TonkDistrictofRajasthan.

DAY3:11thofJanuary2018

SitevisittothevillageBhandarej(DausaDistrict),Rajasthan.

7

4.DAY1:9THOFJANUARY2018–SYMPOSIUMANDPROJECTINITIATION4.1.Symposiumagenda:8:30–Coffee/Tea9:00–WelcomeandworkshopoutlineMSRathore,CEDSJ9:30–IntroductiontotheprojectMichaelBuser,UniversityoftheWestofEngland,Bristol10:00–Whythearts?AdiscussionofsociallyengagedartspracticeLoraineLeeson,MiddlesexUniversity10:30TellingitTogetherNinaSabnani,Artistandstoryteller(IndustrialDesignCentre,IITBombay)

11:00PuppetTheatre-betweenartandcommunicationAnurupaRoy,PuppetDesignerandDirector,NewDelhi.11:30TeaBreak11:45WaterandtheHistoryofRajasthanRima Hooja, Historian, archaeologist & Consultant Director (Library &Archives),MaharajaSawaiManSinghIIMuseumCityPalace,Jaipur

12:00MainstreamingGenderinWaterResourcesManagementinRajasthanKanchanMathur,InstituteofDevelopmentStudies,Jaipur12:15EmpoweringtheTharDesertCommunitiesRameshParihar,GRAVIS,Jodhpur

13:00–Lunchbreak-1hour14:00LookingatTraditionalPracticesthroughaModernLensBrijGopal,JawaharlalUniversity,NewDelhi14:15TheLivingWatersMuseum:VisualisingNarrativesonHeritage,CultureandEcologies.SaraAhmed,CentreforHeritageManagement,AhmedabadUniversityandLeadCurator,LivingWatersMuseum14:30–TeabreakfollowedbySmallGroupDiscussions

• WhatvaluecanwebringtocommunitiesinRajasthan?Whywouldpeopleworkwithus?

8

• Specifically,whatcantheartscontributeinthesecontexts?• Howcanwestrengthenourimpactanddissemination?Whatconnections

needtobemade?• Commissioning process ideas (discussions to be continued during site

visit)16:30–Wrapupandnextsteps.Summaryoftheday;logisticsforsitevisits(Wednesday);workshop2MSRathore/MichaelBuser/LoraineLeeson17:00–End–(followedbyeveningmeal)

4.2Participants

Dr.MichaelBuser,SeniorResearchFellow,UWE,Bristol

Email:Michael.buser@uwe.ac.uk

Dr.LoraineLeeson,SeniorLecturer,MiddlesexUniversity,London.Email:l.leeson@cspace.org.uk

Dr.ManoharSinghRathore,Director,CentreforEnvironmentandDevelopmentStudies,Jaipur(CEDSJ)

Email:msr@cedsj.org,msrorama@gmail.com

Dr. Kanchan Mathur, Professor, Anthropologist/Gender Specialist, Institute ofDevelopmentStudies,Jaipur

Email:kanchan@idsj.org,kanchanmathur10@gmail.com

Dr. Rima Hooja, Historian, Rajasthan School of Arts, University of Rajasthan,Jaipur

Email:rimahooja@yahoo.com,rimahooja@gmail.com

Prof. Brij Gopal, Professor, Ecosystems Services, Retired from JawaharlalUniversity,NewDelhi

Email:brij44@gmail.com

NerandraPratapSingh,RuralDevelopmentExpert,CEDS,JaipurEmail:npcedsj@gmail.com

AnurupaRoy,PuppetDesignerandDirector,NewDelhi.

Email:royanurupa@gmail.com

Prof.NinaSabnani,Artistandstoryteller(IndustrialDesignCentre,IITBombay)Email:nina.sabnani@gmail.com

9

Dr. Sara Ahmed, Adjunct Professor, Centre for Heritage Management,AhmedabadUniversityandLeadCurator,LivingWatersMuseum

Email:sara.ahmed@ahduni.edu.inorsara.ahmed1981@gmail.comLaduLalSharma,RuralDevelopmentExpert,CEDS,Jaipur

Email:ladulal.sharma@gmail.com

RameshParihar,GRAVIS,JodhpurEmail:rameshparihar98@gmail.com

Dr.KantaAhuja,Chairperson,CEDSJ.

Email:Kantahuja@yahoo.com ApologiesRajendra Singh, Program Coordinator, Gramin Vikas Vigyan Samiti (GRAVIS),Jodhpur,Rajasthan

Email:rajendra@gravis.org.inAgam Mathur, Public Health Engineering Department (PHED), Government ofRajasthan

Email:agammathur@gmail.comOmPrakash,CountryDirector,WaterHarvest–IndiaLiaisonOffice

Email:wellsforindia@gmail.comorom.waterharvest@gmail.com

10

4.3.Presentationsummaries

Belowisabriefsummaryofeachpresentation. PowerPointslidesareincluded

asanappendixtothisreport.

Welcomeandworkshopoutline:MSRathore,CEDSJ

Dr.RathoreintroducedthegrouptoRajasthanandthekeyissuesaroundwater.

In recent times, groundwater sources have become critical and overexploited.

There are issues of quality

(e.g. fluoride) and access in

many villages in Rajasthan

including infrastructure

challenges (e.g.maintenance

and failure of hand pumps).

Dr. Rathore discussed how

people desire for ‘modern’

systems. However, these

often fail – at which time

people often think of traditional systems. Moreover, there are villages in

Rajasthan where modern systems may never reach (due to economics and

settlementpatterns). Traditionally,inRajasthantraditionalwatermanagement

strategies were used to

harness and conserve

rainwater. They were low

cost, user-friendly and

maintained by local

communities. Dr Rathore

showedthegrouparangeof

Talab, Tanka and other

traditional water

conservation structures

currently being used in

Rajasthan (most of theImage:exampleoftraditionalwaterconservation

infrastructureinRajasthan

11

stepwellsareoutofuseinRajasthanasthegroundwaterisnotavailable). The

structures are valued for their suitability to local environmental, social and

cultural conditions including their ability to bemaintained at community and

individuallevels. Thepresentationincludedareviewofresearchconductedby

CEDSJ on traditional water bodies in the western part of Rajasthan including

type,waterquality,socialandequityaspects(amongstotherthemesandtopics).

Introductiontotheproject:MichaelBuser,UWE,Bristol

Dr.Busergaveabriefreviewoftheprojectincludingoverallaimsandobjectives.

The research builds on previous collaborative work funded by the AHRC on

diverse themes (food, activism,water) in variousUK contexts. This project is

funded by the AHRC (research networking) through a highlight notice for

internationaldevelopment(globalchallengeresearchfund).Crucialtothiswork

is toexplorehowcommunity-basedartscancontribute to thewelfareof those

living in conditions of water scarcity. As such, the network draws together a

range of water expertise, artists, social scientists and other stakeholders. Dr

Buser outlined a few ‘hopes’ for the workshop including a desire to build a

lastingandsupportivenetwork.

Whythearts?Adiscussionofsociallyengagedartspractice,LoraineLeeson,

MiddlesexUniversity

Dr. Leeson introduced a range of work covering three decades of art and

activism. Her presentation introduced the team to a number of arts projects

where creative practice is

embedded in an effort to

contribute to social and/or

environmental change (e.g.

Platform and Liberate Tate;

Mierle Laderman Ukeles’

Touch Sanitation; CityArts

(Dublin) Tower Songs; Navjot

Altaf’s work in Chhattisgarh,

India). Loraine gave an

12

overview of her own practice in East London. This ranged from efforts to

challenge Docklands redevelopment projects (1980s) to working with ‘the

Geezers’ on Active Energy. Loraine discussed how the arts can celebrate and

consolidate ideas and activities, as well as confers power and authority to

people, in particular through acknowledgement of local knowledge. Dr Leeson

discussed theneed forourproject toconnect tospecificactivities inRajasthan

where we can make a difference (e.g. celebrate activities, contribute to

knowledgetransfer).

TellingitTogether:NinaSabnani,Artistandstoryteller (IndustrialDesign

Centre,IITBombay)

Dr Sabnani talked about the way she has worked with communities (e.g.

traditionalartpractitioners)inIndia.

We heard about a very interesting

projectconductedwiththeBhiptribe

of Madhya Pradesh. The project

involved working with art

practitioners to explore their origin

mythof‘whytheypaint’.Ninatoldus

howpaintingissacredtotheBhils,as

it is through painting that the gods

showerrainsuponthem. Attheend

of the presentation we watched a

fantastic animated film produced by

Nina and her collaborators which

narratedthiswaterstory.

13

Puppet Theatre- between art and communication: Anurupa Roy, PuppetDesignerandDirector,NewDelhi.

Anurupagaveawonderfulpresentationdetailingherworkand itsrelationship

totraditionsofpuppeteeringin

India. We learned about

the importance of

performances and how

Anurupa’s group has

worked with others to

explore important social,

cultural and

environmental issues and

topics such as climate

change,gender,andHIV.

WaterandtheHistoryofRajasthan:RimaHooja,Historian,Achaeologist&

Consultant Director (Library & Archives), Maharaja Sawai ManSingh II

MuseumCityPalace,Jaipur

DrHoojapresentedonRajasthanand

its relationships with water. We

heard about different water use

across Rajasthan through time. The

presentation included an array of

wonderful imagery showing the

physical structures associated with

water conservation including

Rajasthan’s majestic stepwells. We

learned about the development of

Jaipur in the 1700s and the role of

stepwells. Unfortunately, in the 20th

century, the traditional sources of

watercametobeignoredinJaipur.However,manyoftheseinfrastructuresare

beingcleanedandmadeoperationalagain.

14

Mainstreaming Gender in Water Resources Management in Rajasthan:

KanchanMathur,InstituteofDevelopmentStudies,Jaipur

DrMathur talkedabout the roleofwatermanagement as ameans topromote

sustainable development – but critical here is to recognize the role ofwomen

andgenderequality.InpatriarchalRajasthan,womenfacesocialinequality.Dr

Mathur’s research examines the role women play in the care of water

infrastructuresandhow theymaintainsocialandculturalnorms through their

roleinwaterconservation.Womenareresponsibleforthehouseholdandspend

hours dealing with water management

(washing closes, fetching water, selecting

watersources,etc).Thepresentationargued

forimprovingwomen’spositioninsocietyby

increasing their awareness of their situation

and capacity to takedecisions and influence

change. DrMathurconcludedbysayingthat

by documenting women’s knowledge and

experiences could help restore traditional

water structures and lead to restoration of

local ecosystems (as well as contributing to

women’sequality).

Empowering the Thar Desert Communities: Ramesh Parihar, GRAVIS,

Jodhpur

Duringthispresentation,

Ramesh Parihar

introducedustomanyof

the issues facing

communities in theThar

Desert. While the most

denselypopulateddesert

ecosystemintheworldit

receives less that 25cm

ofrainperyear.GRAVIS

15

(foundedin1983)worksintheTharDeserttosupportself-reliantcommunities

andpromotesustainability. Waterscarcityisacentralchallengeinthispartof

Rajasthanandwomenmustoftentravelfardistancestofetchwater.Arangeof

traditional water management techniques and infrastructures are being

supported including Tanka (cistern), Nadi (village pond), Khadin (irrigation

system);Beri(wells)andsilvipasture.Theseinfrastructuresandtheactivitiesof

GRAVIS are contributing to greater water security, improved health, and

women’sempowerment,amongotherbenefits.

Looking at Traditional Practices through a Modern Lens: Brij Gopal,

JawaharlalUniversity,NewDelhi

BrijGopalintroducedthegrouptoissuesofwaterscarcityinRajasthanandthe

role of traditional

water systems. We

heardabouttheuneven

distribution of water

and in particular, the

lack of rainfall in the

western parts of

Rajasthan. There are

nonaturalwaterbodies

in this part of

Rajasthan, only the

canalsystem.DrGopalposedthequestion–whywouldpeopledecidetosettle

in such dry environments? Which lead to questions about their adaptation

strategies and relations to intellectual, social, cultural, aesthetic and ethical

contexts. In the context of climate change and environmental degradation,

perhaps answers to key challenges can be found by studying the way people

havemanagedofscarcewaterresourcesovercenturies.

16

TheLivingWatersMuseum:VisualisingNarrativesonHeritage,Cultureand

Ecologies: Sara Ahmed, Centre for Heritage Management, Ahmedabad

UniversityandLeadCurator,LivingWatersMuseum

Dr Ahmed introduced the

group to her virtual

water museum. During

the presentation, we

heard about the living

waters museum’s

objective to collect and

collatetraditionsofwater

practices in India and

beyond. Sara’s approach

isbased inthethreeCs–

Collaboration; Curation;

andCommunication–andisparticularlyfocusedonengagingyoungpeople.The

museumwouldbea ‘virtual’socialenterprisethatmightsupportorconnectto

other physical sites. Types of material and content for the museum would

include: water and architecture; customary practices and traditions;

engagements (e.g.water heritagewalks); art; livelihood and communities (e.g.

what can be learned from traditional water management systems); oral

histories;andfolklore. Insum,thewatermuseumcouldserveasa ‘knowledge

repository’forwaterheritageeducation,innovationandsocialenterprise.

17

5.DAY2:10THOFJANUARY2018–PACHEWARSITEVISIT

On the second day of the workshop, the team spent the day travelling to the

southwestofJaipurtothevillageofPachewar.Theobjectiveofthisvisitwasto

gain familiarity with the issues facing Rajasthan and strengthen local

participation and collaborations with individuals and groups involved with

traditionalwaterinfrastructures.

Pachewar is a Gram Panchayat

nearDudu inTonkDistrict. There

is a Talab, traditional water

structure. Presently in use and

managedbypeople. It issourceof

drinking water for human and

livestock and also used for other

purpose.Despitetapwatersupply

from Bisalpur Dam the Talab

water is used by most people in

thevillage.Meetingwasconducted

with Gram Panchayat (village

council)representativesandpeople.

ReflectionsfromNinaSabnani

We visited Pachewar in the Tonk

district, which is about 88 kms

away fromJaipur.Rainfall isscant

here and sometimes there is no

rainfallfortwoyearsinarow.We

went to see the water structure

thatprovidedwatertopeopleeven

in the drought years. The Talab

Pamasagarisalmost500yearsand

possibly the first of its kind. This

Image:TalabinPachewar

Image:talkingwithwomenatthevillageofficeinPachewar

18

is probably one of the oldest survivingwater structures that recharges almost

365wells.ThereiswaterintheTalabinthehottestofsummers.Thelasttimeit

driedupwasthreeyearsago.Whenitdriedupthevillagersusedtode-siltthe

Talabandusetheearthforfarmsasrichcompost.AtthecentreoftheTalabisa

well(kund)anditsbelievedithasatunnelthatgoesall thewaytothefort for

thesoleuseofthequeenwhowouldcomeandbatheintheTalab.Thereusedto

be lots of plants near the well. The stone slabs came all the way from

Todaraisingh.Peopleusedtodrinkwaterfromthelakeforthelongesttime.But

withdevelopmentcameapipelinefromBisalpurDamthatpumpswaterintothe

villagethroughtaps.Nowpeoplestoppedusingthewaterfordrinkingandonly

animalsdrinkthewaterwhereaspeopleuseitforwashingclothesandbathing.

Thereareseveralbanks(ghats)

meant for different rituals and

someareexclusivelyfortheuse

of women. However, with the

pipeline and taps some of the

rituals are also affected. If the

pump goes bad they wait for

the government to fix it. The

community does not come

togethertofixit.

Wealsometwithaself-helpgroupofwomenandmenatthevillageoffice.

ThewomenareinvolvedinmakingnutritionfoodthatisgiventoAanganwadis

(A government scheme to provide food to school children) and also do some

sewing.Inourconversationthewomentoldusthatthewaterfromthepipeline

comesonceintwodaysandthereisonetapbetweentwentyfamilies.Thistapis

in theopen spacebetweenhouses(Standpost supply).Womenhave to lineup

here to fill thewater.This isanydaybetter thanhaving tocarrywater froma

wellfarawayfromthehouse.Theywouldlikehavingthewaterforlongerperiod

in thedayorgetting the taps inside theirhomes.Theydidnot thinkanyother

waywas feasible forgettingdrinkingwater, thoughtheypreferdrinkingwater

fromawell.Thelakeisonlygoodforwashingclothes.Womenarebusyall the

Image:washingclothesatthetalab

19

time. Theyhave to teach their children aswell becausenowall children go to

school and need help with their homework. They have no time to meet their

friendsexceptwhentheycomeforwork.Theydidnothaveanystoriestoshare

becausetheoldfolksarenotstayingwiththem.Onlytheolderladiessangafew

songs,whichKanchantookdown.Iwasnotabletofollowthewords.

Nextwevisited theschoolwherewespoke to the teachersandchildrenabout

the project. Anurupa will

conduct a workshop with

students in this school. The

school rooms did not have

much furniture except for the

senior classes. The children

werehavingtheirmiddaymeal

when we visited. Two ladies

were making chappatis on a

wood fire. They make almost

200chappatis/rotiseveryday.

Image:ourgroupspeakingatthelocalschoolinPachewar

20

6.DAY3:11THOFJANUARY2018–BHANDAREJSITEVISITOnthefinalday,asmallgroupofustravelledabout70milesfromJaipurtothe

village of Bhandarej (DausaDistrict) to see a stepwell build in the 1700s. The

structurehas150steps leadingdownintothewelland issaidtohaveasecret

tunnelleadingintoanearbypalace.1Aswithmostofthestepwellsinthearea,the

structure is no longer in use. However, it is now a protected monument.

Accordingtotheinformationboardatthesite,theBawariwasbuiltin1732A.D.

usingstonefromlocalquarriesinthestyleofRajput-Mugalfortheuseofpublic

water.There is a greatdeal of ornamentation, carved friezes and roomsonall

foursidesforofferingprayersandchangingclothes.

1http://www.indiatourism4u.in/tourism/859/Rajastan/Bhandarej-/

Images:BigBawari-Bhandarej

21

7.FORWARDPLANNINGFollowing the seminar presentations and site visits, two key projects were

developed.These reflect theproject team’soverall desire to engagedirectly in

thelivesofpeopleinRajasthanlivingunderconditionsofwaterscarcitythrough

thearts.

7.1Jal:TellingitTogether(NinaSabnani)

The project involves painting a narrative on water structures for rainwater

harvestingwithacommunityinRajasthan.CollaboratingwithRajasthaniartists

andmembersoflocalcommunitywewillpaintawallandacanvasthatcouldbe

exhibited in a traveling show in India andUK.During thiswork,wewill paint

storiesthatemergefromourconversationswithalocalcommunityintheregion

ofShekhawati.Theroyal

patrons or the elite

usually commissioned the

paintedwallmuralsinthe

Shekhawati region that

depicted their lifestyle

andstatus.Paintingawall

that depicts a common

person’s life will also be

welcomed by the

community. In some of

thevillagesthecommunityhas

adopted rainwater-harvesting structures and are known to notwaste a single

dropof rainwater.Sharing thesestories in the formofapaintednarrativewill

createawarenessinotherregions.

WealongwithDrRathoreandKalyanJoshi,anartistfromBhilwara(anational

awardwinnerofthePhadtradition)willvisitShekhawatiinthemonthofMarch

2018, to identify the community and location that will be the canvas for

everyone to share their successes and aspirations that concern water. The

objectiveofthisvisitwouldbetoputthelogistics inplacethatwill includethe

Image:NinaSabnani(IndustrialDesignCentre,IITBombay)willleadtheartsactivitiesin

Shekhavati

22

choiceofthenarrative,dateanddurationofthepaintingsessionandidentifying

a place to stay as well as identifying a few members of the community with

whomwewillpaintboththewallaswellasthecanvas(6ftby10ft).

It is envisaged that the paintingwill commence in themonths ofMay or June

2018andmaytakeuptotendaystocomplete.

7.2 The Pop-up Water Museum

(AnurupaRoy)

Our plan is towork on an art project for

schoolchildrenwheretheyreflectontheir

relationship with water, including the

relationship of their community and it's

water bodies, songs and folk lore about

water,theirsocialpracticesaroundwater,

idioms, metaphors, phrases using water,

songsofwater,waterasrain,asfloods,as

scarcity. The project will start with a

researchinvolvingthegatheringofstories

andideasfromtheircommunity,thenthey

will work with puppets to create visual

narrativesthatrepresentthesenarratives.

Thewholeprojectwillendina largepopup

museumofwatersetupbythechildrenintheschoolfortheentirecommunity,

parents,teachers,andneighbourhood.

Image:AnurupaRoy(Puppetdesigneranddirector)willleadtheartsactivitiesinPachewar

23

8.OVERALLSCHEDULEJanuary2018:–Workshop1,JaipurMarch 2018: Workshop 2 and site visits to Govindpura (Shekhawti region) –Rathore / Sabnani (purpose of these visits is to scope the “Jal: Telling itTogether”projectledbySabnani)May – June 2018: “Jal: Telling it Together” project work. Painting andengagementactivitiesinShekhawati.DrBusertovisitduringthesedates(tobeconfirmed).

July–August2018:“Pop-upWaterMuseum”projectwork.September2018–onwards:PossibleexhibitionatJaipurCityMuseumOctober / November 2018: mini-conference (Bristol)and workshop. Thepurpose of this workshop is to further collaborations and share / displayrepresentationsofRajasthan’swaterinfrastructure.WeexpecttohaveRathore,SabnaniandRoyinBristolfortheevent.AppendixPowerpoint slides fromsymposiumareavailableon theprojectdropbox. Foraccess to the slides please get in touch with Michael Buser atMichael.Buser@uwe.ac.uk