ARCHITECTURE & LIFE PATTERN

OF TRADITIONAL AREAS IN A CITY

FOR
CONSERVATIONAL EVALUATION :
A CASE STUDY OF PUNE

Thesis submitted for the Degree of

VTDYAVAC HASPATT (Ph. D. )
IN
INTERDISCIPLINARY
ARCHITECTURE & SOCIAL SCIENCES

By
PROF. ANURAG I{ASHYAP
B.Arch., A.I.I.A., M.E. (Town Planning), A.I.T.P.

Under the Guidance of

Emeritus Prof. Gopal K. Kanhere
. \A A.I.C.T.E.
/€:-
Ir\,/ '
2- /)
March 2oo7
'-f^K
o^q mtLa) , 11 *.--'fu-'
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PROF. GOPAL K. KANHERE
B.Arch., G.D. Arch., A.R.I.B.A. (L,on),
M.S. in Arch. & Planning (USA), F.I.I.A.,
. F.I.T.P.
Professor Emeritus
A.I.C.T.E.

March 19, 2OO7

CERTIFICATE

Certified that the work incorporated in the thesis

Architecture & Life Pattern of Traditional Areas in a City for
Conservational Evaluation : A Case Study of Pune" submitted
by Prof. Anurag Kashyap was carried out by the candidate
under my supervision. Such material as has been obtained
from other sources has been duly acknowledged in the thesis.

Prof. Gopal K. Kanhere

RESEAIICH GUIDE

(2)
 DECLARATION

I, Prof. Anurag Kashyap declare on oath that the reference

and literature that has been quoted in my thesis entitled are
from original sources and are acknowledged at the appropriate
place in my research project.
Further I declare that I have not used this information for
any purpose other than my research.

Place:Pune &
Date: March 19.2OO7 Anurag Kashyap
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I wish to express my gratitude to those who generously

helped me to complete my thesis successfully. I am indeed
thankful to Dr A.P. Kulkarni, chairman, Local Managing
committee and Mr Ravindra Deshpande, secretary, of the
Maharshi Karve stree shikshan sanstha, pune, for their support
and permission to undertake this project. The most important
acknowledgement goes on the academic front, where
-
My Guide, Emeritus Prof. Gopal Kanhere of the AIt India
council of rechnical Education (A.I.C.T.E.) who provided. me the
guidance throughout this work.
The staff members of Dr Bhanuben Nanavati college of
Architecture for women, particularly Ms sangeeta Dhote, Mr
Kiran Nichale, Mr umesh chavan and Mr Amol Hinge for their
help in various activities connected with this Project.
My friend, Mr Vijay Padhye, who meticulously carried. out
the typing and editing work of this thesis and helped me
throughout.
I thank God for health and his protection throughout this
work. Praise be to His name and may this knowledge be used to
His Glory. "Om Namo Bhagawate Vasudevaya".

Anurag Kashyap
 CONTENTS

Certificate
Acknowledgement
Contents

Chapter Title Page

E INTRODUCTION 16-21
Reasons for Selection 16
Past Works 19
Urgency 20
Scope and Limitations 2'1,

F)
I METHODOLOGY 22-32

BADHAI ALI 33-49

. Introduction
. History & Morphology 35
. Work Activity Area & Trade 37
r Typical Establishment & Household 38
. Existing Land Use 39
. Amenities in the Ar.ea 40
. Utilities & Services 4l
. Traffrc & Transportation 42
. Aesthetic Survey 44
. Building Typology 4E
. Social & Economic Survey 45
. Information through Interviews ... 47
r Income & Expenditure 48
. Findings & Conclusions 48
Chapter Title Pase
ffi BARDAN ALI
. Introduction
50-61
b0
. History & Morphology 51
. Work Activity Area & Trade 53
. Typical Establishment & Household 54
. Existing Land Use 54
. Amenities in the Area 55
. Utilities & Services 56
. Traffic & Transportation Study 56
. Aesthetic Survey 57
. Building Typology 58
. Socio-Economic Survey 59
. Information through Interviews ... 60
r Income & Expenditure 61
. Findings & Conclusions 61

BOHRI ALI 62-76

. Introduction 62
' History & Morphology of 63
r Activity Area of Hardware Trading 64
. Typical Establishment & Household 66
. Existing Land Use 66
. Amenities in the Area 67
. Utilities & Services 68
. Traffic & Transportation Survey ... 68
. Aesthetic Survey 70
. Building Typology 7I
. Social & Economic Survey 72
' Information through Interviews ... 74
r Income & Expenditure 75
. Findings & Conclusions 75

C
o
n
e
Chapter Title Page
&D LONAR ALI 77-88
. Introduction 77
. History & Morphology 78
. Work Activity of Lime Trading 79
. Typical Establishment & Household 80
. Existing Land Use 81
. Amenities in the Area 81
. Utilities & Services 82
. Traffic & Transportation Study 82
r Aesthetic Survey 83
. Building Typology 84
. Social & Economic Survey 85
. Information through Interviews ... 87
r fncome & Expenditure 88
. Findings & Conclusions 88

PAGADBAND ALI 89-102

. Introduction 89
. History & Morpholory of Study Area 90
. Work/Activity Area of pagactj Making 93
. Typical Establishment & Household 93
' Existing Land Use Survey 94
. Amenities in the Area 95
. Utility & Services ... 95
. Traffic & Transportation Survey ... 96
r Aesthetic Survey 97
. Building Typology 98
. Social & Economic Survey 99
. Information through Interviews ... 100
r Income & Expenditure 101
. Findings & Conclusions 101
Chapter Title Page
m STATIONERY ALI
. Introduction
103-117
103
. History & Morphology 105
. Localities having Traditional
Concentration of Stationerv Ali 106
. Work/Activity Area LO7

' Typical Establishment & 109

. Land Use Survey 109
. Amenities in the Area 110
. Utilities & Services 111
. Elements of City Image t12
. Building Typology 113
. Information through Interview rt4
r Income & Expenditure 115
. Findings & Conclusions 116

TAMBAT ALI 118-137

. Introduction 118
. History & Morphology 119
. Mythological & Literary Background t20
. Localities having Traditional
Concentration of Tambats t22
. Works/Activity.r\rea L22
. Building Typology 125
. Land IJse Survey 126
. Amenities in the Area r27
. Utilities & Services r28
. Traffic Survey L29
. Aesthetic Survey 130
. Elements of Cit5' Image 130
. Building Typology 131
. Social & Economic Survey 133
. Information through Interviews ... L34
. Income & Expenditure 135
. Findings & Conclusion 136
Chapter Title Page

TAMBAKHU ALI 138-153

mil
. Introduction 138
. History & Morphology 140
. Historical Buildings & Monuments t4r
. Work Activity & Area of Trade I4T
' Typical Establishment & Household t42
. Existing Land Use r43
. Amenities in the Area t44
. Utility & Services ... 145
. Traffic & Transportation t46
. Aesthetic Survey t47
' Building Typology L49
. Social & Economic Survey 150
. Information through Interviews ... 151

' Income & Expenditure r52

. Findings & Conclusions t52

N FINDINGS, CONCLUSION &

RECOMMENDATIONS 154-178

REFERENCES & BIBLIOGRAPHY L79-t82

LISTS OF PLANS
Chapter 3(a) Badhai Ali
1. Physical Setting
2. Morphology
3. Existing Land Use
4. Utility Services - 1
5. Utility Services - 2
6. Traffic and Transportation
7. Building Age & Condition
8. View Points of Photographs
9. Typical Building
Chapter 3(b) Bardan Ali
1. Morphology
2. Existing Land flse
3. Utility Services - I
4. Utility Services - 2
5. Traffic and Transportation
6. Aesthetic Survey
7. Building Age & Condition
8. View Points of I'}hotographs
9. Typical House Plan

Chapter 4(a) Bohri Ali

1. Physical Setting
2. Morphology
3. Existing Land Use
4. Utility Services
5. Traffic & Transportation
6. Aesthetic Survey
7. Building Age & Condition
8. View Points of Photographs
9. Typical Building

Chapter 4(b) Lonar Ali

1. Morphology
2. Existing Land Use
3. Utility Services - 1
4. Utility Services - 2
5. Traffic and Transportation
6. Aesthetic Survey
7. Building Age & Condition
8. View Points of Photographs
9. Typical House Plan
Chapter 5(a) Paeadband Ali
1. Physical Setting
2. Morphology
3. Existing Land llse
4. Utility Services
5. Traffic and Transportation
6. Aesthetic Survey
7. Building Age & Condition
8. View Points of I'}hotographs

Chapter 5(b) Stationery Ali

1. Physical Settinpg
2. Existing Land Use
3. Utitity Services - 1
4. Utility Services - 2
5. Traffic and Transportation
6. Aesthetic Survey
7. Building Age & Condition
8. Typical Building Elevation

Chapter 6(.a) Tambat Ali

1. Physical Setting
2. Morphology
3. Existing Land tlse
4. Utility Services
5. Traffic & Transportation
6. Aesthetic Survey
7. View Points of Photographs
8. Typical Building Elevation
Chapter 6(b) Tambakhu Ali
1. Physical Setting
2. Morphology
3. Existing Land IJse
4. Utility Services - 1
5. Utility Services - 2
6. Traffic & Transportation
7. Aesthetic Survey
8. Building Age & Condition
9. View Points of Photographs
l0.Typical Building
LIST OF PHOTOGRAPHS
Chapter 3(a) Badhai Ali
V-l View of 'Ramabai Mansion', a fairly well preserved
building showing original architectural character
V-2 A panoramic View of Badhai Ali in peak hours
V-3 A typical old building in Badhai AIi showing influence
of English architecture
V-4 A typical Badhai Shop on the Road
V-5 A view of Gardi Wada - one of the historical buildings
in Badhai AIi
V-6 View of the Water Tank in Durjan Singh's Paga
ChaBter 3(b) Bardan Ali
V-1 A view of a typical Bardan Shop
V-2 A view of buildings of different ages
V-3 View of Shri Krishna Temple to be conserved
V-4 View of Hamal Talim to be conserved
Chapter 4(a) Bohri Ali
B-1 Typical old architectural character of old building
B-2 Jama Mosque - a major landmark and worship place
of the Bohra Community
B-3 Laxmi Market - a wholesale market of toys, ready-made
garments and stationery
B-4 Bhagwan Adinath Chowk - Major traffic congestion due to
Two-way traffic
B-5 Saify Street - Perpendicular Parking of two wheelers
causes congestion
8-6 Old architecture style of building
B-7 Bohri Jamatkhana : Major Landmark, meeting place of the
Bohra Community, newly constructed commercial building
completely covers the main building
Chapter 4(b) Lonar Ali
V-l View of a typical Lonari House
V-2 View of Lonar Ali - As seen from Station Road
V-3 Internal view of the Lonar AIi
V-4 View of the Lonari Panchayat HalI
Chapter 5(a) Pagadband Ali
P-1 Vitthal Mandir Path - One way traffic only running from
Budhwar Chowk to Moti Chowk
P-2 The Road perpendicular to Vitthal Mandir Path meets at
Kenjale Chowk at Laxmi Road - No Parking Area
P-3 Pasodya Vithoba Mandir - Major Landmark, existing from
the Maratha period
P-4 Typical Building Fagade mixed land use Ground Floor
commercial and upper floor for residential
Chapter 5(b) Stationery Ali
V-l Stationery Ali in Peak Hours
V-2 Tambdi Jogeshwari Temple in the Stationery Ali
V-3 Very few buildings in the Stationery AIi are old type
V-4 Pedestrian way is occupied mainly by hawkers
Chapter 6(a) Tambat Ali
V-l Activity Area in the Tambat Ali
V-2 Houses are residential-cum-workshop
V-3 Tambat AIi in Kasba Peth : The oldest part of Pune
V-4 The Twashta Kasar Sanstha's Library Building.
Chapter 6(b) Tambakhu Ali
V-1 View of a typical building in Tambakhu AIi
V-2 View of a building showing different elevation features in
Tambakhu Ali
V-3 Elevation of a building in Tambakhu AIi showing Persian
influence in architectural features
V-4 A panoramic view of Tambakhu Ali in peak hours
ARCHITECTURE & LIFE PATTERN
OF TRADITIONAL AREAS IN A CITY
FOR
C ONSERVATIONAL EVALUATION

A CASE STUDY OF PUNE

 CHAPTER 1

Introduction
Architecture is considered as the mother of arts and it has
shaped the appearances of the cities and towns aII over the
world. It is particularly noticeable in cities that developed in the
18th and 19th centuries all over India. we find a fusion of
architecture, urban planning, operation of socio-economic forces
that resulted in a dynamic and vibrant urban structure. To
study any one particular aspect of the architecture or all the
allied disciplines of urban planning and urban forms,
transportation, socio-economic structure, and development of
trade and commerce, wiII not, be possible unless it is done by
evaluating and recording atl the allied disciplines and the
changes that took place over a period of time.

In this study an endeavour has been made to record one of

the important vanishing architectural and socio-economic
phenomena that is observed in all these ancient cities like pune.
We have studied the'alis' that are the earliest professional zones
ascribed to specific trade like tambat, badhai, bohri, etc. In
doing this we wiII be recording a very important architectural
and urban morphological phenomenon, which, in some cases like
the Pagadband Ali, has totally vanished.

Reasons for Selection

city of Pune is significant because here

The selection of the
was the virtual capital of India for a few decades d.uring the
Peshwa Rule, though the officizrl capital of Marathos was Satara.
The real power rested with the peshwas and in pune.
Consequently, Pune developed very rapidly and became a model
for development of the 18th and 19th century capitals of the
Maratha sardars. We find remarkable similarity between Pune
and Indore. Vadodara and Gwalior in the distribution of the
social groups and trades around the central core.

In case of Pune, it was around the Kasba Peth which was

the original centre of Pune during the Mogul time, that the
supporting trades got located. Thus we find Tambat AIi or the
Kumbhar Vesh quite close bv.

The other reason for selection of Pune was the rapidly

vanishing architectural and socio-economic structure that
supported these olis. If not recorded there would be no material
Ieft for any research about a very interesting architectural and
urban planning phenomenon.

The town planning and architectural courses that run in

Pune have provided some basis for collection of some random
data connected with the Ali. However, no concerted effort has
been done to analyse and provide a comprehensive picture of all
the angles of this phenomenon.

Pune, the city described as the cultural capital of

Maharashtra has a distinct social pattern of alis unlike the
neighbourhood pattern that was recommended by Sir Ebenezer
Howard for his garden city. During the Peshwa period the rulers
invited people from various areas who had specialized skills to
come and settle in Pune. As a result of this many professionals
who were not Maharashtrian came and settled in the city. alis
formed the places where these groups stayed together and
carried out their trade and commerce. Socially, economically and
culturally, they were micro units that over a period of time got
merged with the whole city's development'

Ali is a street or group of streets inhibited by people of one

community pursuing one trad"e. They have been named on the
basis of the trade that they carried out, Iike Tambat AIi, Burud
AIi, Stationery AIi, etc.

These craftsmen lived in relatively dark, shady, congested

areas. However, as the trade prospered they constructed better
houses and. the olis became identifiable. socially, the 'bara
baluted.ar'system existed, tambats, being one of the bara balute
along with kasar, jingar, otaris, etc. The very early procedure
was to provide the raw material to the kasar or the craftsman
and ask him to prepare the object that you wanted. The person
would take the object thus produced and pay in cash or kind,
usually a bagful of rice or some other grain.

As the trade expanded and more families migrated,

surrounding areas were occupied and vertical expansion took
place. Social and community related structures like marriage
halls, temples, dedicated to deities that were important to the
communities came up around these houses. This is the way the
olls have evolved over a number of years.

The construction material used by the people was mostly

timber. brick, lime mortar and stonework for the foundation.
The 1961 flood destroyed some of the structures and a new
building material in form of R.C.C. was introduced. Similarly
the building bye-Iaws, widening of the roads, open space
reservations and other kind of changes have been changing the
structure of the ali. For some of the professions Pune was the
important centre. During the 19th century there were almost
2000 people working in brass and copper trade. They lived in
Kasba, Shukrawar, Vetal, Budhwar, Ghorpade and Rasta Peth.
They included. a large number of tambats, jingars, otaris and
kasars.

Past Works

one of the best records and information was done by the

British after they took over the reigns of Pune in 1820 from the
Peshwas. This has been recorded in the gazettes of Pune, the
earliest being referred. to as the Gazetteer of the Bombay
Presidency (published in 1885).

Here we had complete comprehensive record of the

^
history, social structure, trade practices, costs and the amount of
money that was charged for the product, etc. The number of
people who were engaged in the trade was also recorded by them.
This data and all the other information from the gazette provides
the very early picture. However, they do not have the
architectural, urban planning, aesthetics, transportation and
many other physical aspects of these areas. If the British had, in
it would have been the most
fact, recorded the physical evidence
comprehensive document important for any research scholar.
My work is specially aimed at recording the architectural and aII
the physical aspects of these select olis.

Articles have been written, some limited studies have been

made and urgency has been expressed in the past about the
problems faced by these olis. As professional areas they have a
unique character. Article on Tambat AIi refers to some of these
aspects. However, covering so many alis and also trying to
provide suitable guidelines and rules and regulations for their
conservation has never been attempted.

It wiu be our endeavour to provide the procedures for

record.ing protected structures identifying architectural
conservation areas. The process of d,eclaration of such areas,
suggestions regarding development control, have been made
along with suggestions for conservation procedures for heritage
structures. For arriving at the above it was necessary for
someone to undertake a comprehensive study of a good number
of alis, if not all of them in a comprehensive fashion.

Urgency

The urgency to record was evident when more than three

fourth of the citizens of Pune were even unable to indicate the
existence of. alis like the Pagadband Ali. These and many of the
alis are on the verge of total change as a result of the tremendous
socio economic and physical changes that are taking place in the
exploding metropolis of Pune. If this study is not done in a

comprehensive fashion today, then there will be no record or

document which research scholars, architects, sociologists and
economists can refer to get authentic idea of these urban
phenomena that is ali. Today Pune is even changing from the
20th century image of a 'pensioners' paradise' and an 'educational
city'. It is now emerging as the IT capital of Maharashtra along
with numerous universities and educational institutions and
Iarge industrial establishments like Bajaj Auto and Tata Motors.
The social structure is also changing very rapidly. It is turning
into a cosmopolitan metropolis from a purely Maharashtrian
cultural capital. Consequently, there have been tremendous
architectural urban planning and other changes. This has made
it imperative that this old 18th century phenomena of alis be

recorded very urgently.

Scope and Limitations

There are many alis in the city of Pune. Considering our

objective of finding some suitable way of protecting this
architectural heritage and providing some guidelines for
planning authorities in order to maintain these urban heritage
zones, it was adequate to study about seven or eight of them. It
would have been repetitive and too exhaustive to cover all the
alis and peths that form part of old city of Pune.

with any specific bias but

These alis have not been selected
are purely representative as can be noted from the trades
covered and the geographic distribution all over the city.

To arrive at some administrative guidelines it was

necessary to record all the 13 or 14 parameters that have been
studied for all these olis. These parameters and how they are
studied has been suitably recorded in the Chapter'Methodology'.

To explain the descriptive coverage of the ali it was

necessary to have a proper study of the architectural and
physical settings aspects of these olis. That has been done under
about eight headings that have also been explained in the next
chapter. It is not our intention to cover all the socio economic
and physical problems associated with the ali including the
problem of change of profession, migration, constructional
changes, impact of transportation and impact of change of style
and social habits like the disuse of tobacco and tobacco related
products by many of the citizens.
 CHAPTER 2

METHODOLOGY
Preamble

As the City of Pune is rapidly urbanizing and as the old

city structure and social fabric is changing it has become
necessary to record the existing or earlier picture for any further
evaluation, reconstruction, conservation or similar other
purposes. The methodology evolved here aims at recording the
data about the alis in a comprehensive way.

As the trade practices are undergoing rapid changes

recording these changes and their impact on the socio economic
and urban architectural picture becomes most relevant. If not
recorded, it will result in total loss of an important phase in the
growth of a metropolis from a medium sized culturally important
medieval town.

Introduction
It is necessary to explain in detail the procedures adopted
for studying the various alis that were selected for the study
purposes. We have tried to cover totally eight alis that are
distributed over Pune City. There has been no specific order or
preference shown while selecting these olis. The only important
consideration has been the availability of the data, convenience
of data collection and ease of acquiring various data of plans and
other information concerning those olis. This has been explained
because there are many other
alis that have not been covered for
reasons of the volume of work and to some extent repetitive
nature of the findings and conclusion. This repetitive nature was
noted in the initial studies that were carried out while
developing the methodology and scope of this work. The various
data collected has been under 14 heads as described below and
illustrations and drawings covering generally nine heads that
are also listed hereinafter.

Heads for the Write-up

. Introduction
. History & Morphology
. Work Activity & Trade
. Typical Establishment & Household
. Existing Land Use
. Amenities in the Area
. Utility & Services
. Traffic & Transportation
. Aesthetic Survey
. Building Typology
r Social & Economic Survey
. Information Through Interview
. Income & Expenditure
. Findings & Conclusions
Heads for fllustrations

Physical Setting
Morphology
Existing Land Use
Utility Services
Traffic & Transportation
'S.r"rr"y
Aesthetic
 I Building Age & Condition
' Typical Elevation & Details
. Photographs.
As the heads for the write-up and for the illustrations will
ind.icate that we have tried to be as comprehensive and relevant
to the objective of our study. It was possible to cover other kind
of additional data but that was not pertinent to our study.

Explanation will be given for each of the write-up and

illustration heads in the subsequent part of this Chapter.

Introduction
Introduction will cover the kind of activity, surrounding
location and the gradual changes and evolution of the profession.
It will also cover any relationship that may exist between one Ali
and the other. Introduction plays the role of acquainting the
reader about the role of the AIi in the broad framework of the
city.

Historv & Morphology

History and morphology indicates clearly when a
particular AIi was established in the city. It also covers the
persons responsible for establishing it. For example, Tambakhu
AIi was established in the Peshwa regime in the year 1725. The
history part records the earlier trade practices and production.
For example, tobacco was used during the Peshwa time for fiIling
the chillim or huhkahs. It wiII also record how the
transformation has taken place like the snuff making in the
Tambakhu Ali. Where possible we have recorded the number of
people employed in the earlier time and indicated the sources of
raw materials as in the case of Tambakhu Ali raw tobacco was
brought from Nipani and Belgaum.

If there are any historical buildings and monuments, those

are recorded under this head.

Work Activity & Trade

This covers how the various processes connected with the

trade were carried out in the earlier time and the kind of
involvement of certain communities. The process and the tools, if
needed, are covered in this part. For example, the process of
preparing snuff which includes burning and grinding of tobacco
and treating the powder for various perfumes and other special
materials is noted along with the role of the Maratha community
which was involved in this trade from the earliest time. The
change in the community's role like from the Marathas to
Gujaratis in Tambakhu AIi is also recorded.

Tynical Establishment & Household

Here the description is given of typical buildings,

construction materials, elevational aspects, rear part of the
buildings and its usage, etc. Various architectural influences
which are noticeable in the style of the building are recorded. If
any special requirements exist in the building for manufacturing
processes, etc. those are also identified. It was common for most
of the traders to conduct the professional activity on the ground
floor and to have the residences on the upper floor. Such
observations have been noted.
Existins Land Use
Here the land use for the area which is generally identified
as the area of the AIi has been recorded. In doing this there have
been limitations because Ali is a notional area which is in the
mind of the mental image of the city for the citizens. unlike
municipal wards there are no clear cut boundaries which are
marked on any map or documents. In spite of these limitations
we have attempted to identifr the area and indicate the break'up
and the percentage of the residential, commercial, residential-
cum-commercial, open spaces, public and the road area.

Amenities in the Area

These wiII cover schools, public meeting places, police

stations, post offices, theatres, temples, telephone booths, banks,
public conveniences, etc. In this part the descriptions, the
Iocations and the surroundings are described to further clarifr
the amenities.

Utility & Services

This will cover drainage lines, water supply lines,
electricity supply lines and sub-stations, storm water drainage,
etc.

Traffic & Transportation

In recording the traffic and transportation picture of the
Ali effort has been made to clearly indicate the kind of changes
that have taken places for various reasons. These include
changes made as per the development plan or as in the case of
Tambakhu Ali the changes in the width of the road because of
encroachment done by the shopkeepers.
 The adequacy or the inadequacy of various junctions and
chowks is discussed. The kind of traffic including bus routes, etc.
is discussed. Existence of footpaths, condition of the road and
volumetric survey where possible, has been recorded. These
cover vehicles such as two-wheelers, bicycles, jeeps, cars,
rickshaws, handcarts, buses, trucks, etc.

Aesthetic Survey

There are various aesthetic survey techniques available for

conducting aesthetic survey in urban areas. Of these the Kevin
Lynch Technique which is most suitable for recording and a
comparison has been used for carrying out the aesthetic survey.
The topics covered under this methodology are as follows:

1. Paths

- that deal with the major roads, minor roads, Ianes, pedestrian
pathways, etc. which are used by people and vehicles for
movement in that zone.

2. Nodes

Crossings of the roads, chowks and other similar points or

junctions where the traffic and pedestrians meet are described as
the nodes in this technique.

3. Districts
An area which has uniform visual and functional character
is described as a district or a visual district for aesthetic analysis.
Usually, most of the olis form a district because of architectural
and functional homogeneity.
4. Landmarks

Landmarks constitute the visually and. culturally

significant structures, monuments, etc. which are used as
reference points by the citizens to indicate the locations of their
residences or buildings. Temples, churches, mosques, other
important public buildings, etc. come under this category.

Building Typoloey
This covers the nature of the structure, construction
techniques, the materials used, lighting and ventilation adopted
(like Chowk) etc. in order to properly understand the building
typology which was typical for that trade. For example, the
Bohri Ali residences had big basements where they stored the big
inventories which were not possible to be displayed or kept in the
ground floor shops. In the renovation of some of the old Bohri Ali
area structures old cannon balls were found in large quantities.
These were meant to be supplied for the Peshwa army. Where
possible, the age and the conditions of buildings are also covered
along with special features like balconies, internal staircases,
ventilation shafts, jalis, etc.

Social & Economic Survey

It is necessary to record the socio economic history and

evolution of these alis to the extent it is possible under the
present circumstances. Some of the activities or trades like the
Pagadband Ali have totally disappeared from their original
locations. Even such cases effort has been made to collect from
old residents and old professionals to reconstruct a correct
picture. The usual changes in the trade or profession which
occur because of the demand and supply as well as the change in
style, etc. are covered under this heading. Some idea of the
income of a typical worker has been provided based on collected
data.

lnformation through lnterviews

Here, effort has been made to interview both the traders
and the workers. However, it has not always been possible to
cover every type of traders and workers in these professions.
Various problems connected with the location including
congestion, pollution and services like water supply and
drainage, etc. were discussed and responses recorded. The idea
was to give some glimpse of the actual people involved in the
trade.

lncome & Expenditure

This covers the amount of expenditure both for new

infrastructure and for maintenance, etc. which is incurred by the
Iocal authorities. It is not possible because of the notional
boundaries of the alis to have exact financial expenditure under
the various heads. This would have been possible only for a
municipal ward. However, a technique of a ratio proportion has
been applied to arrive at some statistically correct fi.nancial
picture for these olls.

Findings & Conclusions

These cover problems of congestion and pollution, general

living conditions, condition of roads and parking problems.
Provision of traffic signals or otherwise is also discussed. Land
use picture indicating the availability of open spaces etc.,
problem of hoardings and overhead electrical wires, overall
architectural characters and building typology is covered here.

Physical Settine

Physical setting shows on a map of the city the location of

the AIi.

Morphology

Morphology will show in relation to the old core boundary

the locations of earlier and later professional areas associated
with that trade.

Existins Land Use

Here, detailed land use map is given recording the
residential, commercial, residential-cum-commercial, open
spaces, public areas, roads, etc. for the Ali.

Utility & Services

Again, a detailed map is given recording the services like
drainage lines, water lines, etc.

Traffic & Transportation

A detailed map indicating the major roads, parking areas,
etc. is shown.

Aesthetic Survey

The visual observations are recorded on a map indicating

the various aesthetic characteristics which are covered in the
aesthetic survev.
Buildine Age & Condition
This gives the age and condition picture for the area under
survey.

Tvpical Elevation & Details

These are done to record the rapidly vanishing

architectural picture of the earlier buildings. Plans, elevations
and sections and other details where necessary are recorded on
this sheet.

Photographs

Photographs are also t:rken to visually record the visual

characteristics of the area for future reference.

Definitions
Heritage: Because the word "heritage" is associated with
so many things nowadays, and because the concept of "heritage"
is at the core of everything that we do in conservation, here we
offer a simple definition. Heritage is "

whatever you want to preserve for the next generations".

As such, it may cover natural, built, Iiving or intangible aspects
as heritage of the society.

A heritage or historical site embraces not only its

physical structure, but also the human context and local
historical conditions in which it was created, built or inhabited.
The environmental setting is likewise an essential part of the
heritage site.
 Heritage presentation is the carefully planned public
explanation or discussion of a heritage or historical site. Its
communication med.ium can range from a text panel, to live
guides to a complex Virtual Reality application, but it should in
every case provide information about the site that would be
unavailable through visual inspection alone.

Public interpretation is the arrangement of information

about a particular heritage or historical site into a meaningful
sequence or narrative. Public interpretation should strive to
contextualize the significance of the site for the visitor, not
merely present disconnected statistics, dates or technical terms.
 CHAPTER 3

(A) BADHAI ALI

Introduction
Pune "Punya Nagari" as it is rightly called is one of the
most blessed and outstanding city of India. . A copper plate
inscription of 973 A.D. reveals that the name of town was
"Punya-Vishaya" or "Punak-Vishaya" during the regime of
"Rashtrakoots" of Deccan Plateau. The archiological relics prove
that Pune was established as township in the Sth century. In
medieval times there were two principal capitals of India, Delhi
and Pune being headquarters of the Mughals and the Marathas
respectively.

Resuming the political scenario of the 16th century

Shahajiraje Bhosale's contribution to the development of Pune
City was the most remarkable, who gave special attention to
Pune's development by appointing his trusted minister Dadoji
Konddeo as Administrator of Pune region. After 1625 Shahaji
Iived in Pune and encouraged planned inhabitations, like Kasba,
Shaniwar, Somwar and Raviwar Peths, other peths Budhwar
and Shukrawar were added as extensions by the Peshwas during
their period.

AII these peths were divided into smaller areas as per the
trade of the residents, such as Lohar Ali, Bohri AIi, Pangul Ali,
Badhai AIi. etc.

There are many traditional professions that had evolved in

Pune as an important city of the Peshwas. Many professions
were encouraged by the Peshwas or their noblemen to come and
settle in the City of Pune as a community to practise their
profession. One of the professions is that of carpenters or
'badhais' who have settled in Badhai AIi, Iocated in the Raviwar
Peth. This is one of those professions that have maintained
continuity even in a modern scenario. The potters who make the
pots for plants or water containers have an assured existence in
the Kumbhar Ves area in Pune. This is unlike the Pagadband
AIi that has totally disappeared and is replaced by the electrical
shops.

Carpenters as a profession in Pune are one such survival.

Carpenters were needed during the Peshwai Pune for
construction and maintenance of the magnificent wadas and
temples built by the rich and the famous. The typical Maratha
architecture depends a lot on the tiled and wooden roofs, the
carved wooden ceilings and the suru shaped pillars. The
floorings were also supported by wooden members. Badhais and
other experts carved very beautiful wooden ornamentation for
the Maratha wadas and existed in large numbers in the 18th and
19th centuries Pune.

Even today, the common man's needs have sustained the

carpenters. Today's major articles are ladders, small wooden
toys, decorative stands, wooden shelves, etc. They are basically
for the consumption of the lower income groups, because the rich
and the young are today interested in branded furniture from the
departmental stores.

The working of the carpenters is carried out in the front or

the rear of the house and the ware is displayed and sold in the
front or on the roads itself. It is observed that manv of the
younger generation carpenters have now scattered away from the
traditional area. They are also under pressure to shift because of
lack of expansion area. It is also noted that they have not
adopted modern technolory and consequently the products are
not acceptable to the quality conscious younger generation.
There are no unions or organisations to coordinate and protect
this profession. The encroachments on the road and the old style
working conditions along with social pressures have reduced the
scope of these traditional carpenters.

Badhai Ali

Badhai AIi has been in existence as a part of Raviwar Peth,

which was established by Mahajan Vyavahare Joshi in the
regime of Bajirao Peshwa. It is formed along the street dividing
Raviwar Peth, Shukrawar Peth and Budhwar Peth which is now
known as 'Maulana Abdul Kalam Road, in Gaothan area of Pune
city. These carpenters are distinguishable from their name also,
as they have "Badhai' as t;heir surnames, to indicate their
ancestral livelihood.

Badhais came to Pune 200 years ago from Jalna district in

the Nizams State and from Burhanpur, now in Madhya Pradesh.
They belong to "Pardesi" community from North India. There
were about 25 families of Badhais in this AIi, among which only
a few of them are practising this trade in the same area.

History & Morpholosy

During the Peshwa period in 1734 Bajirao Peshwa - I
established Raviwar and Shukrawar peths and "Badhai Ali"
came into existence. During this period the main residents of
this Ali was Gardi communit;y, who served as personal guards
and palace guards for the Peshwas. The other residents were
Badhais.

In 1820 the Britishers defeated Bajirao Pethwa - II and

established a permanent cantonment area for army in the
eastern part of the city. As carpenters were among the main
craffsmen required for the construction work of the cantonment
area, the original Badhai AIi came into existence exclusively for
the Badhai community. Gardi community left the area after the
defeat of the Peshwas, their residences were occupied by the
Badhais.

The shifting fortunes of the Peshwas saw the shift of a

community like Gardis who were no longer needed by the
British. Lacking the employment they moved elsewhere, whereas
the Badhais were needed by the British in large numbers
because the British built a large number of structures in the
Cantonment areas and their construction technique was
dependent on wooden tiled roofs, wooden flooring, and wooden
doors and windows along with wooden furniture. This
encouraged the Badhai community.

Today Badhai AIi comprises of a few carpentry shops as all

the other carpentry shops have been displaced, their number is
so less that the original name "Badhai AIi'' is known to a very
few people. Some part of theAli is now having major cloth shops
owned by Sindhi and Marwadi communities. This part of the AIi
is now a days known as "Kapad Ganj". The reason behind this
partial displacement was the importance of Bohri Ali, i.e. Saifee
Street got as the major trading and market street over the years
after independence. This is an interesting example of urban
morphological changes that have occurred because of the
changing socio economic conditions as well as political factors.
The initial shift was of the Gardi community away from this area
and later on the partial shifting of Badhais and replacement by
Kapad Ganj.

Today "Badhai AIi" is bounded by Laxmi Road on its North

Galib Road on its south, Bohri AIi, i.e. Subhan Shah Road
M:li.:za
on its west and Perdeshi Road on its east. The area starts from
Paithankar Chowk turning at Chimanlal Chowk and culminates
at Bhagwan Adinath Chowk.

Work Activity Area & Trade

The carpenters in Badhai AIi use their shop, i.e. shop front
on the roadside and part of the household area for making
products and selling them to customers.

These carpenters make different articles such as furniture,

ladders, and railings for households and some decorative objects.

The wood used for making these articles is of various types

such as Burma teak, Red teak, Deodar, Plywood, etc. The wood
is bought from the timber market. The hardware required for
the articles is bought from Bohri shops in Bohri AIi. The
common tools used for making these articles are hammers, saws,
vices, chisels, pliers, etc.

Due to Iack of adequate space and modern equipment,

trade area of these people is limited to certain class only i.e.
people of surrounding rural area that come to the city for their
weekly or monthly shopping of household items required for their
agricultural farms.
 Thus by working for about 8 to 10 hours a day these
carpenters earn about Rs. 100 to Rs. 250 as net profit.
Depending upon their monthly income they can be divided in
middle class, poor and very poor class. There is hardly any
family foom this community belonging to the upper class.

Tvnical Establishment & Household

Badhai Ali consists of some old type buildings. These

buildings show influences of both Maratha style s weII as British
style. The fusion of both these styles presents the viewer a
visual treat in Architectural Detailing. The other buildings are
modern with R.C.C. frame structure. Facades of some old
buildings are changed, giving them a contemporary architectural
Iook.

AII buildings in the Badhai Ali are connected to each other

by common walls in between two adjoining structures, thus
opening exists only to front and rear side of structure. Most of
the structures have a central courtyard or series of courts,
depending upon the area of household. These courts act s buffer
between different spaces and serve as ventilation and light
shafts for the central core of these houses.

Most of the buildings in the Badhai AIi are three to four

storied. The front part of ground floor is used for commercial
purpose, whereas the upper part is for residential purposes.

The structural members of the buildings are wooden and

the walls are constructed in bricks. These buildings have
cantilevered. wooden balconies that provide shade to the
verandah in front of the shops.
 The architectural design or development is not unique
because there was no such need for carrying out this profession.

Existing Land Use

Badhai Ah covers an area of about 0.79 HA. Most of the

structures in this area are used for residential and commercial
purpose. On ground floor, front part of every structure facing
road is used as commercial purpose. The rear part of the same
floor is used purely for residential purpose. In some structures
first floor is used for amenities like clinics and beauty parlours.
'There are very few public places like some old shrines and
temples.

As the area comes under Gaothan area, there is hardly any

open space lefb, except few central open to sky courts in
individual households.

Thus over the years ch:rnges in the land use pattern has
taken place as original Badhai Dwellers have been displaced and
their shops have been bought by the wealthy traders.

The analysis of land use is as given below:

Land Use Area in HA % of the Area

Residential 0.254 31.95
Commercial 0.00 0.00
Resi/Commercial 0.31 38.99
Open space 0.093 11.69
Pubic 0.029 3.64
Road 0.109 13.73
Total 0.795 LOO%'
Amenities in the Area

The residents of Badhai AIi are benefited by the following

amenities, some of which are parts of Badhai AIi while others are
situated in its vicinitv.

Schools

There are three schools providing primary and secondary

education in three different mediums.

Jawahar English Medium High School on Northern part

i.e. on Laxmi Road.

Maulana Azad Primary School (P.M.C. School), a school

with Urdu medium.

Agrawal Hindi School near Chimanlal School on the

southern corner of Badhai Ali. This school is a part of "Agrasen
Bhawan". This school is having a capacity of b00 students.

Dispe nsarie s/Hospitals

A health clinic run by Dr sathe is situated on the northern

end of Badhai AIi, i.e. in the Pardesi Square. The clinic is having
a capacity of twelve beds.

Post Offrce

A post office is situated on subhansha Road that serves the

Bohri Ali, the Badhai Ali and the Tambakhu AIi.

Bank

There are two banks in the vicinity.

one is Muslim cooperative Bank on saifee street and the

other is Dena Bank on Subhansha Road.
Market

There are two markets near Badhai ali, one is "Manish

Market" near Chimanlal square and the other is "Laxmi Market"
behind the Tambakhu AIi.

Telephone Booth

There are three telephone booths with I.S.D. and S.T.D.

facilities and local telephone calls. These booths are situated on
Maulana Abdul Kalam Road.

Religious Buildings

There are two Hindu temples: the "Narmadeshwar

Mandir" on Maulana Abdul Kalam Road and the "Someshwara
Mandir" on Someshwar Road.

There is a mosque at the junction of Maulana Abdul Kalam

Road and the Laxmi Road.

Public Toilet

There is a public urinal situated near the Chimanlal Square.

Utility & Services

The following service lines are observed in the Badhai Ali:

Drainage Lines

The drainage lines are laid underground parallel to the

road. They run along the right hand side of the road when the
Iines start from the Bhagwan Adinath Chowk. At the turning
i.e. at Chimanlal Chowk the lines run centrally along Maulana
Abdul Kalam Road. As the road width has changed over the
years, the centre of the road width has shifted. Therefore. the
drainage line has shifted slightly to the right hand side as it
approaches the end, i.e. Pardeshi Chowk.

in the drainage line from

There is no manhole provided
Bhag,wan Adinath Chowk to Chimanlal Chowk. Further, on
Maulana Abdul Kalam Road manholes are provided at frequent
intervals.

Water Supply Lines

Water supply lines are laid underground and along the

road. They run parallel to the sides of the road.

Electric Supply Lines

Electric supply lines for the street lights run underground
and parallel to the road sides.

Electric supply lines running overhead are provided for

buildings. They run very close to the upper floors of the buildings
at some points. Therefore, they may prove dangerous to the
residents staying on the upper floors.

Storm Water Drain

There are inadequate numbers of storm water drain points.

Due to heavy load of storm water unkempt roads they always chock.

Traffic & Transportation

The road width in Badhai Ali changes from 30 feet to 25
feet due to heavy encroachment of the road area by the
shopkeepers. Further the parking provided on both sides
reduces the effective road width to about 10 to 15 feet, which is
highly inadequate for two way traffic playing on it. This leads to
congestion and frequent traffic jams.
 Saifee Street being a relatively major road has heavy traffic
plying on it. This heavy traffic, which includes trucks and buses,
frequently blocks the outgoing traffic from Badhai Ali at Bhagwan
Adinath Chowk which is the main cause for traffi.c jams.

Due to haphazard growth of Badhai ali, there is an acute

angle created at the junction of Chimanlal Chowk. Further, the
two branch roads connecting to Maulana Abdul Kalam Road
have inadequate distance between their junction points. All
these facts make the turning of the vehicles very difficult.

Most of the carpenters in Badhai Ali use the road area in

front of their shops for temporarily keeping the raw material or
for some work activity. This further aggravates the problem of
congestion and traffic jam.

There are no footpaths for the pedestrians. Even though

the traffic load is high, the road surface is satisfactory and it is
made of tar.

Following table shows the analysis of the traffic volume

survey at Chimanlal Chowk.

Description o/o
Sr. Nos./ PCU PCU of
No. hr. Factor Total
PCU
1 Two Wheelers 420 0.5 2IO 29.87
2 Cycles 230 0.5 115 16.36
3 Jeep, Car, 300 1.0 300 42.67
Rickshaw
4 Handcart 10 6.0 60 8.53
5 Bus, Truck 6 3.0 18 2.56
Asthetic Survey

For studying architectural aesthetics in Badhai Ali we

have studied several structures, which are built about 100 years
ago, and are in good condition. Intricate carving, detailing of
doors, windows, railings, balconies play major role in defining
the facades ofthese structures.

The aesthetics survey of Badhai Au is carried out by

"Kevin Lynch technique". The aesthetic elements should be
considered with respect to the following points:

Path

The major path/road of this area is Maulana Abdul Kalam

Road, which itself is Badhai Ali. The minor paths are not
present in this Ali.

Node

The two major nodes in this area are chimanlal chowk

and Bhagwan Adinath chowk. At Bhagwan Adinath chowk,
subhansha Road crosses the Tambakhu Ali Road at Chimanlal
chowk, Maulana Abdul Kalam Road crosses Tambakhu Ali
Road.

District
Ali is formed along 150 mt long part of Maulana
As Badhai
Abdul Kalam Road. It cannot be categorized as individual
district, but it can be easily distinguished from the Badhai shops
in this Ali. Thus Badhai AIi is a small distinguishable part of the
district covering Budhwar and Raviwar peth.
Landmark

There are two major landmarks on both ends of Badhai AIi.

On northern side in Bhagwan Adinath Chowk there is a
magnificent tall wooden bui8lding painted in flesh pink colour.
The building is about 60 years old and is used for residential and
commercial purpose.

On southern side in Pardeshi Chowk there is a Shiva

shrine known as Narmadeshwar Mandir which is about 100
years old.

Buildinq Typology
All buildings in Badhai AIi are connected with adjoining
structures by common walls, thus opening to front and rear side
of structure. Most of them have a central court yards. These
courtyards act as multiple activity space and serve as light and
ventilation shaft for the central core of these buildings.

Most of these buildings are above 60 years and are three to

four storied. Front part of the ground floor is used for
commercial purpose whereas the upper part is for residential
purpose.

The structural members of these buildings are wooden and

the walls are 18" to 24" thick brick walls in lime mortar. These
buildings have cantilevered wooden balconies on front road side.

Social & Economic Survey

Badhai Ali, from the time of its formation, has considered

of carpenters from a variety of castes and religion. People were
attracted towards Badhai AIi due to the employment
opportunities it provided. Therefore it had mixed social
^
character.

Even if we cannot pinpoint a definite way or style of living

for the people in Badhai Ali, there is certainly one thing common
at least in the life style of carpenters, that is, they are all poor,
working hard to make both ends meet.

Today a carpenter having his own shop with two or three

assistants can earn about Rs. 7000/- to 8,000/- per month. This
sum gets divided amongst himself and his subordinates leaving
his own cut of around Rs. 3000/- per month. Carpenters working
on daily wages can earn at the most Rs. 2000/- per month.

Due to their poor economic condition many shop owner

carpenters are selling their shops to wealthy traders and the
traders are exploiting the central location of these shops. There
are very few carpenters left in Badhai Ali. Each of these
carpenters is doing his business in a rented shop. They are
staying somewhere else.

Many people in the area, whose ancestors were carpenters

have changed their profession. They are turning towards safer
jobs like working in an industry or working in an office, etc.

The principal reason behind this is the ban imposed on

wood cutting by the Government. Due to this the wooden
furniture and artifacts have become costly and the consumers are
using less and less wooden furniture. The carpenters' main
earnings are depending on the sale of petty items like ladders,
wooden decorative objects, etc. They are becoming less and less
interested in their profession.
 All these things are slowly changing the character of
Badhai Ali. once a home of carpenters, it is slowly turning into
"Kapad Gunj" - a cloth market. There are chances that in some
years there will not be any carpenters left in Badhai Ali.

This might be a welcoming change as they are realising the

importance of education. They have to be educated to get a good
job. Their living conditions might improve in some years.

There will only be one negative point, that is, their rich
history wiII be lost in time.

Information through Interviews

The following people, staying in Badhai Ali were
interviewed,

1. Mr Chandrakant Motilal Badhai (carpenter in Badhai AIi)

2. Mr Ashok Pimpalgaonkar (resident of Gardiwada)
3. Mr Sanjay Dhawale
4. Mr Sandeep Pardeshi.
The interviews have shown that the people staying in
Badhai Ali are conscious about the history behind their locality.
They also provided information about the historical buildings in
the locality.

But they are unhappy about the state it is progressing to.

The traffic congestion and pollution has made their life
miserable. Even though the water supply is nearly adequate, its
purity is doubtful.

The problems in Badhai Ali have made the people staying

there irritated. The population of the original residents is
decreasing. Their houses are bought by wealthy traders and
given on rent to the poor people. Today, majority of residential
population is from economically weaker section who cannot
afford to pay for less congested and less polluted environment.

Even though the commercial importance of the Ali is

increasing, given a choice the people residing there would be
happy to leave the pace for a better environment.

lncome & Expenditure

Total income of Pune city is Rs. 29,8b8 lac. It consists of

33% income spent on establishment and 670/o (Rs. 20001 lac) on
infrastructural develop ment.

Badhai AIi forms a part of Ward No. LzB. The total

expenditure allotted to each ward is Rs. 161.26 lac. out of this
15% (Rs. 24.19 lac) amount is used for various utility services,
civic amenities, D.P. proposal implementation, maintenance of
road, etc.

Findinss & Conclusions

1. The area is highly congested and polluted.

2. The effective width of the road is very much reduced due to

parking on both sides of the road. Therefore, there are
frequent traffic jams.

3. The area needs good parking facility.

4. No pedestrian walkways are provided in front of the shops.

5. overhead electrical wires are a big nuisance. They create

visual obstructions as well as create possibilities of
accidents.
6. There are no traffic signals provided in the area.

7. the percentage of open spaces is very much less. The rear

portion of the buildings gets light from very narrow ducts
or narrow passages.

8. ventilation to the inner portions of houses is very poor,

because of congestion of buildings.

9. The area provides some very good buildings from

architectural point of the view. But they are in a
dilapidated condition. The area provides an interesting
architectural character.
 CHAPTER 3

(B) BARDAN ALI

Introduction
Many of the alis of pune have a history of social
transformation or changes in the land use taking place because
of social, economic or political considerations. The gard.js of
Badhai Ali left that area after the fall of the peshwa rule because
of the lack of political patronage and employment. The change in
Bardan Ali was because of the shift of some of the land uses
including the main market which necessitated the hamals or the
labourers to shift to a newer area.

The people engaged in the Bardan trad,e effectively

replaced the hamols' residences. In the development plan of
Pune the main grain market and other trades were shifted to
Gultekdi area from this zorte and consequently the hamals
shifted their residences also to newer areas.

one more factor responsible for the urban morphological

changes is the economic factor of land values. The land values in
the core areas all over the city are gradually rising and other
forms of traders are replacing the shifted grain, oil and other
markets in this area. As in the case of items like agricultural
tools, ropes, jailis, screens, pipes, etc. which are purchased by the
visiting agriculturists from the surrounding small towns, the
bardans (gunny bags) are also purchased by the outside
agriculturists for shipping of their products, etc.

It is also observed that traditional trades were carried. out

by specific communities and though a few people from other
communities started doing business the major trade was usually
controlled by that social group. It is observed that even big
traders like the diamond trade in Mumbai is also controlled by
communities like Rajasthanis or Marwaris, etc. This helps in the
organization of trade contacts and solving of any financial
disputes, etc. and hence this system has continued for many
generations. This is also the case with trades in the Badhai Ali
or Bardan AIi.

Bhavani Peth ward was created in L767 A.D. by Nana

Phadanavis in the regime of Madhavrao Peshwa and later on Mr
Deshmukh constructed Bhavani temple in this ward and so it
was named as Bhavani Peth. This ward was founded with
intention to accommodate wholesale traders and their
warehouses.

Bardan Ali is located in Bhavani Peth ward to the north of

Bhavani Peth Road. It is east-west lane joining Mang Chowki
Road, which is situated to west and Dane Ali, which is situated
to the east.

Previously, part of the Bardan AIi from Mang Chowki Road

to Palkhi Vithoba Road was known as Hamal Ali. Later on
Bardan or gunny bag traders purchased road side premises from
Hamals and established Bardan shops, so it is now known as
Bardan AIi. Bardan Ali is spread over an area of about 1.003 Ha.
History & Morpholosy
Most of the people in the trade of gunny bags are Lohana
people.
 They migrated from Kachcha Region of Gujarat about a

hundred years ago.

There are diverse views about the origin of Lohanas. A few

ofthem are:

They are descendants of Lava, son of Lord Rama.

There were two brothers named Lakho and Damo. They

came to Dhangra in Kathiawad region of Gujarat. Lohanas are
descendent of Lakho.

Originally they were Rathod Rajputs. Raja Jaychand of

Kanouj harassed these people so they rebelled against him. They
prayed God Varuna to save them from him. God Varuna created
iron fort for their shelter and they won the war. After 21 days
the fort vanished and from that time they adopted Luhana as
their name instead of Rathod.

As per Sir A.M.T. Jackson, word Luhana formed from word

Lawan (salt) as they were previously trading in salt.

As per Mr Burton, Lohans are resident of Luhanpur in

Multan (Sindh), now in Pakistan.

Though there is a difference of opinion about the origin of

Lohanas, it seems they were original rajputs and rulers. They
came to Gujarat in about fourteenth and fifteenth centuries and
settled there as cultivators and traders. They migrated from
Gujarat during famine. Lohanas have strong community feeling.
They have Panchayat within the community. They settle their
social disputes through it. There are 2 to 12 members in the
Panchayat and there is no presidential post.
 It is significant to note that in many of the traditional
trad.ers in Pune, the Panchayats help in reducing the need for
legal actions. Social problems are solved in this manner.

Work Activity Area of Bardan Tradins

The word bardan means old gunny bags. There are three
types of gunny bags, vrz. kiltan bags, bardan bags and cement
bags. There are about 150 hawkers or casual labourers in the
city. They collect old gunny bags from merchants, mills,
factories, etc. The price at which the bags are purchased is
settled at the time of transaction and purchase is made entirely
by paying immediate cash. New bags are imported from Kolkata
in West Bengal.

The old bags are properly cleaned, repaired and stored. As

there is no sufficient place for cleaning and repairing of bags,
activity. OnIy very
each shopkeeper uses front road side for this
few dealers have their own godown but they are located in
outskirt of city, mostly in Kondhwa.

The market for old gunny bags both local and outside of the
city. About of goods are sold in neighbouring district of
6o0/o

Satara and Ahmednagar. Most of the consumer outside the

district are cultivators. They bags are transported outside the
city by means of truck. The dealing is in cash. Internal
transportation is by bullock-carts, handcarts, tempo-rickshaws,
etc. Most of the local consumers are dealers in gur or grain.

The market for new gunny bags and kiltan are local
industries. Industries utilize about 7O% of sale of new bags for
packing.
 Each dealer requires about 4 to 5 labourers for cleaning,
stitching, repairing, sorting and cutting of bags. There is a

Iabour union that fixes wages of labourers.

The trade is more before Diwali and in summer season.

This is due to fact that major consumers of bardan are

cultivators and hence more business in harvesting period.

Tvpical Establishment & Household

As most of the portion of Bardan AIi was Hamal Ali

previously and was occupied by Hamal labourers so most of the
structures in this lane are Kachha, semi pucca structures built
with wooden frames, bricks, mud walls, G.I. sheet roofing, and
very few are two storied. However, some old buildings are
replaced by R.C.C. structures four storeys high. Most of the old
buildings do not have plinth. There is no architectural
decoration on front fagade.

Front of ground floor structure is used for commercial and

rest of the structure and upper: floor are used for residence.

Existins Land Use

The extent of influence of Bardan Ali is found to be 1.003
Ha. Road fronting part of ground floor is in use of commercial
activities such as Bardan shops, grocery shops, oil merchants,
rope merchants and the rest of the structure is used for
residential use. The shops include wholesale as well as retail
shops.

Rapid changes in land use are taking place. Previously

there were negligible commercial activities on this lane. After
shifting of main Market Yard to Gultekdi area, most of the
Hamals have sold their houses on higher prices and have taken
shelter in slum areas.

The approximate land use analysis is as below:

Sr.No. Land Use Area o/o of Total Area

1. Commercial 0.245 24.5

2. Residential 0.452 45.2

3. Public/semi-public 0.124 I2.4

4. Transportation 0.182 1,8.2

TotaI 1.003 100.00

It will be seen that the area is deficient in open spaces and

amenities.

Amenities in the Area

It is seen from the analysis of existing land use that this

area lacks in amenities such as Primary School, Hospital, etc.

However the following Primary School are in near vicinity

of the lane.

1. Muncipal Primary School at Burud Bridge.

2. Shantabai Ladkat Primary School.
3. Primary School near Kamgar Maidan.
These primary schools can meet requirement of area in
future too.

There are hospitals such as Kotnis Hospital, Tilak Ayurved

Hospital, Municipal Hospital near this area.
 Post Office is located on Laxmi Road to the North of this
area.

Banking facilities are available in Bhavani Peth area i.e.

on Bhavani Peth Road, Dane AIi.

Utilities & Services

During the survey it was found that 2Ocm.dia and 15cm.

dia municipal waterlines passes through the road. Water supply
is regular and suffrcient.

There is also 1.5m wide sewer line laid underground which

collects the sewerage and runs from Mang Chowki road to Dane
Ali i.e. from west to east, that has an additional 1.2m sewer line
strengthening it. Storm water drains are provided at a longer
distance and they are not maintained and cleaned regularly
which causes flooding of road occasionally.

Traffic & Transportation Study

As per analysis of existing land use about 18.20% area is
covered by road. The existing road width of the lane varies from
6 meter to 12 meter. The road surface is quite satisfactory.

Due to increasing commercial activities on this road, there

is increase in traffic. Autorickshaws, cars, jeeps and trucks
account for major part of the traffic. Generally traffic is smooth.
However at peak hours there is traffic congestion and this is
added by perpendicular parking, Ioading unloading operation,
bottlenecks in road, maneuvering of heavy vehicles for turning, etc.
 The analysis of traffic volume survey of Bardan AIi is as

given below.

Sr.No. Description No. of PCU PCU o/oof

Vehicles Factor total PCU
1 Two wheeler 204 0.5 LO2 16.42
2 Jeep, Car, 168 1.0 168 27.O5
Rickshaws
3 Cycles 90 0.5 45 7.25
4 Bus, Trucks 6 3.0 18 2.O9

5 Bullock-carts 48 6.0 288 46.38

TOTAL 516 62r 100

Aesthetic Survey

As Bardan AIi was previously Hamal Ali, accommodating

hamal labourers, most of the structures in this area are very
simple and old. They are mostly ground floor structures and
poorly ventilated. Buildings which are used for social activities
such as Hamal Talim, Ram temple are deserved to be conserved.
Aesthetic survey is carried out by using Kevin Lynch technique.

Paths: The major path of this area is Bardan Ali which

joins Mang chowky road and Dane Ali. There are some minor
paths joining bardan ali with different roads .

Nodes: Three major nodes one at junction of Bardan AIi

and Dane Ali, second at the junction of Bardan Ali with Palkhi
Vithoba Road and third at the junction of Bardan Ali with Mang
Chowkv Road. There are four minor nodes.

District: The whole Bardan AIi forms one major district.

 Land mark: Ram mandir and Hamal talim are major land
marks, while Mosque is minor land mark in the area.

Buildine Typoloey

The structures along the Ali are row housing type and are
one or two storey high load bearing wooden framed structures.
Generally stairs are provided at the back portion of the building.
The inner hall has wooden column supports. They have storage
tanks at ground level. Sanitary blocks are provided at the back
or in open courtyards. These Buildings get ventilation and access
from front road only. Few of the structures get ventilation from
inner court-yard. or rear lane.

Age and condition of the structure: Most of the structures

in the Bardan AIi are old structures which are more than ninety
years old. In most of the structures front portion is in commercial
use and rest of the portion is in residential use. Age of the
structures ranges from ten years to a hundred years. But
majority of structures are more than 60 years old.

Most of the structures are built using wooden frame, mud

wall, galvanized iron sheet roofing. Flooring in most of the house
is hard murrum flooring and a few have Shahabad stone flooring.

Analysis of Building age is given below:

 Age of building (years) Percentage

Above 90 72.8
Above 60 9.40
Above 30 2.80
Below 30 12.80
Under construction 2.20

Socio-Economic Survey

Lohana people have migrated from Gujarat (Kutch

Region). Their home tongue is Gujarati, but they speak Marathi
and Hindi.

These people are thrifty, hospitable and hard working.

Lohana people were originally cultivators but now they are
traders, money lenders and dealers in Bardan. Presently there
are about 400 to 450 families of Lohana spread in different parts
of the city.

Lohana people are united socially. They have also formed

a trust which runs a library zrnd constructed a community haII.
A trust building is located in Bhavani Peth.

in Bardan Ali and some in

Some of Bardan traders reside
nearby localities. They are worshipers of "Alandel Mata", a
goddess and also Hindu Gods. Gunny bags are collected by
merchants from hawkers and then bags are properly cleaned ,

repaired and stored. The road side space is used for these
purpose. On an average four to five labourers a1:e required. The
economic condition of dwellers is very good. The income ranges
from Rs. 10,000 to Rs. 30,000 per month. Trading in this
profession is generally in cash.

There is a lot of competition in market. Recent recession in

overall economy had affected the trade. In comparison to
previous years, the trade this year was about 60%. Most of the
traders are from third to fourth generation and revealed that at
Ieast one member of the family will continue the trade.

As per details available from census record of Ward No.

108 and proportionate of Bardan Ali, it is concluded that -

Area of Bardan AIi is 1.003 Ha.

Present population is 628 persons.

Information through Interviews
The persons interviewed are:

1. Mr Shankarlal Laddaram Thakkar (Bardan Shop)

M/s Balaji Traders, 1265 Bhawani Peth, Pune.
2. Mr Ramakant Andekar (Corporator)
L265 Bhawani Peth. Pune.

3. Mr Paresh Thakkar (Bardan Shop)

M/s Kanji Deoji Thakkar, 1203 Bhawani Peth, Pune.

The following information is revealed through interviews:

There is traffi.c congestion at peak hours particularly due

to the parking of vehicles and loading and unloading of trucks.
Water supply and drainage facilities are good and sufficient.
Turnover in business is reducing day by day. Some of the
families are doing the same business for four generations and
some of the family members belonging to younger generation are
diverting in various professions as construction, trading in
plastic articles, etc.

Income & Expenditure

Total income of Pune City is Rs. 29,8b8 lac, out of which

33% is spent on establishment and 67% on infrastructure
development and maintenance of 124 wards of the city. Bardan
AIi is located in ward No. 108. out of the total expenditure of
each ward, i.e. Rs. 16I.29lac, iSOo/o amount (Rs. 48.38 lac) is used
for various utility services, civic amenities, D.P. proposals
implementation, maintenance of roads, etc.

Findings & Conclusions

1. Hamal Talim, Shri Krishna Temple are land marks and
need to be conserved.

2. There are bottlenecks on road and parking as well as

stopping of vehicles, for loading and unloading causes
traffic congestion.
3. The area totally lacks in amenities as open spaces.

4. Light and ventilation in the inner part of the houses is very

poor. t
5. Area needs redevelopment.
 CHAPTER 4

(A) BOHRr ALr

lntroduction
Bohris are a trading community and they were encouraged
by the Peshwas to settle and to do trade in this area. This was
residue to ensure a regular supply to the armies of the peshwas
and their noble. Bohris had a good connection to the port town of
surat, Broach, etc. in Gujarat, because they hailed from Gujarat
State. They could obtain various materials from these ports like
imported sword blades from Portugal or from the French and
British traders. They also obtained small cannons, Iatest d"esigns
of guns and decorative material like mirrors, Iamps, etc.

Bohris could move through the Moghul rured Gujarat to

the Maratha ruled Pune very easily and bring various supplies
including gun powder, cannon balls of cast iron, etc. This trade
helped them to flourish. Later on they diversified in trade of
papers, ropes, paints, wax and notebooks, etc. As pune has
grown the demand for building related materials, tools, pipes,
fittings, etc. has multiplied. The peshwa rule end,ed in 1g1g.
Consequently, the Bohris shifted their original trade in military
supplies to construction and agriculture related products like
paints, pipes, nettings, fittings, etc.

Today there are many places in pune where there are

hardware shops, but the main trad.e and wholesale transactions
in the hardware products and even notebooks and account books
take place in the Bohri AIi.
 Unlike the grain market or the vegetable market which
involve a very large scale movement of good.s and load.ing and
unloading activity, the Bohri AIi trade did not generate heavy
traffic. Thus it was not shifted to outer areas like the Gultekdi
Market area. In the development of city land use congestion,
parking demand, storage of goods, aII create different need.s and
result in relocation. Bohri Ali has escaped the shifting though
the roads do need widening. Bohri AIi is a major trad,e area in
the Pune city and is very important in the morphological study of
the city.

Bohri Ali has been in existance as part of Raviwar peth

and shukrawar Peth of the Pune city for the last 27o yearc.
Bohri AIi forms today with a part of Raviwar peth and
shukrawar Peth which is in the congested Gaothan area of the
Pune City.

Bohri Alispreads over an area of about 2.42 lF,a. The

extent of Bohri AIi is from sonya Maruti chowk to Lal Bahadur
shastri Chowk. The area is surround.ed. by Laxmi Road to North,
Mfuza Galibm Road to south, Badhai Ali to East and. Kavi Honaji
Bala Path to West.

History & Morphoosy

Ali comprises of major part of Raviwar peth

Today's Bohri
and small parts of shukrawar peth. The earlier name of
Raviwar Peth was Malkapur and it was established by Malik
Amber.

During that period Raviwar peth comprised of rr2

Brahmin houses, 6b wani houses, Bb shimpi houses, 45 sutar
houses, 34 Teli houses, 1g4 Tamboli houses and others. In all
 there were about bl3 houses. Later in r76E the number of
houses rose to about 1BB4 and in 1gg1 houses. Today,s Bohri
community is residing in at Bohri Ali since peshwe RuIe. They
are immigrants from Gujarat and are believed. to be partly
descendants of refugees from persia and Arabia who settled in
Gujarat about 1087 on account of a religious d.ispute, and are
partly of Hindu converts of the Brahmin and vania castes. They
have come to Pune as traders from Bombay since the
establishment of the British power. since peshwa rule till today
the Bohri community is trading in ink, paper, cotton thread, silk,
wax cloth, jute, raw jute, stitching items, iron utensils, tin boxes,
iron and steel, etc. Thus Bohri Ati has a historical background of
about 270 years.

Bohri's Jamat Khana

Bohri's Jamat Khana is a meeting place of Bohri Mahomedans in

Raviwar Peth. It was built about 1zB0 by subscription at a cost
of Rs. 16,000. The building has been enlarged from time to time
and improved at a great cost. It was large and filled four sides of
a spacious quadrangle. The courtyard was entered by a massive
door with a well carved wooden roof and in the middle of the yard
was a large cistern or Haud with a central fountain. on the left
was a large hall with plain square wooden pillars used for
dinners on public feast days. To the right was the mosque, the
bigger building in the mosque rose four storeys high with steep
stairs in the walls. However, the Bohra Jamat Khana is rebuilt
and there stands a totally new structure. This is one of the
landmark in this area. Aesthetically it could have been more
impressive if open space available in the surrounding.
 @noa,

Jama Mosque

Jama Mosque, the chief worship place of Muslim community in

the city was built about 1839, by public subscription. since then
additions have been made from time to time. The mosque
consists of a large stone hall 18m x 9m with a dome. The back
wall has a niche with operation a step against it and is covered
with texts from the holy Kuran. The yard in front of the mosque
is used for Muslim social religious meetings. This provides at
Ieast some open space for the community.

Activity Area of Hardware Tradins

The chief market for hardware in Pune is located in Bohri
Ali. In this trade particularly there is no sharp difference
between the wholesale and the retail trade. The shops in Bohri
Ali do wholesale business in addition to dealing directly with the
Iocal consumers. The commodities sold consist chiefly of iron
sheets, galvanized iron sheets, iron bars, angles, joints and wires,
piping and sanitary fittings, Iocks, paints, varnishes linseed oil,
etc. These shops also deal in cement and other minor building
materials. The bigger shopkeepers make their purchases direct
from the manufacturers of iron and steel and the smaller ones
from the Mumbai market and occasionally also from the bigger
shops in Pune.

As hardware is a relatively costlier group of commodities,

the stock of individual dealers ranges in value between Rs.
10,000 and Rs. 2,00,000. The bigger shopkeepers have
warehousing arrangement for keeping considerable quantities of
hardware.
 The demand for hardware is brisk during the fair season,
which is favourable for building construction and it is duII d.uring
the monsoon.

Typical Establishment & Household

The structures are mostly of typical old types with ground

floor under commercial use and upper floors under residential
use.

Most of the old structures are of load bearing type

constructed with timber frame, consist of rulai (beam) and lugs
(columns).

Earlier timber structures have decoration in the Maratha

style whereas newer ones have British influence. Decoration of
buildings, i.e. building fagade is decorated with wooden carving.

Existing Land Use

The area under the influence of Bohri Ali is about 2.42 }j,a.
The ground floor of structures facing the road is in the use of
commercial activities, such as hardware shops, paints and
varnishes shops, a few jewelry shops, construction material
shops, electrical shops, hosiery shops, etc. The rear part and the
upper floors of structures are mostly under residential use. The
shopping is of general type and also wholesale type.

Nowadays there is a change of land use taking place.

Because of heavy congested area and much more pollution rich
people are going outside for living and hence they are using the
upper floors of shops as godowns.

The approximate land use analysis is given below:

 Sr.No. Land Use Area in %of
Ha. TotaI
Area
1. CommerciaVRe side ntial r.32 54.54
2. Residential 0.268 11.08
3. Amenities 0.182 7.50
4. Transportation 0.46 19.00
5. Open Spaces 0.19 7.85
Total: 2.42 100.00

Basically from the view point of town planning this area is

congested and lacks open spaces and amenities.

Amenities in the Area

Amenities like school, hospital, post office, bank, etc. which

are in and around the Bohri AIi are given below:

There is a school, viz. Nutan samarth vidyalaya, upto 7th

standard (i.e. primary school) on Kavi Honaji Bala Road which
has strength of about 400 students.

The other primary and high school running in Agrasen

Bhavan, is very near to Bohri Ali and can meet the requirement
in future too.

There is a municipal hospital on plot No. b29 near sonya

Maruti Chowk and also there are four private practicing doctors,
dispensaries in the Bohri Ati. In addition to this, Kotnis Hospital
is situated very near to this area. AII these above facilities can
meet the health requirement of this area.

There is a post office, and also Dena Bank which are

situated in Laxmi Narayan Market. Besides, there is a union
 Bank of India branch and a Muslim cooperative Bank branch in
this area.

After surveying this area we found that there are Bbcm

and 45cm municipal water lines which pass underground along
the road. There is also a g0cm sewer line laid underground
which collects the sewage from each house and runs from LaI
Bahadur Shastri chowk to sonya Maruti Chowk. It is revealed
from the people's interviews that water supply is sufficient in
this area.

The overhead electric lines create nuisance for the dwellers

who live in the upper floors. The electric line runs very close to
structures which also creates difficulty for shop owners to
renovate shopping fagade.

storm water drains are provided at very Iong distance,

about 75-90m and are insufficient to d.rain out the storm water.
The drains are not maintained correctly, they always remain
chocked and cannot drain out storm water.

There is only one location point of fire hydrant on saifu

Street which alone cannot fulfill the requirement of firefighting
for the whole area.

The road area as per existing land use survey is about

r9.oo%. The existing road width ranges from 7.6m to 10.6m.
The road surface is also quite satisfactory.

Due to heavy commercial activities in this area, there is a

heavy traffic congestion, road sid.e perpendicular parking,
 loading and unloading operations, rack of respect for traffic
regulations, particularly in the Bhagwan Adinath chowk where
the Saify Street which is a two-way in spite of very lesser width
i.e. about 6m, crosses the subhansha Road. In this chowk there
is heavy traffic congestion. The road side perpendicular parking
in transportation network and is the major
creates bottlenecks
traffic hazard. There is also irregular variation in road width.
There is another vehicle which causes congestion and delaying of
traffic is hand-cart, which moves slowly and blocks the following
vehicles. same case is with buses. There is no bus bay on the
main road of Bohri Ali and when bus stops the following traffic is
also blocked, causing the delaying of traffic and ultimatelv
resulting in congestion of traffic.

we observed the tendency of some of the shop owners that

they parked their own vehicles or at least a hand-cart in front of
their shops and block the area, so that while loading and
unloading they could utilize that area by removing their own
vehicles. This creates major problem to outsiders who d.o not find
any free area to park their vehicles.

some shopkeepers utilize the road area in front of their

shops for cutting of pipes, steel jalies because their shops are too
small which also creates the congestion of traffic.

There are no pedestrian lanes such as footpaths along the

road, so they use the main traffic lane, which creates diffrculty in
maneuvering the vehicles, Ieading to congestion of traffic.

The analysis of traffic volume survey of subhansha Road is

as given below:
 Sr.No. Description No. of PCU PCU %to
Vehicles Factor total
er hour PCU
1. Two wheeler 480 0.5 240 28.67
2. Bicycles 290 0.5 r45 17.32
3. Jeep, Car, 320 1.0 320 38.24
Rickshaw
4. Bus, Truck 10 3.0 30 3.58
5. Hand-cart t7 6.0 ro2 12.198

Aesthetic Survey

Talking about aesthetics in Bohri Ali, we have seen many a

structure in a very good condition over after such a long period.
Buildings that are used for social activities such as Juma Mosque
are deserved to be conserved. The buitdings that are mainly
planned for mix land use (residential + commercial) are of
courtyard type planning a central courtyard serving as
ventilation source for deeper rooms. Details of buildings i.e.
doors and windows, cornices, shading d.evices, railings, etc. play a
major role in aesthetical part as a good and decorated elements,
even a road is straight forward but the irregular fagade of each
shop creates a visual hierarchy while passing through a road.

According to Kevin Lynch the aesthetic survey is carried

out.

Path:The major path in this area is the subhansha Road

which runs from Lal Bahadur shastri chowk to sonya Maruti
Chowk.
 The major paths are saifr street, Kavi Honaji Bala Road.,
etc.

District: The whole Bohri AIi has its unique

characteristics, i.e. hardware trading activities are done in this
area and the one prime community, the Bohra Mahomedans
resides in this area, hence it is like a district in the old core of the
Pune City.

Landmark: Juma Mosque which is the prime worship

place of the Bohra Mahomedans has great historical and
religious background. The other place which is the meeting place
of the Bohra community, i.e. Jamat Khana also has the same
importance as the landmark.

Edge: Since there is no river, nallah, etc. there is no edge

in this area.

The structure along the Bohri Ali is of row housing type

and is built in two, three and four stories. They get light of
ventilation only from street or from the rear side or courtyard,
the structures are touching each other and thus there is no scope
for side light and ventilation. Most of the structures have onlv
one access road.

Age and condition of Structures: The structures are

mostly of typical old types with ground floor under commercial
use and the upper floors under residential use. The age of the
structures ranges from 20 years to g0 years, but majority of
structures have the age above 60 years.
 Most of the old structures are of load bearing type,
constructed with timber frame, consist of rulai (beam), Iugs
(columns), seesum, sflg, deodar, etc. are used as major timber
material. The walls are made of burnt brick masonry and
thickness of the wall varies from 45cm to 22.Ecm from ground
floor to top floor. Ground floors are partly renovated, thinking
about the commercial aspect. Earlier timber structures have
decoration in the Maratha stSrle whereas the newer ones have
British influence. Some of the old structures are aesthetically as
well as structurally sound and deserve to be conserved.

The analysis of building age is as given below:

Age of Buildings Percentage

Above 90 76.25
Above 60 3.75
Above 30 8.00
Below 30 11.50
Under construction 0.50

Social & Economic Survey

The main community which resides in the Bohri Ali is

Bohra Mahomedan. They are immigrants from Gujarat. They
are believed to be partly descendants of refugees from Persia and
Arabia who settled in Gujarat about 1087 on account of a
religious dispute and partly Hindu converts of Brahmin and
vania castes. They have come to Pune as traders from Mumbai
since the establishment ofBritish power. Their home tongue is
Gujarati and with others they speak Hindustani and Marathi.
They are generally active and well made but are wanting in
strength and robustness. Their features are regular and clear,
the colour olive, and the expression gentle and shrewd. The
man's dress consists of a white oval shaped turban, a long white
coat falling to the knee, a waist coat, a long shirt and a pair of
loose trousers. The woman's dress is a red or a dark blue cotton
or silk scarf called 'odna', a backless bodice called 'angia' or
'kanchli' and a cotton or silk petticoat. on going out they
surround themselves in a large striped cotton or silk robe that
covers the whole body except a small gauze opening for the eyes.

Bohras are considered honourable traders and have a high

name for honest dealing.

They have a well organized body and a strong class feeling.

the head of their sect, who is known as the Munah saheb. has
his headquarters at surat. They perform marriage and other
ceremonies, settle minor social disputes and refer difficult cases
for the decision of the lead Mullah at Surat.

Bohras have their own shops in the Bohri Ali, which

mainly consist of hardware shops, paint shops, etc. The economic
condition of dwellers is very good. The income of shop owners
ranges from Rs. 20,000 per month to
Rs. 7,500 per month, of big hardware and paint traders to the
other small shops, respectively.

The dwellers are either owners of shops, employed in shops

or working in other areas and their income level is also
satisfactory.

In accordance with the details available from the census

record of Ward No. 123 and the proportionate area of Bohri Ali, it
is concluded that -
 Area of Bohri Ali is 2.42 Ha and

Present population is 2,880 persons.

The persons interviewed are -

1. Mr Muhammad Ismail (Glassware Shop)
336 Raviwar Peth, Pune
2. Mr Humimuddin (Paint Shop)
282 Raviwar Peth, Pune
3. Mr Chandrashekhar Sarnaik
Priest in the Ram Mandir and Shani Mandir.
4. Mr Daudbhai Abdul AIi (Hardware Shop)
I57I Raviwar Peth, Pune.
The following information is revealed from the interviews:

Jamat Khana is the place where Bohra people gather

together on feast days and it is also a place of worship.

There is a big problem of traffic congestion and is a

common thing on the subhanshah Road, particularry at
Bhagwan Adinath chowk. since the subhansha Road became a
PMT bus route the problem of traffic congestion increased.
tremendously. when a bus stops the whole following poses a big
problem to maneuver the vehicles. For loading and. unloading
operations there is no space to stand the vehicle.

water supply is sufficient to this area, but the fire hydrant

Iocations are less.

In olden days Bohri AIi was famous for the ironware such
as ghameli, taLsa, etc. As the time changes shops dealing in
hardware, building construction material, paint, etc. have
increased.

Income & Expenditure

Total income of the Pune City is Rs. 80,488 lac, of which

33% is spent on establishment and G7%o (Rs. 20,898 lac) on
infrastructure development and maintenance for 124 wards of
the city.

Bohri Ali forms part of Municipal Ward No. 128. Out of

the total expenditure for each ward, i.e. Rs. 164.b0 lac, B0% (Rs.
49.35 lac) amount is
used fbr various utility services, civic
amenities, D.P. proposal implementation, Nalla training and
cleaning, maintenance of road, etc.

Findinss & Conclusions

1. The area is highly congested and is densely populated.

2. There are bottlenecks on road and perpendicular parking

which reduces the width of the road.

3. Parking areas are insufficient.

4. There are no pedestrian walkways in front of the shops.

5. The area is totally devoid of open spaces and internal

narrow passages which act as the main source of light and
ventilation.

6. Light and ventilation to the inner houses is very poor,

because of smaller courtvards.

7. Overhead electrical wires are a big nuisance.

8. There is a lack of respect for traffic regulations,
particularly at Bhagwan Adinath Chowk.

9. The area is worth conserving as a precinct.

10. The architectural character and transition of architecture

is very interesting in this area.
 CHAPTER 4

(B) LONAR ALr

fntroduction
Lonaris belong to a very old profession, related to the
building industry like the Badhai or carpenters. For the last
fifty years the use of timber in the form of pillars, beams, arches,
windows and doors is steadily declining because of substitution
and extreme cost of teak wood. However, lime trade and the
associated coal trade has not suffered as a result of the declining
use in the building construction. About 70 years back most of the
brick and stone walls as well as plastering of the walls was done
in quality lime mortar. This cr:eated the need for ghanis or mills
where the lime was converted into material suitable for
construction. The burning of lime stones is the first step in the
final product which is used for plaster or for mortar. CoaI was
needed by these kilns and hence stored and traded in coal along
with lime in manv cases.

The manufacture of cement as a factory made standard

product reduced the use of lime. This reduction in the use
continued for a number of years. Today lime is hardly used. in
the construction activity, unless it is required for restoration of
old buildings or some such special use. Brick work, plastering
and flooring, aII are done with cement concrete or cement.

The lonaras were lucky because in spite of the decline in

use in the construction industry, demand by industry for
products that require lime as a raw material has increased. This
increase in demand by the industry has sustained the lonari
 trade. Land use changes along with the factory manufacture of
most raw materials related to industry is transforming the
locational needs of the traditional trades. At present at least
lonari trade is well sustained and may continue in the same
location for some time. But in the future these traders may have
to shift to the outskirts like the shifting of the Market yard at
Gultekdi.

The older buildings in the Lonar AIi have a typical

character of the brick and timber architecture prevalent in the
Iate early 20th centuries. This architecture needs to be
19th and
preserved as a heritage just as some of the other areas that
have
been identified as heritage zones or heritage precincts. They can
become tourist attractions in the future.

Raviwar Peth was founded by Mr Mahajan vyavahari

Joshi in the regime of Balaji Bajirao peshwa. This ward was
previously known as Malkapur and was established by Matik
Ambar, the able minister of Nizamshah. From its found.ation
Raviwar Peth has always been a traders, ward and business
centre.

Lonar Ali is located in northern portion of Raviwar peth.

It is north-south lane joining station Ro9ad. and Laxmi Road. It
is bounded on north by station Road., on south
by Laxmi Road,
on east by Guru Nanak Path and on the west by Juni Bhaji Ali.

Lonaris or lime burners have been in pune for more than

100 years. They are cement makers, husbandmen and labourers.
It that they were original Maratha people and as they
seems
adopted profession of coal maker and lime burners. their
 separate caste was established. In sanskrit they are
called
saumik that means salt makers. It seems that at one time
they
were salt makers and hence they are called lonaries (Lauan
in
sanskrit means salt). In Belgaum District of Karnataka some
Lonaris are still in trading of salt. However, most of the Lonaris
are lime burners or coal makers. In Mahabharat, the holy
book
of Hindus' one finds the mention of Lonaries who were cited
in it
as coal makers. Hence it seems that their main occupation
was
coal makers.

Lonari people have surnames like Chorge, Dhone,

Danagekar, Rakshe, Bondre, Karche, Tambe, zad,ge, Nandurkar.
etc.

Though lime is sold at shops located. in different parts of

the city, lime is produced in lime kiln.previously lime kilns
were located in shivaji Nagar area, then they were shifted to
Parvati Area. Presently they are located in vitthalwadi Area of
Pune.

Raw material required for making lime is lime nodules.

Lime nodules are imported from Karnataka State.

Lime is sold in shops located in different parts of the city

while lime is produced in lime kiln located in vitthalwadi area
of
Pune. There are about 1b to 20 lime kilns.

Lime kiln is round and is about 2.b m in diameter and 1.0

m high with a side hole at the bottom. At the bottom of the kiln
a
layer of charcoal is placed. After allowing them to burn B or
4
days, the contents of the kiln are taken out through the hole
at
the bottom. The lime is separated from charcoal and is ready for
sale. It requires simple tools such as spades, iron strips, sieves,
tins, rubbish scraper, etc.

Most of the lime is consumed by industries, particularly

chemical industries. Some of the consuming industries itself are
Iocatedin Vitthalwadi and very less, about IOyo, is consumed in
domestic market, particularly for lime - mortar. Lime - mortar
is prepared with the help of mechanical mixer, called Ghanis.

There are about 1O Ghanrs located in the lime-kiln area.

Labour work in lime kiln and the Ghanis is given on an ad hoc
basis. Each kiln requires about three or four labourers and each
Ghani requires about two labourers.

Trading is more in winter season particularly from Dassera

to Diwali and is slack is rainy season. However, seasonality does
not affect demand of lime by industries.

Typical Establishment & Household

Most of the structures in Lonar AIi are old structures

which are more than 100 years old and they are semi-pucca and
pucca type. The structures are built with wooden frame work
generally, two storeyhigh. Part of the ground floor is used for
commercial activity and the rest of the structure is used for
residence. Facades of few of old wooden structures are decorated.
with wooden carving. Some of the structures are built in stone
and lime mortar.

A few of the old structures are replaced by reinforced

concrete structures.
Existins Land Use

The extent of influence of Lonar ali is found to be 2.245Ha.

Road fronting part of ground floor is in the use of commercial
activities such as lime shop, medical shop, grocery stores, paint
shops, goldsmith shop. The rear part and the upper floors of
structures are used for residence.

Rapid changes in land use are taking place. To utilise the

commercial potential of road, old structures are pulled down and
replaced by reinforced concrete structure with shops at ground
floor.

The approximate land use analysis is as below:

Sr.No. Land Use Area in Ha. %o of Area

1. C om merciaVRe side ntial 0.5200 23.2%

2. Residential 0.8484 37.7%
3. Public/Semi-public 0.4100 t8.3o/o

4. Transportation 0.4666 20.8%

TotaI: 2.2450 roo%

It will be seen from the above that this area is deficient in

open spaces.

Amenities in the Area

There are two primary schools in the influence area of the

lane. One is run by the IVIunicipal Corporation and named
Kamala Nehru Vidyalalaya. The other primary school is under
construction. There is also a Gujarati High School located on the
Station Road and just in front of the northern end of the lane.
 These primary school can meet the requirement of the area
in future too.

There is a big hospital, Tilak Ayurved Hospital, which is

very near to this area. There are also a few dispensaries of
private practicing doctors. These can meet the health
requirement of the area.

A post office is situated on Laxmi Road which is to the

south of the lane. Banking facilities are also available in the
vicinity on the Station Road and Laxmi Road.

Utilities & Services

During the survey it was found that 1b cm and 2.5 cm dia
municipal water lines pass through the road. It is revealed in
the interview that water supply is regular and sufficient.

There is also 1.20 m wide sewer line laid underground

which collects sewage and runs from Laxmi Road to station
Road. Storm water drains are provided at regular interval and
there is rare flooding except in case of heavy rains in rainy
season.

Traffic & Transportation Study

As per analysis of existing land use about ZA.B% area is
covered by roads. The existing road width of the lane is varying
from 6 m to 15 m. The road surface is quite satisfactory.

Due to increasing commercial activities on this road, there

is increase in traffic. Increase is also due to use of this lane as
bypass from the station Road and Laxmi Road and vice versa.
 is smooth. However, at peak hours,
Generally traffrc
particularly in the morning and evening there is traffic
congestion. The factors leading to traffic congestion are road side
perpendicular parking on both sides of the road, stopping of
vehicles for loading and unloading operation, bottlenecks in the
road, etc.

The analysis of traffic volume survey of Lonar AIi is as

given below:

Sr.No. Description No. of PCU PCU Voof

vehicles Factor Total
r hour PCU

1. Two wheeler 678 0.5 339 34.56

2. Jeep, Car, 528 1.0 528 53.82
Rickshaw
3. Bicycles 168 0.5 84 8.56
4. Bus, Truck 10 3.0 30 3.06
Total 981 100.00

Aesthetic Survey

we have seen some of the structures which are in very

good condition even after such a long period. Buildings which
are used for social activities such as Lonari panchayat HaIl,
Bahucharaji Devi temple, Jain Temple, are deserved to be
conserved. Most of the buildings are planned
with courtyard. type
of planning in which a central courtyard served as ventilation
source for deeper rooms. some of the old wooden framed.
buildings have decorative fagade with delicate carving in wood.
 Road is zigzag, as one passes through the lane it creates visual
beauty.

Aesthetic survey is carried out using Kevin Lynch

technique.

Paths: The major path in this area is Lonar Ali which joins
Daruwalla Bridge Road and Ganesh peth Road. some are minor
paths joining Lonar Ali with different road.s such as the path
joining Juni Bhaji Ali with Lonar AIi, the path joining Lonar AIi
and Ganesh Peth Road.

Nodes: Two major nodes, one at the junction of the lane

with Daruwalla Bridge Road and the other at the junction of the
Iane with Ganesh Peth road, are observed. Ten minor nodes are
observed.

District: The whole Lonar Ali forms one major d.istrict.

Land Marks: Lonari panchayat HalI, shri Krishna
Temple and Bahucharaji Devi remple are major land marks in
this area. Jain Temple, Hanuman Temple, shitaladevi remple
are minor land marks in this area.

Edges: There are no edges in this area.

Buildine Typolosy
The structures along Lonar AIi are row housing types and
two or three stories high. They get light and ventilation from the
front street. A few structures get ventilation from either inner
courtyard or the rear street. Most of the structures have onlv
one access road.
 Age and condition of the structures: structures in
Lonar AIi are old structures which are more than 100 years old..
Front portion of the ground floor is in commercial use and the
rest is under residential use. Age of structure ranges from b
years to 100 years, but majority of the structures are more than
90 years ofage.

Most of the structures are load bearing type, built with

wooden frame work. walls of the structures are of burnt brick
and lime mortar and in a few cases stones and lime mortar
fagade of the structure is decorated. with wooden carving.
Balconies of the old structure have decorative iron grills.

Analysis of building age is given below:

Age of Building Percentage

Above 90 78.13
Above 60 0
Above 30 6.87
Below 30 13.75
Under Construction r.25

Lonari people are Maratha people. Their mother tongue is

Marathi, however, they speak Hindi well. These people are
hardworking, quiet and hospitable. Lonari people were
originally coal makers and lime burners but now a few of them
are cultivators, goldsmiths and service class persons.

Lonari people are united socially. They are spread in

different locations, however, their major concentration is in
 Lonar Ali.
They have formed "panchayat,,. They setile most of
their social disputes through the panchayat. They worship all
Hindu Gods. Their family deity is Khandoba. They celebrate
all
the festivals of Hindus. They have also constructed the
Panchayat Hall in Lonar AIi, which is also used as marriage
hall.
while arranging marriage they believe in horoscope
matching.

Lime kilns and Ghanis are located in vitthalwadi and

Lonar AIi. Lime is brought from vitthalwadi on either bicycle
or
in auto-rickshaw, their trading, retail or wholesale, is strictly on
cash basis. Transportation cost is born by the buyer.

The economical condition of dwellers is not so good. The

income of dwellers ranges between Rs. 2000 and Rs. 10,000 per
month.

It was revealed in the interview that income is much less

due to the following factors:

1. By invention of cement as bonding material in construction

of houses, domestic consumption of lime has decreased..

2. Lime imported from other states is much cheaper than

lime produced in pune because the raw material, Iime
nodules, are not availabre locally and are not available
anywhere in Maharashtra, they need to be imported from
Karnataka and as such due to transportation cost the lime
manufactured in pune is costly.

3. They have no suffrcient space for rime kiln, Ghani and

storage of lime.
 Some of the establishments dealingwith lime are about 60
to 100 years old. Now present traders are from the third to the
fourth generation. Most of the traders are hopeful that their
successor will continue this profession.

As per the details available from the record of Ward No.

106 and the proportionate of Lonar Ali, it is concluded that -
Area of Lonar AIi is 2.245 Ha, and
Present Population is 1542 persons.
Information through Interviews
The persons interviewed are:

1. Mr Balasaheb Dnyanoba Nandurkar (Lime Shop),

737 Raviwar Peth. Pune
2. Mr Ravindra Hemraj Danagekar (Goldsmith),
797 Raviwar Peth. Pune
3. Mr Sakharam Ramchandra Zadge (Lime Shop),

855 Raviwar Peth. Pune.

The following information is revealed through the
interviews:

Lonari people are socially united. They have "Panchayat"

which settles their social disputes.

There is traffic congestion at peak hour, particularly due to

road side parking, Ioading-unloading operations and at turning
due to narrow width.

Water supply and drainage facilities are adequate and

good. Trading is reducing day by day and taxes are increasing
and will survive only if raw material is made available at
cheaper rate.
 Some of the families are doing the same business for the
fourth generation. However, some of the family members,
particularly of younger generation, are attracted towards other
occupations such as goldsmith, service, etc.

Income & Expenditure

Total income of Pune City is Rs. 29,853 lac, of which 33% is

spent on establishment and 67Yo on infrastructure development
and maintenance of I24 wards of the city.

Lonar Ali is located in Ward No. 106. Out of the total

expenditure of each ward, i.e. Rs. 131.29 lac, approximately 30%
amount (Rs. 48.38 lac) is use'd for various utility services, civic
amenities, D.P. proposals implementation, maintenance of road, etc.

Findings & Conclusions

1. Lonari Panchayat HaIl, Shrikrishna Temple, Bahucharaji

Devi Temple, Shitala Mata Temple, Jain Temple are the
land marks which need to be conserved. AIso some of the
buildings have fagade beautifully decorated, they also need
to be conserved.

2. There are bottlenecks on roads. Traffic discipline,

particularly about parking, needs to be enforced.

3. Area lacks in the amenity of open space and parking.

4. The houses are poorly lighted and ventilated.

5. Part of the area needs conservation and part needs

redevelopment.
 CHAPTER 5

(A) PAGADBANDALI
fntroduction
It in Mumbai and Pune when a Puneri
made headlines
Pagadband made a vermillion and golden 'pheta' for Prince
Charles on his second wedding in the year 2005. This was being
presented by the tiffinwallas of Mumbai who were visited by the
Prince.

Wearing a padgi and even until 1950 a cap was very usual
for all communities. Most of our leaders like Ranade, Gokhale,
Nehru, Sawarkar, all wore different types of pagdis or caps.
Since every community had a different type of pagdi or turban
there was a great demand to prepare such turbans, pagdis or
caps. Even the colour of the silk of a pagdi indicated the
profession of the wearer. It was socially inappropriate to leave
the house without a cap or a turban upto 1930-1940 in India.
Today only in the rural areas this custom is still followed.

Awarding or presenting a pagdi with the 'Shirpech' or the

jewelled ornament on the pagdi was considered a very big honour
in the olden days. AIso exchanging t}'e pagdis was considered a
great act of friendship. Handing over one's pagdi to the invader
was considered an act of submission. Pagdi had in other words
great social importance and :l place of pride in the society. It
provided a protection from the harsh sun and could conceal the
helmetif necessary. Jiretop or helmet was worn under an
ornamental turban even by Chhatrapati Shivaji on many
occasions.
 All the above history indicates the importance of the pagd,i
or turban makers' profession to the citizen of any Indian city.
Pune, the city of Peshwas is still famous for its peshwai puneri
Pagdi which is presented to aII the important visitors to this city.
It is still considered a present feat even for a king.
Pune is the second most important city in Maharashtra.
The city is distinctly divided into the older half, where the
Iocalities have been named after the days of the week like
Somwar Peth, Mangalwar Peth, Budhwar peth, etc.

The area considered for formulating redevelopment scheme

forms the part of Budhwar Peth which is a congested. Gavthan
area of Pune city. Pagadband Ali is part of this Budhwar peth.

The extent of Pagadband Ali is from Budhwar chowk to

Moti chowk. The area is surounded by Laxmi Road to south
Shivaji Road to West and Bagade Road to the east.

The Pagadband AIi is spread over an area about 2.64 }Ja.

and is one of the small alis. It is connected with a profession of
turban makers which is quite a small profession.

History & Morpholosy

Pagadband AIi comprises parts of Budhwar peth. But
today, the name Pagadband AIi is obsolete. In olden days,
particularly in the Peshwai period the pagad,i had a great
importance. In that period different types of pagad,les clearly
indicated the profession which one pursued and one's level or
designation. while honouring the noble's achievements the
pagadi had great importance.
 About 150 years back (rs50 A.D.) there were about rE to 2o
reputed shops of. pagadi making. There are various types of
pagadis made in these shops like the Maharashtrian, Gujarati,
Rajasthani pagdi. Equipment required in the trade consisted of
pairs of scissors, needles, threads and cardboards, etc. The raw
material used were silk and cotton cloth, and gold and silver
thread or lace stitching was done by hand. In inferior kinds of
turbans linen was used. The work was done mainly by men,
though women were occasionally employed to do the rough
stitching.

In 1937, there were 12 concerns engaged

in the making of
turbans of these, nine were in Budhwar peth, two in shukrawar
Peth and one in Kasba Peth. These were small establishments
and served also as shops to sell. The average monthly production
of each of the two concerns sampled for survey was 800 turbans
costing approximately Rs. 900 each, and the monthly profits of
each concern came roughly to Rs. 45 each. Most of the materials
required were bought locally.

Recording the existence and extent of pagadband Ali is by

far the most important step in the changing social and
morphological environment of pune City.

Most of today's generation will be even unaware that

barely five decades ago people of pune knew this area as
Pagadband AIi. Today, it is * memory for a few families and
people who carried out that profession.

Being a very important element of the men,s dress code the

skill of a Pagadband was also admired and a few shops and a few
families were specially favoured by the customers.
 Decline of the profession is in itself a rare occurrence. But
total decline of a profession or a trade is very rare. This is what
has happened to Pagadbands and pagadband Ali and hence its
study is of significance in urban evolution.

In olden days Pagadband Ali was mainly a cloth and

turban market. Slowly this cloth market was shifted to Laxmi
Road and the turban shops declined in number. The place of
cloth market was taken over firstly by few electric shops. Slowly,
the market grew in the city and nowadays majority of shops are
of electric and electronic equipment. The other types of shops in
this area are footwear shops, cycle shops, cloth shops, two
fabrication workshops, two perfume and Agarbatti shops, etc.
Today we do not have any record of this important gradual
transition fro Pagadband cloth shops to the electrical and
electronic shops. If someone had done this recording it would
havebeenofgreatinterestforurbanmorphology*.-.D.'"re
/'-Y t;'*r; r'r
,{fri
Pasodya Vithoba Mandir
'l(\__"
This is the Hindu Religious place. In olden days trrffi{Sg
Mandir was the major lanclmark of the area were people
gathered for bhajan and kirt<tn. The surrounding area of the
temple is utilised for selling of pasodya that is Ghongad.i
(woollen blankets). so the place is known as pasodya vithoba
Mandir. Although the temple is situated centrally in the road it
is preserved because of cultural and heritage value. pasodya or
simple woollen blankets was a major accessory for the common
man in the city.

Most of the commercial area is scattered along both sides of

Pagadband Ali and there are about 100 to 12b small and big
 shops. The shops today mainly comprise of electrical appliances,
cloths, footwear, etc.

Work/Activity Area of Paeadi Makine

Nowadays there are no turban (pasadi) making shops. But

in 1937, there were Lz concerns engaged in the making of
turbans. of these, nine were in Budhwar, two in shukrawar and
one in Kasba. These were small establishments and served also
as shops to sell. The equipme.nt required in the trade consisted
of pairs of scissors, needles, threads and card board.s, etc. The
raw materials used were silk and cotton cloth, and gold and
silver threads or lace. stitching was done by hand,. In the
inferior kinds of turbans linen was used. The work was done by
men though women were occasionally employed to do rough
stitching.

Most of the materials required were bought locally but for

special work material from far was utilised.

Earlier the procurement process for the raw material was

also quite elaborate. chinese silk was specially brought along
with jari made specially for the tussels or Zilmirya from Surat.
Rajasthani minakars and Kwadan workers prepared the
Shirpech for the turbans.

The structures along Pagadband AIi are like raw house

type. They get light and ventilation from front street and rear
side. some old structures are built with typical courtyard
planning so that it can serve as ventilation (light and air) source
for deeper rooms. The plinth height of structure is about 0.6 m.
Most of the structure has only one access road.

Existins Land Use

The area under the influence of Pagadband AIi is about

2.64 }:a. The road facing part of structures are in the use of
commercial activities such as electric and electronic appliances,
shops, cloth shops, footwear, perfume and Agarbatti shops,
fabrication workshops, etc. The shopping is of retain as well as
wholesale types.

The rear part and upper floors of structure are mostly

under residential use.

Nowadays there is change of land use taking place.

Because of congested area and much more pollution, rich people
are moving out from this part of the city and hence they are
using the upper floor of shops as godown.

The approximate land use analysis is as below:

Sr.No. Land use Area in ha. %6 of total

area
1 CommerciaVReside ntial 1.48 56.06
2 Residential 0.30 11.36
3 Amenities o.22 8.33
4 Transportation 0.38 14.40
o Open Space o.26 9.85

Total 2.64 100

Amenities in the Area

The Bharat High school is situated on all Prarthana samaj

Road and estabhished in 1922. The school is up to L2th Stand.ard.
The approximate strength of the school is about 1000. Another
nursery school is run by the Bhandarkar Saaj Mandir. There is a
union Bank located on Prarthana samaj Road. The Bhandarkar
Samaj Mandir is a meeting place of the Bhandarkar Samaj
(community). Every sunday there are social and cultural
activities of this community. Another community is the Namdeo
shimpi community. Their Samaj Mandir is situated in front of
Bharat High School. Activities are going on every Sunday and
on holidays in this Samaj Mandir of Namdeo Shimpi community.

Utility & Services

After surveying this area there is a 35cm municipal line
passing underground through Pagadband Ali. Along this water
line three fire hydrants are provided at a distance of about BOm
for fire fighting purpose. There is a municipal sewer line 91cm
running parallel to the road and connected to the main sewer
Iine at Moti chowk along passing Bagade Road. Manholes are
provided at a distance of 30m. other facilities like storm water
drain, dust-bin, public urinals are not proper.

The overhead electric lines create nuisance for the dwellers

who live in upper floors. The electric lines run very close to
structures which also creates difficulty for shop owners to
renovate shopping fagade. There is also a underground
telephone line running parallel to road.
 The existing road width ranges from 4 to 8m. Due to heavy
commercial activity in this area, there is heavy traffi.c congestion.
The main reason for traffic congestion is road side perpendicular
parking, loading and unloading. The road from Budhwar chowk
to Moti Chowk is of one way traffic. Prarthana samaj Road is of
5.5m width. This road is less traffic volume. The road side
parking creates bottlenecks in transportation network and is the
main traffic hazard.

The road area as per existing land use survey is about

r4.4%.

Hand cart is the other vehicle which causes congestion and

delaying of traffic, which moves slowly and blocks the following
vehicles. Another reason of traffic jam is due to tempo which is
used for loading and unloading activities in this area.

We observed the tendency of some of the shop owners that

they parked their own vehicles or at least a hand cart in front of
their shops and block the area, so that while loading and
unloading operation they can utilize that area by removing their
own vehicles. This creates major problem to outsiders who do
not find any free area to park their vehicle.

There are no pedestrian lanes such as foot path along the

road, so they use the main traffic lane, which creates difficulty in
maneuvering the vehicles which also leads the congestion of
traffic.
 Sr.No. Description No. of PCU PCU Yo to
vehicles/hr Factor Total
PCU

I Two wheelers 585 0.5 293 25.O2

2 Cycles 500 0.5 250 2I.35
3 Jeep, Cars, 490 1.0 490 41.85
Rickshaws
4 Tempo 40 3.0 I20 ro.25
5 Hand Carts 3 6.0 18 L.54

Total ILTI 100.00

Aesthetic Survey

The old houses are of brick and timber construction.

Traditional and colonial woodwork exists in the area. Talking
about aesthetics in Pagadband Ali, we have seen some of
structures which are in a very good condition even after such a
long period. The buildings which are mainly planned for mix
Iand use (residential and commercial) are of courtyard. type
planning, a central courtyard serving as light and ventilation
source for deeper rooms.

According to Kevin Lynch technique the aesthetic survey is

carried out.

Path: The major path i' this area is the vitthal Mandir
Path which runs from Budhwar Chowk to Moti Chowk.

The minor paths are Prarthana samaj Road, cholkhan AIi

Path. etc.
 Node: The two major nodes Budhwar Chowk and Moti
Chowk are well known in this area. At Budhwar Chowk, Vitthal
Mandir Road crosses the Shivaji Road and at Moti Chowk,
Vitthal Mandir Path crosses the Bagade Road.

Landmark: The Pasodya Vithoba Mandir kis the major

Iandmark of the Pagadband Ali area and it is renovated from
time to time.

There are two main structures that is Maruti Mandir and

Vitthal Mandir which are historically important and require to
be conserved. There are few timber framed structures
constructed in about L92O to 1925 which are aestheticallv
pleasant and beautiful to look at.

The Pasodya Vithoba Mandir of the Pagadband AIi area

and has been renovated from time to time and is of aesthetic
importance.

Buldine Typology

Age and condition of structure: The structures are mostly

of typical old pattern with ground floor under commercial use
and the upper floors for residential use. The age of the
structures range from 15 to 90 years. The old structures are load
bearing type, constructed with timber framed structure. Brick
work is used extensively within the timber frame. Timber
material used is Shisam, Sag and Deodar. The walls are made
up of patterned bricks with pointing or plastering on the exterior.
Many of them are in a dilapidated condition.
 Age of Building Percentage

Above 90 77.75
Above 60 5.05
Below 30 13.56
Under Construction 3.87

Social & Economic Survey

The economic condition of the dwellers is quite good.

Majority of the cloth market is shifted to Laxmi Road and the
shops have been replaced with electrical and electronic
appliances shops. Most of the new shop owners are not
Maharashtrians but are Sindhis, Sardarjis, Gujaratis, etc.

Sardarjis and Sindhis are the communities which are

dominant in the electrical business, whereas the earlier
Pagadbands were mostly Maharashtrians. This also indicates
both a shift in the ownership of the shops and the displacement
of the original Maharashtrian traders and craftsmen.

The income of shop owners is as follows:

Nature of Business Approx. Monthly

Income

1. Electricals and electronic shops Rs. 50,000 to 75,000

2. Cloth shops Rs. 20,000 to 30,000

3. Perfume and Agarbatti shops Rs. 10,000 to 15,000

4. Other shops Rs. 5,000 to 10,000

 The dwellers are either employed in the shops or are
working in other area. Their income level is also satisfactory. As
per the details available from the census record of ward L22 and,
the proportionate area of the Pagadband AIi, it is concluded
that-
Area of Pagadband Ali is 2.64 ha.

Present population is = 2677 persons.

Information through Interviews

A few people were interviewed in the Budhwar Peth-
Pagadband Ati area. They clezrrly indicated that the profession of
Pagadi has been discontinued near the Vitthal Mandir for the
past twenty years. This is primarily because of lack of demand
for any kind of head gear.

The major problem faced by the residents and shopkeepers

is of congestion. They told us that in the peak hours of the day,
i.e. 9.00 am to 12.00 noon and from 5.00 pm to 7.00 pm there is a
It
heavy traffic on the road and great congestion. also creates
problem of noise pollution, air pollution, etc. Because of
insufficient width of road there is a problem of loading and
unloading of goods. Here it needs to be mentioned that when
this road served as Pagadband AIi it was primarily a pedestrian
road and hence the new use of electrical and electronic shops has
created the problem. There is sufficient water supply of 135 litres
per day, but because of low pressure of water, water does not rise
on the upper floors of the building. One of the owners
interviewed indicated that the business also gets affected
because of the discontinuity of electric supply. There is a regular
load shedding of two to three hours everyday. In aII four people,
namely, Mr Yadav, Mr Patil, Mr Deshmukh and Mr Raut, were
interviewed.

Income & Expenditure

Total income of Pune City is generally around Rs. 80,488

Iac, of which 33% is spent on establishment and 67Yo (Rs. 20,893
Iac) on infrastructural development and maintenance for L24
wards of the City, i.e. Rs. 164.50 lac per ward.

Pagadband Ali forms part of Municipal Ward No. 122. Out

of total expenditure per ward, i.e. Rs. 164.50 lac 3O%o (Rs. 49.35
Iac) is used for various utility services, civic amenities,
development proposal implementation, NaIa training and
cleaning, maintenance of road, etc.

Findings & Conclusions

1. The area is highly congested and densely populated.

2. There are bottlenecks on the road and parking of various

vehicles reduces the road width which is available for
movement of vehicles.

3. No dedicated parking area is available in this part of the

city.

4. The area is totally devoid of open spaces, trees and

vegetation.

5. Internal narrow passages in the building act as main

sources of light and ventilation.

6. Light and ventilation to inner part of the houses is very

poor because the width of the plot is very narrow.
7. Services are inadequate. Water is supplied only two hours
in the morning and two hours in the evening.

8. Overhead electrical wires are a big nuisance and also mar

the aesthetics.
 CHAPTER 5

(B) STATIONERY ALI

Introduction
The social life in a typical Indian city revolved around two
important aspects of life, the religious aspect of life and the
worldly or that of the vocation. The vocational training and life
was almost always hereditary. The sons and daughters carried
on the duties and acquired the skills from their parents. The
wife of a blacksmith would attend to the "bhata" (bellows),
whereas the daughters would do it when they were bigger. The
sons helped the fathers in the heavier jobs and works such as
hammering on t}re "airan" (anvil).

Today's need for formal vocational training did not exist in

the traditional Indian town or village because the family did that
job for the next generation. It was indeed rare for a member
from one profession or trade to switch to something totally new.
The only change would be in a parallel or allied profession. For
example, a coppersmith's son, if he were skilled in making
engraved dishes, would upgrade himself to work in silver as a
silversmith.

The various survey data presented covers information that

is gathered over a long period of time and because of the recent
rapid social economic and physical changes in the City of Pune
many observations are already not existing or are likely to
vanish or change by the time this document is finalised.

Because of the changes in the development control rules

and introduction of Transfer of Development Rights (T.D.R.) etc.
many old olis and. Peths have undergone major changes in their
physical form. Also the industrial growth has changed the
employment structure.

Pune was the administrative seat of power during the

Peshwa period, however, after the British rule its character
changed from administration to Pensioners' Town and an
ed.ucational centre. This is evident by the excellent schools,
Nutan Marathi vidyalaya, etc. and colleges like Fergusson
College, S.P. College, Wadia College, etc.

Pune today is a well-known education centre. AII the

educational articles, books, stationery needed for the students for
their studies are available at Stationery Ali (Appa Balwant
Chowk) area. We get all the above material required for the
study everywhere in the city. But the main place where you get
books for schools and colleges is Appa Balwant Chowk.

Appa Balwant Chowk has long history of its development.

The Appa Balwant Chowk name was given to the area after the
Iate freedom fighter Balwant Vasudeo Phadke. About 70 years
ago Appa Balwant Chowk (A.B.C.) was an important commercial
area. AII variety shops like those of grocery, clothes, daily needs,
etc. were located there. But soon they were gone and they
started running bakeries. Within a few years the bakeries were
also closed, as there was not rnuch scope for that business. Later
shops such as printing presses, booksellers started locating here.
But in a few years the printing presses also declined. Now there
are onl5r two or three printing presses and rest of all the shops
are of book-sellers, articles of stationery, etc. This evolved the
Stationerv AIi of Pune and was named as such by Pune citizens
who named, areas after some profession. However, this name did
not become popular like Tambat Ali, Dane Ali, etc'

History & Mornholoey

History
As Pune has for long been a centre of education there was a
stable and growing demand of the services of printing, stamp
making and book binding est:rblishments. The industry in Pune
is quite old and its beginning goes back to the last century.

In Pune the stationery stores are located aII over the city.
But the main street of stationery lies between Appa Balwant
chowk and Budhwar chowk and also the nearby areas. This
area is accessible from two roads namely, Bajirao Road and
Shivaji Road. Both are today one-way roads. There is no special
aesthetic appeal to this area. But there are two major
Iandmarks in this area, namely "Gramdevata Tambadi
Jogeshwari Mata" and "Shrimant Dagdushet Halwai Ganapati".

Budhwar Ward, approximately 450 mtrs. by 390 mtrs. with

an area of 1,70,000 sq.mtrs. and approximately 6100 people, is
Iocated in the heart of Pune City.

Though the printing press or book binding and other

stationery trades are relatively modern, the structures in which
they were located were until recently those built around 1870 to
1910 and were thus vintage residential structures with shops or
trade areas on the ground floor.

Morphology

Budhwar Ward was founded by the Emperor Aurangzeb in

1690 and was first called Mahujabad. It was afterwards peopled
by Govind shivaram Khasagivala in the time of the Fourth
Peshwa Mad.havrao BalIaI (176I-L772). It is the most peopled
part of the city and has several retail shops. The street was once
very narrow but of Iate many important roads have been
widened.. This has changed many buildings and views of this
area. But it had an intimate scale and human proposition to its
architecture until recent years.

Localities having Traditional Concentration of Stationerlr

Ali
Locality
Th9 main work of stationery concerns printing,
bookbinding, etc. The size of the different establishments and
their mechanical equipment differed to a very large extent.
According to census of establishments there were in all 59
printing presses in the city and a total of Il47 persons were
engaged in them. Of these 16 were in Sadashiv Peth, 10 in
Budhwar, 9 in Shaniwar Peth, 2 each in Shivajinagar, Ganj Peth
and Vetal Peth and one each in Bhavani Peth, Rasta Peth, Nihal
Peth and Vetal Peth.

The whole establishment has been divided into groups on

the basis of the numbers employed in each. The first group
included presses which emp.loyed more than 35 workers each.
The second group included establishments that employed
between 10 and 35 workers each and the third group concern
employing less than 10 workers.

According to of establishments there were 16

census
establishments of bookbinders and rulers in the city and 58
people were engaged in them. Of these 6 each were in Budhwar
Peth and Shaniwar Peth and one each in Sadashiv Peth, Kasba
Peth and Nana Peth.

Pune has two markets for the sale of stationery, one in

Budhwar Peth main street and other in the Bohri AIi or Aditwar
main street. These shops seII a mixture of stationery, cutlery
and haberdashery. The business was formerly wholly in the
hands of Bohri but of late a number of Brahmins have opened
stationery and haberdashery shops being easy to manage and
requiring very little training. The binding business, printing
work, setting of papers and other printing equipment was located
in the Stationery AIi area. The bookshops even specialising in
Iaw, medical and engineering, have emerged today in this area.
Locational and traded professional specialisation has shifted over
the years in this zorte.

Work/Activity Area
The main function of these commercial concerns is
printing, stamp making, bookbinding, ruling, etc. the size of the
different establishments and their mechanical equipment
differed to a very large extent. Book stores and other shops have
all recently shifted in this area.

The mechanical equiprnent consists of cylinder printing

machines and treadles, cutting machines, stitching and
perforating machines, etc. The power used to run machines is
electricity. Some of the machines are hand operated. The raw
materials used are paper, ink, type (metal), stationery and
binding materials, etc. Paper is the largest single item of
expenditure and the next comes ink.
 The ruling and the book binding industry is a specialised
branch of the printing industry. The work of this branch is that
of ruling blank papers and repairing old books and binding newly
printed books. Apart from this marriage invitations, leaflets,
posters, etc. are printed here.

The raw materials used in stamp making are rubber,

which is mainly imported from Madhya Pradesh. Plaster of
Paris, whiting and wooden plates are available IocaIIy.

The process of stamp making consists of the following

steps:

1. Composing: Firstly the required words are chosen and

arranged. (This is now changing rapidly.)

2. Fitting in plates: The composed words are fitted in

plates of the required shape and size. The shapes
commonly used are circular and rectangular. The plates
are also called as moulds which are made up of plaster of
Paris and whiting.

3. Drying: The moulds are allowed to dry for one to two

minutes in electric Bhatti.

4. Pressing of rubber: The rubber is pressed on dry plates

and the stamp is ready.

The minimum space required for rubber stamp

manufacturing is 2.lm x 2.hn. These activities are carried out
on the ground floor. The press or workshop is located in the rear
and the sales area is on the road.
 The main work carried out in this area is that of binding of
books, registers, stamp making and printing and book selling'
The road. wid.ening is carried out on one side of street that is on
the side where there is temple of Mata Jogeshwari. So most of
the buildings on this side are new. Some of them are on

ownership basis and some on rental basis. On ground floor the

shops are provid.ed and on upper floors there is residence. The
shops consists of roughly two parts, the front part consists of
counter and racks for keeping books and other stationery
material and rear part acts as store along with mezzanitte floor.
Open areas in the rear are also used as work areas.

The shops on the other side were mostly old structures.

These shops are on rental basis and also consists of two
functional parts as in new shops and are with or without
mezzanine floors. This is also the case of the stamp making,
binding and printing press. The arrangement is that the front
part of shop is used for business dealings and the rear part for
actual working. This is the overall picture of typical
establishments in this area. The book stores have their storage
located in the rear.

Land Use Survey

It is seen that there is mixed land use, i.e. commercial on

ground floor and residential on upper floor. Purely commercial
use of land is verv little.

Parking for four wheelers is provided at corner of Budhwar

Chowk and parking for two-wheelers is on street parking
alternately on each side.
 There is only one primilry school named "Nutan Marathi
vid.yalaya". The main attraction of this area is "Mata
Jogeshwari Mandir". There are two entertainment centres,

Prabhat cinema and Ratan Cinema, each at one chowk, Appa

Balawant chowk and Budhwar chowk. There is no park,
playground or open space provided in this area'

Description Percentage

1. Residential use 30

2. Mixed use 40

3. Commercial use 10

4. Public use 4

5. Road 16

Total 100

Amenities in the Area

AII types of amenities like education, health and

commercial shops and entertainment centres exist in this area.
There is one primary school named "Nutan Marathi Vidyalaya".

In this area no big hospital exists but health facility is

provided by four clinics and three medical stores. The more well
known temple of "Shri Tambadi Jogeshwari" is situated here and
one temple of Venkateshwar is also in this area. The social and
commercial facilities are provided by one bus stop provided by
Pune Municipal Transport. There are three grocery shops. As
the main function of this street is provided stationery facility,
this is fulfilled by 17 general and stationery shops, 57 book stalls,
27 stamp makers, printing presses, binding shops and small
scale industries. Along with this basic function the other in
general need.s are fulfiIled by 15 electrical and electronics shops,
four Xerox and typing centres, nine lottery stalls, three pan
shops, three bakeries and one milk dairy. One laundry and three

cloth shops, six restaurants and three dining halls, three hair
dressers, two glass d.epots, three shoe shops, four tailoring shops,
two newspaper agencies, two painter's shops, two music
instruments shop and one oil depot. For financial transaction
which is required for smooth working of business there are two
banks in this area. The nearby post office is in the back side of
shaniwar wada. In both the Appa Balwant Chowk and the
Budhwar Chowk there are two cinema theatres, Prabhat and
Ratan, respectively.

Utilities & Services

Water Supply: The water is supplied by P.M.C. Water
(a)
Supply Department. the water is supplied through private as
well as public taps. In this area water is supplied by two
systems. Some area has continuous supply and. some area has
intermittent supply as per P.M.C. water supply department
schedule. The supply is through pipes of diameter of 15cm and
7.5cm. For domestic purpose the standard demand is 135
Itrs/capitalday and for commercial purpose the standard demand
is 45 ltrs/capita/day. Since there is mix use, i.e. residential and
commercial in this area the standard demand is about 180
Itrs/capitalday. The water supplied actually by P.M.C. is more
than the demand.

Drainage and Sewerage: For collection of dry refuse,

(b)
M.M.C. has provided two dry refuse collection tanks. But it is
observed that these two tanks are insufficient and the sewage
from this area is collected through underground sewer lines
under gravity. Hence, no pumping is required. Suffi'cient
numbers of inspection chambers at junctions, on straight roads
at regular intervals are provided for inspection, cleaning and
repair purpose.

(c) Electricity: The electricity is supplied by M.S.E.B' to

this area. This area is provided with good quality of street
tighting with both side distribution spacing about 30 metres
apart.

Elements of Citv Imase

Element Major Minor

1. Path
2. Nodes
3. Landmark
4. District
5. Edge

Path: The road connecting Shivaji Road and Bajirao Road

named Nakalakar Bhonde Road is major path. The Shivaji Road
and Bajirao Road are the two minor paths in this area.

Edge: There is no well defined edge in this area.

Distinct: District is area with a separate atmosphere.

they are recognisable by common character identity and may be
used as exterior reference if visible from outside.

District name when thematic unity does not establish

striking contacts with other parts of the city then traditional
association of name can play such part. The whole stationery
street represents the district itself. The common characters of
this area are stamp making, printing, book binding and
stationery shops.

Landmark: Landmarks are points of reference. They are

external as well as physical objects as building, etc.

In this area, there are two main landmarks:

1. Gramdevata Shri Tambadi Jogeshwari Mandir

2. Shrimant Dagadushet Halwai Ganapati Mandir.
Nodes: Nodes are the points of strategic spot into which
an observer can enter, there are intensive foci nodes which are
primarily functional.

Theoretically, every ordinary street crossing is a node but

generally it is not sufficiently prominent to the image as more
than incidental crossing of the path the image cannot carry to
many nodal centre.

A strong physical form is not always necessary for a node.

In this area there are two major nodes, namely Appa

Balwant Chowk and Budhwar Chowk. And there are four minor
nodes.

Buildine Typoloev
Most of the buildings in Stationery Ali are on ownership
basis. Very few buildings in this area of old type. Majority of
new buildings are of R.C.C. and brick work.

The old buildings were constructed with teak wood

columns and beams. Brick walls with cement mortar were used
as partition walls. The roofing rvvas tited country style. The new
buildings are constructed with R.C.C. frame and brick walls with
cement mortar as partition walls. The old buildings are
congested.ly placed. Nowadays the new style of construction has
apartment flats on upper floor and commercial shops on the
ground. floor. The building typology is clearer by the table given
below:

Age of Building Percentage

Above 90 15

Above 60 25

Above 30 10

Below 30 45

Under Construction 5

TOTAL 1OO

Information through Interview

Persons interviewed from the following shops:

1. V.K. Samak & Co.

2. Venus Book Stall
3. Maharashtra Boo.k Depot
4. Naro Appaji Godbole.

. As the street is main stationery street, the traffic is heavy

causing air pollution and noise pollution.

. Pedestrian way is on only one side causing problem of

pedestrians on the other side.
 Pedestrian way is occupied mainly by the hawkers (book
sellers) causing problem for the pedestrians and parking.

Adequate toilets are not provided in the area.

This street connects two one ways and also this street
represents main stationery area in the City. So there is
heavy traffic and road widening is required more often,
hence in the road widening some people have already lost
their land.

Though road widening is carried out the present width of

the road is not sufficient to carry the traffic and parking on
the street further reduces the width of the road.

The shops are taken on rented basis. The shopkeepers

have their residence away from the shops and anywhere in
the city.

Due to loading and unloading congestion occurs.

Adequate water supply of about 240 ltrs capacity is

provided.

Some of the activities have now shifted or have stopped

completely.

Income & Expenditure

The total expenditure of P.M.C. for the Pune City,

according to 1997-98 financial budget was Rs. 350 crore. Out of
this Rs. 150 crore is provided for the development works in the
city, like road widening, renovation of road, road maintenance,
repairing of water supply lines, etc. There are a total 124 wards
under P.M.C. Hence the expenditure for development for each
ward is found out as:

Expenditure for one ward Total Expenditure

No. of wards

Rs. 150 crore

124

Rs. O.242 crore

Rs. 24,19,354.84

The study area that is Stationery Ali is a part of Ward No.

124. The area occupied by study area is around 2b% of the ward
area. So area-wise the expenditure on study area by P.M.C. is
also equal to 25% of the expenditure of the total ward.

Expenditure for study area Expenditure for ward x %

area occupied by study area Rs. 24,L9,354.84 x 0.25

Rs. 30,24,193.55.

Findinss & Conclusions

1. As this street is mainly stationery area in the city, there is

heavy inflow of traffic in this area. The temple of
Gramdevata Tambadi Jogeshwari is also one of the
attraction for citizens. Hence there is traffic congestion on
this street.

2. The parking for two-wheelers is provided on street parking

alternately, which also restricts the road area used for
traffic.

3. The footpath is occupied by the street booksellers which

creates problem for pedestrians.
4- As there is a very heavy traffic flow on this street it
produces heavy sound pollution and air pollution (to the
pedestrians and also to the shopkeepers).

5. Public toilets provided are inadequate.

6. Printing and book shops are a highly profit making and

very flourishing business.

7. As the topography of the area is low compared to the other

area, during rainy season all the water gets collected on
the street, but after some time it gets out through
manholes which are provided at regular intervals.

8. The entire area is the central part of the old city.

9. some commercial use is in the form of roadside shopping.

10. Area is predominant with mixed land use in the form of

residential and commercial. etc.

11. Lack ofrecreational open space.

12. Vegetable market is not zrvailable.

13. other shops which include medicar, Xerox, grocery and

restaurants exist.
 CHAPTER 6

(A) TAMBAT ALI

Introduction
Pune City has been referred to as Queen of Deccan by
many visitors. It is also known as the cultural capital of
Maharashtra. It has evolved over a long period of time and it
has the unique distinction of having a rock cut cave temple of
shiva, known as Pataleshwar. This temple is located now right
in the middle of the City. The later development was basically in
the Kasba Peth area, which was the earliest development along
the river MuIa.

During the period of Peshwas who established their seat of

power in Pune around 1730 A.D., they invited people from
different areas and practicing different professions to come
forward and settle in Pune. They were to start their business
and profession providing all the activities needed for a capital
city.

These neighbourhoods where people from one profession

settled and carried out their activities were called as 'alis'. The
settlers were offered land at concessional rates and this was the
pattern of patronage followed in aII the princely capital all over
India. Ali is a street or a group of streets inhibited by people of
one particular community, which carried out professions like
pottery, coppersmithy, carpentry, etc. These neighbourhoods or
alis are named according to the professions, which were carried
out in that area. Tambat Ali, where brass and. copper vessels
were manufactured. Burud Ali, where basket weavers reside
and carry on their trade, etc.

History & Morpholoev

Hundreds of artisans and craftsmen who carry on the rich
tradition of our culture, Iive in the ali. They work in the ground
floor area or in the partly open and partly covered rear portion of
their residence. To an outsider these residences may appear
congested and non-conductive to the creative process of the
craftsmen. But best artifacts and objects were created in these
alis. The need for a modern environment for better output is
weII understood for mechanical production of a modern plant.
However, for a traditional craftsman with his simple tools a
homely environment was appropriate.

Tambats are part of an age old social system known as

'Bara Balutedars'. These are craftsmen working and dealing in
utensils of copper,bronze, brass, etc. Copper is known as'tamba'
in Marathi from which the name 'Tambat AIi' has evolved. The
Bara Balutedars were supposed to cater to the needs of the
urban society.

In the early period the system was based on barter where

people would exchange goods for goods or goods for services. If
someone wants to get a copper vessel then he would go to the
Kasar or coppersmith and provide the old material. The Kasar
would then prepare the utensil by adding any new metal if
necessary as per the need of the patron. The person would take
the utensil and give the Kasar a bagful of grains as
remuneration. The age old system has not changed as yet,
except that the remuneration is paid in money. People go to the
shop, give the old away and take the new ones. Valuable
antiques and artistic artifacts of copper, brass, etc. were lost
through melting.

The Tambat, previously known as Kasar (derived from

'Kansya' which means bronze) is considered a son of
Vishwakarma (the creator of the earth and mythological
architect) having also the name'Twashta', whose other sons were
Maitha (the carpenter), Manu (the blacksmith), Daivadnya (the
goldsmith) and Patharvat (the sculptor).

Mythological & Literary Background

On invitation of the Peshwas the Tambats came some 400

years ogo, when Pune was being established as their
administrative headquarters. The Tambats came from regions
like Thane, Colaba, Ratnagir:i, etc. Before the Tambats this
neighbourhood was occupied partly by Brahmins and jewelers.
The initial arrival of the Tambats attracted the new arrivals to
this area and thus the Tamb:rt Ali was formed. This area was
also used at the time for the stables of the Peshwas' horses.

Initially there were about 200 Tambats in the Tambat AIi

who had their residences and work places in the same premises.
The practice continues even today and can be referred to as the
living heritage of this City. This profession saw a boom uptill as
Iate as the start of this century. The inl'ention of stainless steel
and plastic has spelled a decline of this profession. The neglected
profession is now seeing a revival and new interest in items like
'Ghangal'(water vessel) used for interior decoration in modern
houses, hotels, etc.

.rn\
 The earlier residences of the Tambats were not built as per
their requirements. This made them cumbersome to operate,
hence they purchased new plots and built houses which were
suitable for them. Later on, increasing family size and the
business made the available space inadequate and the need for
new work place was felt. This was amply taken care of by
extending the existing structure. But this was not possible later
due to lack of funds and lack of space. The nature of extension
became temporary and more open to the sky. Growing family
created pressure on available space. The houses then encroached
on their verandahs, the front and the back open spaces, and in
some cases even on the roads. This incremental growth has led
to formation of an interesting mosaic of open spaces interlinking
roads and work places. These places can be very organic,
aesthetic and vernacular in stvle.

The 1961 floods destroyed many of the brick structures

along the river bank. R.C.C. was used in some places instead of
Ioad bearing walls and timber. This created new building
facades which are different in character and contrast with the
brick and timber structure. There are road widening lines in this
area which have been implernented in any newly constructed
building. This widening, along with the heights, proportions of
doorways and windows in the new structures, are discordant
with the character of the precincts. It is the human proportioned
scale of the earlier buildings that gives them that intimate touch
which is missing in the new R.C.C. structures.

c)1\
Localities having Traditional concentration of rambats

Locality:

The Tambats today reside in Tambat

Ali in Kasba Peth.
This is easily accessible from Shaniwar Wada through
Yadnyawalkya Ashram Road and by subsidiary roads from
Kasba Ganapati. This lies just before Pawale Chowk, a very well
known Chowk in Kasba Peth.

Most of the Tambats today are residing in Tambat AIi in

Kasba Peth. It is the oldest part of Pune. Even during the
earlier period many professional craftsmen came and settled
around the Shaniwar Wada and hence in Kasba Peth many
craftsmen like Tambats, Kumbhars reside. OId descriptions and
records make interesting reading even today.

Brass and copper workers number 2320 mostly live in the

Kasba Peth, Shukrawar Peth, Vetal Peth, Budhwar Peth,
Ghorpade Peth and Rasta Peth. This number includes
approximately 810 tambats or makers of large articles, b00
jingars (connected with horses), 50 casters and 960 Kasars. The
hereditary copper brass and beII metal workers in Pune, the
Tambats, Jingars, Otaris and Kasars are all quite easy going
people, who speak colloquial Marathi and mostly live in single
storeyed houses.

Works/Activity Area
The tools which are required for the Tambat in making the
utensils are simple and very fundamental.

Jingars (brass casters) have sixteen main tools and

appliances: an airan (anvil), four kharuais (bar anvils), four
hatoudas (hammers), a sandsi (a pair of tongs), two pairs of
scissors together, five yearly renewed kansis (files), a shagda
(vice), bhatas (a pair of bellows), a karuol (saw), a sandhan (an
iron bar) with one end smoothed to serve or an anvil, a randha
(flat iron rasper), 15 cm x 1.2 cm with one end bent and
sharpened used for scraping and polishing pots.

A samta (porer), a gaj (a 60 cm scale), a square iron tray on

tas, a palm leaf fan or hadpano used in fanning the five worth %

d and two or three crucible catchers or chyaks. The chyak is an

iron ring about 90 cm round with two long iron bars fastened at
equal distances apart. Over the ends of these bars a second ring
about 50 cm across is passed and moved up and down the bars so
as to increase or reduce the space above the base ring. In
working the chyak the base ring is lowered into the furnace so as
to surround down the bar till the crucible is tightly pressed
between the bone and can be drawn out of the furnace.

Process:

The process of making utensils is as follows:

In making brass, beII metal or ltase and white metal or

pancharasi, the alloy is melted in a pit about 90 cm round and
120 cm or 150 cm deep. At the bottom of the pit a bellows tube is
firmly fixed and over the bellows tube are laid three or four flat
bottomed dome topped crucibles or pots about 45 cm high and a
30 cm round. The crucible which is called n1,u,s, is made by brass
makers themselves of powdered broken china, flint and ashes.
After putting some borax or sauag into the crucibles to serve as a
flux, if brass is to be made, they are filled with broken pieces of
copper and zinc and with closed by an air-tight plug. Charecur,
dried cow dung cakes and wood are neaped over the crucibles.
The fire is lighted and with the help of the bellows is blown to a
while heat. The men know the time generally four to five hours,
which the alloy takes to form. When the metal is ready each
crucible is grasped in the chyak and lifted out of the furnace. on
taking it out the side of the crucible is bored by the point of a nail
and the molten metal flows into shallow clay trough where it is
left to cool. When cool the solid mass is dragged from the trough
by a sandsi (pair of tongs), Iaid on the'dagad' (stone) and beaten
to the required thinness. To form metal sheets, whether local or
imported into the required shapes, the sheet is laid on the floor
and the workman traces on it with a pair or compasses the pieces
required for the upper and the under parts of the vessels to be
made and cuts out the two pieces with scissors or with a chisel.
The metal is then softened in the fire and hammered and again
softened and again hammered. The alternate hammering and
heating being repeated three or four times tilI it is beaten into
shape. The two pieces are then soldered with brass, borax or
sauag and chloride of ammonia called 'nausagar'. The men work
in groups (bands) of five or six dividing the labour, some make
the rough outline of the shape, other shapes the neck, a third set
from the lower pieces, fourth solder the shaped pieces and a fifth
polish the whole. AII the polish which the Tambats give is a
rough scrubbing with a mixture of powdered charcoal and
tamarind pulp, followed by beating with a small hammer tiII the
whole surface is covered with hammer marks on facets. This last
process gives that typical sound and the quality to this area.
Articles:

The main articles which are made bv the Tambat are as

follows:

Traditionally, copper and brass articles made in Pune can

be arranged under fourteen groups, those used in the kitchen,
those usedin eating and drinking, those used in storing and
carrying water, articles used in serving betel, musical
instruments, measures, lamps, dishes and vessels used in
worship, images, peasant jewelry, toilet requisites, appliances
used in the drinking hall but not for eating or drinking,
miscellaneous ware and toys.

Today, only a few of the above varieties are manufactured

because of lack of demand.

Buildine Tvpoloey
As Tambat AIi is the oldest part of Pune City, the area is
congested. Some of the houses in this area are residential-cum-
workshop. The old buildings were constructed in teak wood
column and mud walls, mud floors, etc. The khano system of
bays was used in the construction. Balconies and sajjas are also
present. The front area adjoining the road is mainly used as
working area which comprises of two parts. First, the area
where the melting process takes place, and the second, space
where hammering or shaping process of utensil takes place. The
optimum space required for one workshop with simple tools is
about 450 cm x 600 cm with a minimum of 24O cm x 300 cm. A
minimum of three people work per workshop, mostly from the
same family. The room next to working area is used for sitting
and cooking activities respectively. Usually, sleeping area is on
the first floor. The staircase leading to the first floor is from
working area or the open space which is at the back side.

The other type of buildings was 'wad,a'type where the

dwelling units were constructed around a central open space
with a verandah separating the dwelling unit and open space.
The central open space in addition to providing light and
ventilation, houses the common amenities like water storage and
adjoining washing place was used as a working area.

The introduction of R.C.C. material after the 1961 floods

did not change the facades of the buildings as the masking did
not change and the details like grills, doors, verandahs, etc. did
not change.

The builders using the most popular style of construction,

apartments, flats, on entirely new fagade and materials is
introduced in this area. This is the contrast to the existing style
style. This style of construction is not
of construction and Iiving
suitable for the current working platform of residence and
workshop. Also influx of other people of this area may oppose
the workshops as the noise level is high. The R.C.C. also is not
sound absorbing hence it may also increase the decibel levels of
the area. R.C.C. was not an environmentally sensitive and
pleasing structure like the one in mud, timber and bricks.

Land Use Survey

As it is seen that there is mixed land use, i.e. residential

and commercial in this area. This is the congested, and older
part of the city. It is seen that there are about 36 shops of
various kinds in this locality mainly of mixed uses. There is very
little purely commercial use in this area. This area has little
aesthetic viewpoints.

The main occupation of these people is making articles of

copper. So it causes nuisance of sound to the adjoining
residential areas.

There is only one primary school in this area. There are no

bus stops provided for the passengers. There is only one library
and four temples in this area. No organized open space or
garden is provided in this area.

Existing Land Use Percentage

Residential 32.O

Mixed 28.0
Commercial 5.0
Public 13.5
Open 7.5
Road 14.o
Total 100.0

Amenities in the Area

In Tambat ali area there is only primary school that is

Rajmata Jijabai Primary School and one library of the Tambat
people, called Twashta Kasar Sanstha Library which is also run
by the Tambat Samaj. For the health of public there are four
clinics and one proposed Chandak Hospital which is under
construction. For the worship and prayer there are four mandirs
(temples) in Tambat ali which are as follows: Shri Gurudev Datta
Mandir, Shri Kalika Devi Mandir, Shri Ganesh Mandir and Shri
Hanuman Mandir. For the day to day needs of the people
various shops exist such as one flour mill, one laundry, two
bakeries, two cloth shops, three electrical and electronics shops,
five grocery shops, two wheeler repair shops, one hair cutting
saloon, one dairy, one photo studio, five building material shops,
one telephone booth, three tailoring shops, one metal utensil
shop, three medical stores, two bicycle shops and one glass
trader.

Utilities & Services

(a) Water Supply:

Water supply for domestic means is supplied by the Pune

Municipal Corporation. Source of water supply is through
private tap. The diameter of pipe is 15cm and 7.5cm. For
domestic purpose the standard requirement is about 135
lit/capitalday, but the water supplied by P.M.C. is 2lO
Iit/capita/day. The water supply by P.M.C. in morning is 5.00 am
to 10.00 am and in the evening it is 5.00 pm to 10.00 pm. and is
adequate.

(b) Drainage & Sewerage:

P.M.C. has provided two dry refuse containers for

collection of dry refuse. The sewage of the area is carried out by
underground sewer line which is provided by P.M.C. There are
122 inspection chambers provided at regular interval. Finally
the sewage is treated in sewage treatment plant.

(c) Electricity:

The electric supply to the area is done by Maharashtra

State Electricity Board. M.S.E.B.) Substation is located in Kasba
Peth. There are L2 MVA distributor transformers and the
capacity of the substation is 22 kV x 11 kV.

(d) Telephone:

There are adequate telephone connections in this area.

The cables are provided underground. Private lines and
coverage of mobile exist.

Traffic Survey
Parking: There is no parking space available in Tambat
AIi. The place where the Tambat Haud was located, has now
been demolished and that space has been used for parking. But
the space is not sufficient for parking. So the parking is done by
every individual in front of his or her house.

Traffic: There are mainly five modes of traffic. These are

autorickshaws, two wheelers, bicycles, trucks and cars. The
main mode is two wheeler and bicycle; autorickshaws, cars,
trucks standing in descending order. Bus facility is not available
in this area.

Traffic Count for I Hour

Particulars No. of Equivalency Conversion

Vehicles Factor to PCU

1. Two wheeler 206 0.5 103

2. Bicycle LT4 0.5 57
3. Autorickshaw 100 1.0 100

4. Car 6 1 6

5. Truck 2 3 6

Total: 272
 Pedestrian Way: The flow of the pedestrian is normal in
this area. Beside one main street there are four pathway for the
pedestrians. There are no footpaths provided for pedestrian in
this area and hence there is no safety to the pedestrians.

Aesthetic Survey

Different methods are used for aesthetic survev. We have

used Kevin Lynch method.

Kevin Lynch had found out that major and minor elements
of image formation are Path. Edge, District, Nodes and
Landmarks. While surveying these elements should be
considered.

Elements of City Imase

Element Major Minor

1. Path
2. Nodes
3. Landmark
4. District
5. Edge

Path: Tambat Haud Path is the major path in this area

and there are other minor paths in this area.

Edge: There is no river frontage in this area.

District: District is an area with a separate atmosphere.

The areas are recognizable by common character, visual identity
and may be used as exterior reference if visible from outside.
Minor District is named when thematic unity does not establish
striking contracts with other parts of the city. In such cases
traditional association of name can play such part. By this
definition the whole Tambat Ati itself represents the district.

Landmark: Landmarks are points of reference. They are

external as well as physical objects as building etc. In this area
there are two main landmarks, viz..

. Twashta Kasar Shri Kalika Devi Mandir

. Twashta Kasar Samaj Library.
Nodes: Nodes are the points or strategic spots into which
an observer can enter. These are intensive foci of activitv and
are primarily functional.

In theory every ordinary street crossing is node but

generally it is not of sufficient prominence to be a node as more
than incidental crossing cannot be considered nodal center. A
strong physical form is not always necessary for nodes. In
Tambat Ali there are six such nodes based on the activitv
pattern.

Buildine Tvpoloey
The old buildings were constructed with teak wood
columns, brick walls with mud mortar and mud floor, etc.
Balcony and Chajjos are used extensively.

The other type of buildings were 'utada'type, where the

dwelling units were constructed around a central open space
with verandah separating the dwelling unit and open space. The
central open space in addition to providing light and ventilation
is used for water storage tank and as washing place.

After the 1961 flood a new construction material was

introduced: R.C.C. The new material hardly brought new
building form, but was responsible for different spanning than
the 'Khan' and hence bigger rooms were possible. The
introduction of this material did not much change the facades of
the buildings as the brick work did not change and also the detail
like grill, doors, windows, etc. were not altered much.

Most recently in Pune the lucrative property prices are

tempting the owners to sell their properties. The builders are
using the most popular style of construction, i.e. 'apartment'
flats. This is resulting in an entirely new fagade and, a different
plan and materials are introduced in this area. This is in
contrast to the existing style of construction and living style.
This new type of construction is not suitable for the current
working style and needs of residents.

The arrangement of a residence and workshop functioning

together in a low one storey structure is lost in a block of flats.
The R.C.C. construction is also not sound absorbing and hence
there is the problem of noise that remains unsolved.

Age of Building Percentage

Above 90 8.0
Above 60 2t.5
Above 30 50.0
Below 30 17.5
Under Construction 3.0
Social & Economic Survey

Social Survey

The lack of buyers from urban area and resulting general

financial crunch has affected the people socially and economically
and hence these people have come together to form a 'sanstha,
named as Twashta Kasar Sanstha. This sanstha has not been
really formed to do anything to improve the economic status of
this community, but has done some remarkable work in social
area.

It is a tradition to pay half yearly taxes to the ,Mata, (the

Kasar Kali Mata). This had enabled the reconstruction of temple
and has provided the area with an import;ant religious landmark.
This also provides space for small social functions. The sanstha
has also constructed a library for the benefi.t of poor and needy.
There is also a study haII for 25 students as the noise level in
this area is intolerably high.

Along with this group the sanstha arranges many other

social and cultural activities like blood donation camp, free
education to the needy, medical camp, Anath Mahila Fund, etc.

This area is generally a socially viable unit of the city

which functions as a part of ther whole.

Economic Survey

The Tambats are artisans and craftsmen. These people d.o

not know much about business. The old system of the buyer
bringing the material and paying for the labour has not changed
much. Due to this limitation there is no elaborate system of
agents and middlemen buying the finished goods and selling

.) c)\
them in the market. AIso this system keeps the craftsmen
dependent in terms of cash for capital investment. Due to this,
these people do not buy raw material for themselves and prepare
the goods on their own. The demands of the major wholesale
buyer is of extreme importance and all the work is done in return
of meager labour charges. As the design is done as per the buyer
and this has made the household industry a declining industry.
It is seen that the average income per family which is totally
dependent on this work is about Rs. 80,000 annually. The
marketing system and lack of capital has kept the community
generally in economic stagnation.

This has made the younger generation to search for the

new types of employments. some of them have started running
autorickshaws, some have started the business of auto-electricals
and many have found permanent jobs in the industry where this
community is preferred in jobs pertaining to casting, moulding
and sheet bending or pressing.

This has increased the economic life style of the community

but has reduced the available work force.

Information through Interviews

Observations made

In Tambat Ali besides the people of the Tambat samaj,

there are people of different castes with different traditions. The
decline is due to less demand of the product of brass and
introduction of stainless steel and plastics. So, the new
generation shifts towards other employment avenues.
 The new generation is not ready to carry on their
traditional occupation as it is a hard work, Iess income and no
new sources for their upliftment.

As there was lack of education among the people, most of

them were cheated by the businessmen from other communities
such as Gujarathis, Sindhis and Marwadis. So the new
generation is trying to educate themselves.

At present the people are unable to start new business due

to poor economic conditions and hence they have to work as per
the order of the businessmen.

As the plinth height of houses is very low, at the time of

floods the water enters the house.

The houses are very small, i.e. of two rooms, the first room
and the open space is used for workshop and the second one is for
kitchen.

Initially, the volume and flow of traffic was less, so the

houses were constructed touching one other and congested, but
due to increase in population and the flow of traffic some change
is needed.

One of the persons interviewed told that if the government

arranged an exhibition of their articles that could give them
profit, they would really participate in it and continue to work
and prosper.

Income & Expenditure

The total expenditure of Pune Municipal Corporation for

the city according to 1997-98 financial budget was Rs. B5o crore.
This has been taken as an example. out of this Rs. 1b0 crore is
provided for the development works in the city like road
widening, renovation of road, road maintenance, repairing of
water supply lines and sewer lines, etc. There are a total I24
wards under P.M.C. Hence the expenditure for development for
each ward is found out as:

Expenditure for one ward = Total Expenditure

No. of wards

Findings & Conclusion

1. As the area is near Mula-Mutha river and the entire area

is sloping towards North and the East, during heavy
rainfall the water enters the houses. Hence the plinths
should be constructed high in the future.

2. High noise level is another problem of this area. A general

complaint of loss of hearing is found. The new building
materials are not helping in solving this problem. Sound
absorbing new materials should be tried out to reduce the
noise pollution without changing the appearance and
character of the structures.

3. A good amount of other amenities are found in and around

the area including a municipal school and a clinic. The
basic commercial needs like bakery, general store, repair
shops, etc. are found in the vicinity.

4. The presence of alternative wide roads is a blessing and

comparatively a very low amount of traffi.c is still flowing
on these roads. Mostly the people living in this area leave
this area in the morning and they are coming back in the
event, which represents the major traffic. There is no bus
 route through this area although there is one located
nearby.

5. The overall encroachment on the limited open space is a

major problem. Lack of vehicular access to each building is
another. This has led to utilizing large road areas for
parking and as of now this is not a major problem.
However, with the increased ownership of two-wheelers
and four-wheelers in Pune, congestion problem or parking
problem is likely to arise in this area.

6. A lack of initiative in bringing in funds and new designs to

maintain an even keel in the business is posing a problem
for survival of this profession.

7. The character of the precinct should be maintained,

considering that this has a tourist potential.

.)4\
 CHAPTER 6

(B) TAMBAKHU ALI

Introduction
Tobacco as a product had a wide usage and governmental
patronage in the past. Many of the noble families had their own
special requirements and flavours for the hukkahs or the hubble-
bubble pipes which were offered in their household. This was
determined by the tastes of the noble. Use of hukkah was very
popular in the Moghul and Rajput courts in the north and hence
it became a practice among the Marathas and the Peshwas. It
involves many objects and products as weII as rituals. To be
offered the smoke of the hukkah was treated as a symbol of
friendship.

AII this created the necessary demand and the need of

people engaged in the manufacture of the hukkah-tobacco
mixture, tobacco mix for the snuff as well as tobacco in other
form.

Tobacco was also used in the pan or beetle leaves or only as

a flavoured product for chewing. The last two uses of tobacco as

snuff and for chewing still continue among the weaker section of
the society. However, due to the knowledge of the side effects of
tobacco in any form, as well as the factor of time required for
preparation of hukkah or chillim their use has almost vanished
among the elite. Use of hukkah involves elaborate preparation,
considerable time, and assistance. There is a need of an
attendant to look after the coal fi.re, the change of water, the
mixing of the tobacco, etc. There are no nobles with time and
attendants to enjoy the hukkah..

The advent of machine made cigarettes and mass produced

bidis has also reduced the market for local tobacco products.
These are basically made in factories or in big workshops. The
market for tobacco products which are custom made still exist to
a limited extent. Poona Snuff with special flavours was famous
all over the State of Maharashtra. Today the market is
shrinking because of the clear health hazard associated with the
prolonged use of tobacco.

A day may come when tobacco and tobacco products will no

Ionger be demand. Thus this is one Ali and trade which has
clearly lived its time and could close up and area used for other
products. Socially it is necessary to identify such trades by the
researcher and recommendations made well in advance
regarding the alternative activities and the professional training
required for it. The town planners and urban designers have to
think of the alternative land uses which can be located in such
changing zones.

How the conservational aspect needs to be handled is a

question for the urban designers. One of the .suggestions is to
put such products and the production techniques, etc. in a crafts
and traditional profession museum which can be located in an
appropriate part of the city. Pagadband Ali will be the other AIi
which has to be recreated in such a museum.

Tambakhu AIi has been in existence for the past 250 years
approximately. It is formed along the street dividing Shukrawar
Peth and Budhwar Peth.
 Tambakhu AIi is surrounded by Subhansha Road, on its
East, Mirza Galib Road on its South, Traxrni Road on its North
and Bhutkar Road on its West. This AIi stretches from Bhagwan
Adinath Chowk to Thakurdas Chowk. It also has Honaji Bala
Street in its vicinity. The Tambakhu Ali crosses Bohri Ali to
form Bhagwan Adinath Chowk. So it is close to the Bohri AIi.

Even though it is known as Tambakhu Ali, the main

profession here was processing tobacco. It has changed into snuff
making. Today there are very few establishments remaining
that are purely into snuff making. The other have been
displaced and some have converted their snuff making trade into
grocery shops.

History & Morphology

Tambakhu AIi was established in the Peshwa regime in
1725. At that time tobacco was used for filling Chillims or
Hukkahs, as stated earlier. The workers in this trade were
mainly Marathas.

But for the last sixty years, i.e. from 1937-38 the main
profession of tobacco making has been converted into snuff
making. The traders get more and more profi.t by directly selling
the processed product. At earlier times there were in all 13
establishments. Among them the well known trading families
were Malpani, Shah, Vitekar, Pathare and Renavikar.

There were in all 300 persons employed in these

establishments. The main raw material tobacco was brought
from Nipani and Belgaum and the sales were distributed aII over
Maharashtra and parts of Hyderabad.
 Today there are only four establishments remaining that
are purely into snuff making. The others have been displaced
and some have converted their snuff making shops into grocery
shops.

Historical Buildings & Monuments

Harihar Mandir
This temple was built in 1944 by one of the wealthiest
traders in the snuff making business. Mr Pranlal Balkisan
Malpani. The temple has a Shitling, representing the fusion of
Vishnu, Shankar and Brahma (trimurti).

Mhalsakant Mandir or Khandoba Mandir

This temple was constructed in 1906 on the occasion of

Vijaya Dashmi in Vanvase Wada. The owner was one Mr Vishnu
Balvant Bhave and the temple is still in possession of Mr
Grahanarayan Raghunath Bhave, the grandson. This temple is
situated on the Honaji BaIa Path which starts from Tambakhu
Ali.

Work Activity & Area of Trade

Tambakhu AIi has been in existence for about 250 years.

From around 1937-38 the main profession has been converted
into snuff making and selling. Some of shops are located in
Budhwar Peth and Raviwar Peth.

Today snuff making process is not done in or around the

shop area. The shop is used only for trading and storage of snuff.
As the actual snuff making process is displaced, it has taken
with it all the workers community, i.e. Maratha community. The
wealthier Gujarati community has taken over the actual trade.
 The process involved in preparing snuff is burning and
grinding tobacco and treating the powder with various perfumes.
The main raw material required, i.e. tobacco is imported from
Nipani of Belgaum. The sales of the processed product, i.e. snuff
is distributed in all over Maharashtra and parts of Hyderabad.

The traders are doing wholesale as weII as retail trade.

They do wholesale business and also deal with local customers.
The profit margin is very large'. Due to this reason, the Gujarati
community was attracted towards this business. Some of the
traders also sell grocery along with snuff and tobacco.

Typical Establishment & Household

Tambakhu AIi consists of many old buildings. These

buildings are constructed in wood, with cantilevered balconies.
These buildings are three or four storeys high. The front part of
the ground floor is used for commercial purposes. The rear part
is used for storage.

The buildings have considerable British and Maratha

influence but they also show traces of Persian style. This has
been the influence of Bohri Ali. The continuity of the building
fagades is broken in between by some newer structures that are
constructed in R.C.C.

The upper residential floors have a continuous cantilevered

balcony which also serves as passage to the various rooms. Some
small traders have their houses on the floors directly above their
shops. Wealthier traders have bought the whole building and
have given the ground floor shops on rent to small traders.
Existing Land Use

The area under the influence of Tambakhu Ali is about

0.96 Ha. The ground floor areas facing the road are under
commercial use as it becomes easier for loading and unloading.
As the time goes by, the shopkeepers in Tambakhu Ali are
changing their trade of selling only tobacco or snuff. Today some
etc. Most of
of them are also selling grocery, cutlery, stationery,
the buildings are under the ownership of wealthy Gujarati
traders. They have their shops on the ground floor. The upper
floors that are used for residential purpose, are given on rent,
while the owners themselves are staying elsewhere in a less
congested and less polluted area.

Some of the shop areas are used as telephone booths.

in use as godowns. Two of the
Some parts of the upper floors are
plot areas, namely 1532 and 1533 are used for constructing a
temple, i.e. Harihar Mandir which is the only public area in
Tambakhu Ali.

The approximate land use analysis is given below:

Land Use Area in Ha % Total area

Residential 0.235 31.01%

Commercial 0.00 0.00
Re sidentiaVCommercial 0.35 46.r7
Open space o.024 3.t6%
Public 0.029 3.82%
Road o.t2 r5.83%
Amenities in the Area

The following amenities are present in and around Tambakhu

AIi:

School

There are no schools in Tambakhu Ali, but Agrawal Hindi

School, near Badhai Ali, serves the residents in Tambakhu AIi.
It is a primary and high school with a capacity of 500 students.

Police Station

A police station is situated at the western end of Tambakhu Ali,

i.e. in Eknath Kashinath Thakurdas Chowk.

Theatre

A theatre called as Nityanand Theatre is situated on Honaji BaIa

Road.

Temples

There are two Hindu temples in and around Tambakhu AIi. One
Harihar Mandir forms a part of Tambakhu AIi. The other
Mhalsakant Mandir is near to Tambakhu Ali, situated on Honaji
BaIa Road.

Telephone Booths

There are two telephone booths present on the street along which
Tambakhu Ali has formed. They both have the facilities of STD,
ISD and local telephone calls.
Bank

There are two banks in the vicinity of Tambakhu AIi. One of the
banks, Muslim Cooperative Bank is on Saifee Street and the
other bank, Dena Bank, is on Subhansha Road.

Post Offrce

One post office is present on Subhansha Road. It serves the area

of Tambakhu AIi, Badhai AIi and Bohri Ali and the area
surrounding these olis.

Public Toilet

There is one public urinal situated on the junction of Honaji Bala

Road and Tambakhu Ali.

Utilitv & Services

The following services lines are observed in Tambakhu AIi.

Drainage Lines

The drainage lines are laid underground along the roads. They
are located at the centre of the road width. The drainage lines
are provided with manholes at, equal distance. The drainage line
starts from Eknath Kashinath Thakurdas Chowk and at the end
gets connected to the line running along Saifee Street. The slope
is from West to East.

Water Supply Lines

The water supply lines are laid underground and along the road.
They run parallel to the sides of the road.
Electric Supply Lines
The electric supply lines for the buildings run overhead from pole
to pole. At certain points they happen to be very close to the
upper floor residences. Therefore, there is a possibility of
accidents.

The electric supply lines for the street lights run underground.

Storm Water Drain

Storm water drains are very few. Their number is inadequate.

Most of the storm water drains are choked up due to the entry of
large amount of garbage. AII these drain points are needed to be
cleaned at frequent intervals.

Traffic & Transportation

The road width in Tambakhu Ali has not remained continuous
over the years. The width changes from 6m to 7 .6m and at some
points 5.8m. This has happened because of the encroachment
done by the shopkeepers.

The parking is provided on both the sides of the road. Therefore,

the effective road width decrerases to about 3 to 4.5m. which is
highly undesirable. Further the road is two-way road. So there
is a problem of frequent traffic jams.

The two junctions or Chowlzs at both the ends of Tambakhu Ali

face frequent problem of trafficjams. The roads meeting at these
junctions are all two way roads and having parking on both
sides, even if their width is not sufficient to handle this kind of
traffic load. Therefore, they have become a source of nuisance to
the pedestrians.
The roads are also used by PMT buses as well as trucks and
tempos. Due to congestion and limited road width they have to
drive very slowly. Therefore, there is traffic blockade happening
everyday.

Even though the traffic load is high, the road surface is in

satisfactory condition. It is made up of tar.

There are no foot paths provided for the pedestrians. AII the
pedestrians use roads. This causes increase in the congestion.

The analysis of traffic volume surveys at Eknath Kashinath

Thakurdas Chowk or junction is given below:

Description No./hr PCU PCU o/o

to
Factor total
PCU

Two Wheelers 435 0.5 2t7 30.60

Bicycles 260 0.5 130 18.33
Jeep, Car, Rickshaw 290 1.0 290 40.90
Hand-cart 8 6.0 48 6.00
Bus, Truck 8 3.0 24 3.38

Aesthetic Survey

Talking about aesthetics in Tambakhu Ali, we have seen many

structures. Some of them are built about 150 years ago. Many of
them are in a good condition. Some of the old buildings are
converted into new commercial shops and rear side of shops for
storage purpose. The buildings are mainly planned for mix land
use, i.e. ground floor for the commercial purpose and the first
floor for the residential purpose.

The details of the buildings, like doors, windows and galleries are
well designed, which play major role in enhancing the aesthetics.
The road is somewhat wide and straight forward but the
irregular shape of each shop creates a visual hierarchy while
passing through the road.

Ali is carried out, according to

The aesthetic survey of Tambakhu
Sir Kevin Lynch technique. Therefore, the aesthetic elements
should be considered with respect to the following points:

Path

The major path in this area is Subhansha Road which runs from
Lal Bahadur Shastri Chowk to Sonva Maruti Chowk.

The minor paths are Saifee Street and Honaji Bala Road.

Node

The two major external chowks are Eknath thakurdas Chowk on

west side and Bhagwan Adinath Chowk on east side. Tambakhu
AIi is situated in between these two chowks.

It also has Honaji BaIa Road in its vicinity.

District
The whole Tambakhu AIi has its unique characteristics, i.e. the
traders are doing tobacco business. Today tobacco trading has
been converted into snuff trading. The ready made snuff is
stored in shops and store rooms. Hence it is like district in the
old core of the Pune Citv.
Landmark

There are two Hindu temples in and around Tambakhu AIi. One
Harihar Mandir forms a part of Tambakhu Ali. The other
Mhalsakant Mandir is near to Tambakhu AIi, situated on Honaji
BaIa Road.

A public toilet is situated on the junction of Honaji Bala Road

and Tambakhu Ali.

There are also two telephone booths present on the street along
which Tambakhu Ali has formed. These booths have facilities of
STD, ISD and local telephone calls.

A theatre called as Nityanand Theatre is situated on Honaji BaIa

Road.

Buildine Typology
Tambakhu AIi consists of many old buildings. These buildings
are constructed in wood, with cantilevered balconies. The
buildings are built in two, three or four storeys. They get light
ventilation from the front street. The ground floor is used for
commercial purpose whereas upper floors are used for residential
purpose. The ground floor shops have extended verandahs in the
front. The rear part is used for storage purpose.

The buildings have British and Maratha touch but some of them
also show traces of Persian style. The continuity of the building
fagades is broken in between by some new structures, which are
constructed in R.C.C.

The most of the old structures are of load bearing type. They are
constructed with timber frame and consist of Tulai (beam), lugs
(columns) of Sheesum, sag, etc. that are used as major structural

(l\
members. The walls are made of burnt brick masonry. The
thickness of wall varies from top to bottom. AIso the upper
residential floors have a continuous balcony which also serve as a
passage to the various rooms. The rich traders have bought the
whole building and have given the ground floor shops on rent to
small traders.

Some of the buildings are aesthetically good and strong. The

analysis of building age is given below:

Age of Building Percentage

Above 90 19.57
Above 60 30.43
Above 30 2L.73
Below 30 28.46
Under construction 0.00

Social & Economic Survey

From the time of its formation, Tambakhu AIi has been in the
control of traders from wealthy Gujarati community. These
people are thorough professionals and very tactical. With their
shrewd thinking, they have increased their business by leaps and
bounds.

They are friendly but sweet talkers, a quality which is very

helpful in their profession.

Being part of the city centr€r, Tambakhu Ali, with about 260
years of history behind it, has become very congested today. The
same trader who was staying on the upper floor of the shop, is
giving it on rent and staying elsewhere, where there is less
congestion and pollution and traffic. Thus Tambakhu Ali has
turned into a work place for him.

Today the traders have changed their main product tambakhu to

snuff due to high profit margins. An average snuff trader can
earn about Rs. 20,000 per month with his own cut at around Rs.
10,000 to Rs. 12,000 permonth. Further, some traders have also
started selling grocery which has turned their business into a
more profitable one.

Even though there has been campaign all around the world
against the use of tobacco, people still use it. Therefore,
Tambakhu AIi will remain in erxistence for vears to come.

Information through Interviews

The following people staying in Tambakhu Ali were interviewed:

1. Mr Trimbakdas Malpani (Snuff trader)

2. Mr Jagannath Agrawal (Snuff factory owner)

3. Mr Vishnu Balwant Bhave (Trustee of Mhalsakant

Mandir)

4. Mr Chimanbhai Mehta (Snuff trader).

The people interviewed are mainly traders. They are happy

about the location of their place of business, as over the years the
commercial importance of the locality has risen considerably.

As the majority of traders' families are staying elsewhere the

problems are not of much concern to them. The traders complain
about the traffic jams and congestion as it creates difficulties in
their business hours.
They are overall happy about the services like water supply and
drainage.

Income & Expenditure

Total income of the Pune City is Rs. 29,853 lac. 33% of the
income is spent on establishment and 67%o (Rs. 2,000 lac) on
infrastructure development and maintenance of I24 wards of the
city.

Tambakhu AIi forms a part of Municipal Ward No. 123. Each

ward is allotted Rs. 161.29 lac. Out of thts L2.5o/o (Rs. 20.15 lac)

is used for various utility services, civic amenities, D.P. proposal

implementation, NaIIa cleaning and maintenance of roads, etc.

Findings & Conclusions

1. High congestion and pollution has made the living

conditions in Tambakhu Ali miserable.

2. Parking on both sides of roads has considerably reduced

the effective road width. This has given rise to frequent
traffi.c jams.

3. There are no traffic signals at the junctions of the road.

The two way traffic on the roads has made crossing of the
roads very difficult.

4. The parking facility in the area is insuffrcient.

5. Absence of foot paths in front of shops has made the

shopping activity very problematic.

6. The area is devoid of open space. The rear sides of the

buildings depend on very narrow backside pathways for
tight and ventilation.
7. overhead electrical lines are a big nuisance and present a
constant danger.

8. some of the buildings present architectural characters that

are worth preserving. From the architectural point of
view, the area has a very good potential for conserving as a
historical precinct.
 CHAPTER 7

FINDINGS, CONCLUSION &

RECOMMENDATIONS
The exercise of studying the various olis was to arrive at
some findings and conclusion that would help in suggestions and
recommendations for conserving these areas in a meaningful
way. The other objective was to record the architectural, urban
planning, transportation, amenities, socio-economic and all
similar aspects of these olis and to arrive at some findings and
observations that would be useful both for future researchers and
scholars as well as in making suggestions for conservation, etc.

1. The study has shown that Pune which is a historic city was
settled on the basis of alis that were connected with
different professions b1' the Peshwas. There are a few
exceptions like Stationery AIi, which was established much
Iater, but the people accustomed to nominating
professional areas as 'alis', termed stationery part of Pune
as Stationery AIi. This may be somewhat similar to the
Marathi language used of affix 'kar' for describing 'Natak-
kar', 'Kosh-kar', etc. which was extended to modern
newspaper like 'Sakal'by describing its founder editor N.B.
Parulekar as 'Sakal-kar'. This also shows a social
acceptance of a profession as part of Pune's economic and
cultural pattern. Such practice was prevalent up to early
part of the 20th century, after which no such new alis have
been nominated by the people of Pune.
 There does not appear to be any authority to assign
the name to a speciftc 'ali'at governmental, municipal or
any other semi-government organization. The names are
purely a public response. Similarly, their geographic areas
were also not demarcated by any competent authority, but
are generally notional and are a product of a mental image
about the area in the minds of the public. So, it is observed
thatit is the people who, over the years, have identified
some street or streets limiting it to a zone that was
referred to as Tambat Ali, Tambakhu AIi, Bardan Ali, etc.

Beyond this common man oriented nomination and

demarcation process there is no evidence to indicate any
other way in which the'alis' came into existence. As such
no observations or findings could be made regarding the
process of nomination or notional demarcation.

2. It is observed that the growth of alis connected with

different professions or trade was steady during the early
period. However, after 1818, i.e. the fall of the Peshwas,
the growth obviously of both Pune and the olis was very
limited. At a later date, the Cantonment area and the civil
lines connected to it saw a gradual growth much more than
in the old city. This was because the new rulers, i.e. the
British, basically stayed in the Cantonment area and they
had funds that promoted the growth of commerce in the
civil lines. One finds that the entire jewelry lane came into
existence in the civil line parallel to Mahatma Gandhi
Road ('Main Street'), though there was the old area of
Sonya Maruti Chowk in Raviwar Peth known for gold and
jewelry establishments.
 Most of the alis have a limited utility and
significance today in terms of commerce or trade in the
traditional profession and hence their growth has been
limited or non-existent. Some of the olis connected with
trades like turban making, Iike Pagadband Ali, are totally
vanished, if not physically, from the mental image of the
society. Consequently, no younger generation individual
from Pune wiII be able to point out where the Pagadband
Ali existed barely fifty years ago. This is partly due to the
social change that has totally eliminated the use of
'pagadis' or 'topis' of different styles that were a very
common male attire.

3. The bara balutedar and the barter system associated with

it and the attachment of these balutedars to the Sardar
families no longer exist. The change was significant in
Pune which had a large number of Sardar families. The
Sardars, like the Rajas and Maharajas, lost their
properties and titles as a.Iso grants in the seventies.

4. The floods of 1961 changed the growth pattern of Pune

city. It also had an impact on the growth of the ali. Some
of the affected ali residents preferred to shift to new
settlement areas like Gokhale Nagar, Market Yard, etc.

The construction technique also changed from timber

and brick to the newlv introduced R.C.C. construction.

5. It is observed that the morphology of the ali is also not of

great significance as there have been limited changes or no
major shifts in their locations. This was partly due to the
fact that they were located mostly in the congested areas
 and had limited scope of lateral growth. It is observed that
some areas that were occupied by some other profession
that became redundant after the arrival of the British were
occupied by new professionals and were named accordingly
Iike the Badhai AIi. The only signifi.cant change is the
change because of the new construction technique that is
changing the architectural quality of these areas. This is
of concern to conservationists or heritage experts.

6. Work or Activity Area: The usual work or activity area

was also complementary to related professions and the
environment. There appears to be a cooperative approach
among the residents because they carried out the same
profession. The structures were similar, their plans were
similar and their appearances were harmonious to one
another until the introduction of R.C.C. The usual
distribution of the work areas was the manufacturing and
workshop on the ground floor that was tailored to the
needs ofthe profession. The upper floor or the rear area of
the building was usually for residential purposes. Some of
the pollution problems did not bother the residents because
again of the similarity of professions. The tambats created
a lot of noise because of constant hammering that was
necessary for producing the copper vessels. However, no
one complained because everybody was doing the same
thing and at the same time. These can be said to be some
of the advantages of location and development of single
trades in a zone.

7. The land use surveys reveal that these areas are not much
different from the other areas of the citv that constitute the
 congested or corearea. The percentages vary marginally
within a narrow range for different land uses. Generally
the residential and the mixed use area constitute the
largest component of the land use, whereas the commercial
and open spaces occupy the lowest portion. The open space
percentage is far below 10 per cent that is normally
recommended as the minimum for any area of the city.
The public use areas appear to be adequate. Purely
commercial areas were always limited because people
stayed and carried out the trade in the same premises that
constituted to mixed land use. The table below indicates
these percentages:

Residential 30 to 40%

Mixed 10 to 30%

Commercial 3 to 5o/o

Public I0 to 15%

Open 3to7%
Roads 12 to l4o/o
8. Establishment and Household: With the rapidly
changing life style the housing pattern, the building plans
of the 'ali' have become, to some extent, redundant and
many of the younger generation are shifting out from these
areas to new residential zones. The traditional areas had
storage areas for keeping the raw material. These also
in many cases because of the new
have become redundant
trade practices. They are no recycled as additional
residential areas or used as godowns.

Optimum space requirement for one worker was

generally 1.5 metres x 2.0 metres for most craftsmen, as
 they worked in groups and had common storage area in the
rear.

9. Amenities: The amenities provided in these areas are

very limited unlike in the developed parts or newly
planned city neighbourhoods. We find that there are
primary schools, some clinics or small hospitals, some
religious structures or temples that constitute the
amenities.

10. Utilities and Services: The water supply in these areas

is just adequate, but cannot be considered up to the urban
norms. This is because the structures are old and the
pipelines are also old. Drainage system is also inadequate
because of the age factor. Storm water drainage is almost
non-existent in many cases, resulting in flooding during
the monsoon. Telephone services appear to be satisfactory.

11. Traffic: There are basically five modes of traffic that are
adopted and are noted in our surveys. They are bicycles,
two-wheelers, auto-rickshaws, cars, tempos and trucks.
The survey barely indicates that the dominant mode of
transport is in the first three categories, namely, bicycles,
two-wheelers and auto-rickshaws. Pedestrian traffic is
quite high though the footpaths appear to be inadequate.
Currently, parking for all kinds of vehicles is posing a
major problem for the narrow roads of these olis.

12. Aesthetic Survey: Kevin Lynch technique was adopted

for studying the various ali areas. This has revealed that
these parts of the city are similar to the other parts in most
respects. There are no outstanding landmarks or nodes
 that have developed consequent to the existence of these

alis.

13. Building Typology: The old buildings were constructed

with teak wood columns, brick walls with mud mortar and
mud floor, etc. Balcony and chhajjas are present.

The other type of buildings were 'wada' type where

the dwelling units were constructed around a central open
spacewith verandah separating the dwelling unit and open
space. The central open space in addition to providing
Iight and ventilation was used for water storage tank and
as washing place and was common in all olis.

After the 1961 flood. a new construction material

was introduced, i.e. R.C.C. The new building material did
not bring any new building form in the initial stages. It
was basically used as a substitute for timber that had
already become rare and expensive. It only altered the
spanning of the internal rooms and it was possible to
reduce the number of columns that were required in a
building. The fagade of the building were not materially
changed during the early period. Basically, the
proportions, the details like the grills, jalis, wooden doors
and windows, were used in the same designs or the old
material was reused.

Recently, the rise in the property of the core area is

tempting the traditional craftsmen and professionals to sell
the property to the builders who construct apartment type
of tenements with an entirely new fagade and material
that is changing the character of the area. This is in
 contrast to the existing style of construction and the living
style of the older generation. For example, R.C.C. is not
sound absorbing, Iike timber and mud and brick
construction of the older houses.

t4. Social & Economic Survey:

Social Survey: The usual lack of buyers from the

new urban areas and the resulting financial crunch for
buying the raw materials has hampered most of the people
from the alis, economically and socially. They seem to
have partially overcome the problem by forming'sonsthe,s'
or cooperatives like the Twashta Kasar Sanstha in the
Tambat AIi. Such organizations do some financial work
but are basically connected with social activity. People
belonging to the ali usually collects some voluntary
donations that are used for reconstruction of temples or
buildings of libraries and community halls for the benefit
of students belonging to that community. There may be

other groups that carry out other social work Iike blood
donation camps, medical camps, helping the widows, etc.

Economic Survelr: The economic survey reveals that

most of the alis are stagnant or growing very slowly, except
for alis like the Bohri AIi which are doing booming
business. The old system of the buyers bringing the
material and paying for the labour has not changed in
many olis like the Tambat Ali. As a result, the finished
goods are not produced in large numbers by the craftsmen,
neither do they have the necessary marketing apparatus
that is needed for successful business. This svstem that
 has existed for generations keeps the craftsmen devoid of
huge capital required for big ventures or big investments.

Because of the dependence of the traditional

craftsmen or the traders or the buyers as weII as the
problems of acquiring the raw material, many of the
handicraft related alis ate declining. The average income
per family is about 25,000 to 30,000 per annum. This has
encouraged the younger generation to search for new
avenues of profession. Some have joined the big auto
industries, some are working as auto-rickshaw operators,
etc.

15. Information through Interviews:

The information collected through the interviews
generally indicated the physical, socio-economic and other
issues that affected the community. Most of the
observations made on the basis of the interviews seem to
be of very similar nature and are summarized below:

The people in the profession like Tambats, Bardan,

Badhai, Tambakhu, etc. Younger generation is opting to
increasingly join other professions. This disturbs the older
generation that has carried out these vocations for many
generations.

The shift in the employment of the younger

generation has also created a migration pattern of the
younger generation moving out of the ali areas and opting
to stay in the other part of the city.
 The younger generation represented that there was
no adequate work available in their traditional occupation,
secondly, it involved hard work and less income, as well as
Iess social prestige and hence the shift.

Because of lack of education among the traditional

crafbsmen and because of lack of entrepreneurship among
these workers the trade has been captured by Gujaratis,
Sindhis and Marwaris, who, it is felt, have exploited them.

At present the traditional craftsmen who live hand to

mouth are unable to start new businesses and mostlv have
to work as per the orders of the businessmen.

In terms of infrastructure the houses are old, they

require a lot of maintenance and put additional financial
burden on the ali residents. Also, the plinth height,
because of filling on the road, has reduced considerably in
most of the olis. Consequently, there is a flooding problem
during the monsoons for all the olis.

The roads and the lanes forming part of the ali were
adequate up to the middle of the 20th century. They are
increasingly congested and are creating parking and traffic
flow problem in all the ali areas.

One of the suggestions was a desire for governmental

active participation in promoting their trade, or providing
some marketing and ot,her infrastructure, also arranging
exhibitions of their products.

The residents also indicated that they were in need

of more amenities and open spaces in these ali areas. Lack
 of open spaces or playgrounds for the younger generation
was pointed out by the residents.

T6. Income & Expenditure:

This basically evalued the expenditure made by the

Pune Municipal Corporation for that area. This
expenditure was for purposes like road widening, drainage
and water supply, road and other maintenance, etc. It is
is generally on the same
observed that this expenditure
pattern and with the same percentage as other
surrounding parts of the ali.

There is no separate tax or income associated with

any of the alis. The income is basically from the municipal
taxes including octroi.

L7. Recommendations & Suggestions:

It is observed that ali has a micro-regional value as

an entity forming part of the city core. OnIy in some cases
they have remained relevant to the current needs of the
city and society, for example, Bohri AIi that has remained
relevant.

The protection of heritage structures, their analysis,

etc. was exclusively the work of art historians,
archeologists, etc. Such relations changed after the sixties,
i.e. two decades after the war. Earlier than that, the so-
called the vernacular architecture was not part of protected
cultural heritage. OnIy historic, monumental structures of
great architectural merits were considered suitable for
protection. Today, all over Europe and America traditional
 cores of the city are considered very important for purposes
of conservation and as heritage zones that attract tourism.

Today, many institutions are involved in the function

of expert assessment and training people to be capable of
assessing good archit;ectural heritage areas. The
administrative aspect is also being covered in some of the
places. Lastly, good amount of executing the
recommendations has been learned in the Western
countries. However, in India all the three aspects, namely,
expertise, administration and execution are wanting. In
India, the whole idea is still to get social acceptance
includ.ing realization by the society that this is something
that needs to be maintained for the current and future
generations.

One of the explanations given that appears logical, is

the lack of funds and the urgency to attend other
infrastructural and essential needs of the society like water
supply, drainage and erlectricity. This has made it not
possible for the average citizen to think of culture and
heritage when they are busy struggling for very existence.

18. New approach based on sustainable planning:

After the hypothesis of Schumacher suggesting

'small is beautiful' for urban and other areas, the idea that
architectural heritage only qualifies high quality structure
has been modified.It is recognised that it is important to
protect traditional professional areas with simple
architecture. Schumacher based his ideas on the
Gandhian principles of self-sufficiency and limiting the
excessive dependence on high-end technology, sustainable
development, refers to some of these aspects.

As a part of the global changes a different role of

architectural and urban heritage has developed in both the
developing and developed nations. The earlier academic
aim to protect only ther most artistic has fundamentally
changed. The demand for integration of built heritage into
the modern urban fabrics by suitable adoption of new
technology has been accepted universally.

In the last three decades, in the developed world the

role of architectural heritage as the most influential
heritage has been changing systematically from symbolic
and ideological to more and more actual parts of town. For
sustainable planning of human settlement and for social
sanity it is now realized that it is important part of
development strategy to renew the built heritage of urban
areas and bring them to be part ofcurrent urban structure.

Such planning and development demands new

evaluation technique, trained personnel, administrative
procedure and the implementation machinery and
executing authorities that are absent at the moment. We
are suggested remedies for some of these problems based
on foreign experience in Appendix'A'.

UNESCO is supposed to be giving guidelines for

conservation and international care of cultural heritage.
However, the ideas and theory suggested by them only
pertains to very important monuments.
 The important suggested criteria for
selection have to be based not only on aesthetic
aspects, but also on the contribution made in
terms of history of technology, political, cultural,
economic and social development. It may be
pointed out that the Badhai AIi that was occupied
originally by the Gardis changed its usage
because of political reasons, resulting in the
shifting of the Gardi community.
National, regional and local authorities
have a duty to encourage the most appropriate
use of the protected heritage areas. This is
necessary for economic, commercial and
residential purposes. This encouragement to find
new uses commensurate with the present day
needs of the society is very important.
It is important for the development of the
tourist industry on a long term basis to have an
integral, architectural, social and cultural bias in
the conservation to achieve dvnamic urban
development.
Pressures of commercialization and socio-
cultural uniformity in most of the urban areas is
recognised as a negative part in the modern
urban living. You have the same McDonald, Wal-
Mart, Lee Jeans, \ran Hausen outlets in all the
cities. What we require is recognizing the variety
that exists in developing countries, which is lost
in the European and American towns.
Cultural heritage should have adequate
identification in the development of urban
environment and should be considered as an
important part of the development policy of a city
in the preparation of the development plan.
THE RECYCLING OF THE EXISTING
BUILDINGS SHOULD BE DONE TAKING
INTO CONSIDERATION THE FINANCIAL
VIABILITY AND ALSO ON THE BASIS OF
EXPERT GUIDANCE. THIS TRAINING OF
EXPERTS IS ALSO IMPORTANT NEED OF
THE FUTURE.
 Architectural heritage should prove the regional,
local or individual specifics and quality so as a part of
common town memory and also as an important part of
real living quality.

For the preservation of regional, cultural identity,

identification of architectural and settlement specifics
should be indispensable. They should form part of a
creative management and development strategy.

Architectural heritage should represent special

cultural, social and symbolic values for local communities
and for individual citizens.

Value of architectural heritage should be measured

in a real term taking into consideration the ecological and
investment criteria regarding the possibilities of its
protection and preservation.

Special attention should be paid and researches

to obtain the best selection of the heritage
encouraged
zones. The quality of the dwelling envitonment is
increasingly going to depend on traditional anchors of the
society like the alis, that have a socio-cultural identity.

19. Problems that need to be solved:

It is easy to theorize and suggest conseryation and

restoration measures and to maintain architectural
heritage. Preserved old architecture has become an
important commodity for owners and investors in some
cities like New York and London. However, it seems that
such values have academic importance and architectural
conservation is the last demand on the owners. The
financial efficiency is the clue to the realization of
preservation for the owners, users, investors and even
politicians who have to decide the use of public money for
protections. They are also under pressure from the owners
and from the society if it purely has academic values. It is
obvious, therefore, that builders, investors, politicians and
owners have to become the important partners along with
conservationists in working out a strategy of management
for architectural heritage zones Iike olis.

In the West, 'recycling fund' has been recommended

as one of the repayable grants to be given to needy owners
to achieve recycling of old heritage property. It has become
very common in most of the cities that developing new
housing has become synonymous with pulling down the old
structures and putting up completely modern structures.
This has to be re-evaluated. AII good old structures,
architectural fagade, composition, materials, etc. need to be
preserved. In this way the social fabric and the continuity
of socio-cultural and architectural heritage would be
achieved.

It is important to recognize the problem of uniformity

and monotony, described as concrete jungle pervading our
old cities. This uniformity is resulting in visual, social and
cultural pollution of the city. It is necessary to create
awareness, an element of prestige in associating or staying
in heritage zones of the city.
 The new uniform architecture was destroying the
recognizable architectural landscape of the city. The new
architecture enabled higher density, higher sanitary level
of dwelling, but decreased the cultural and individual
qualities. The question remains whether we must protect
the buildings only because of their author or because of
their applicability to new uses or are they worthless
because it does not create new'architectural' quality.

20. Related Recomrnendations:

FinaIIy, the new development and conservation for

the future should indicate the quality that is desired to be
preserved, maintaining the existing values of cultural and
architectural heritage.

The design and plan should be important and valued

based on inter-disciplinary judgment establishing the
relation between cultural, historical, symbolic and
applicable criteria.

The new architectural heritage must create a quality

Iiving place and it should be ecologically and
environmentally friendly. It should discourage high
density, monotonous standardized development.

Our architectural heritage is a unique resource and

represent irreplaceable expression of the richness and
diversity of our past. Structures and places can over a
time acquire character and special interest through their
intrinsic quality, continued existence and familiarity.
Built heritage consists also of the everyday works of
 craftsmen. In the changing world scenario these
structures are also acquiring importance.

Sympathetic maintenance, adoption and reuse can

allow the architectural heritage to yield aesthetic,
environmental and economic benefits even where the
original use may no longer be viable. This should be noted
particularly in case of ali like areas that can be brought
under different use. The creative challenge is to find
appropriate ways to satisfy the requirement of a structure
to be safe and yet brought into viable use. In case of many
structures, individually the qualities or architectural
merits may be limited, but collectively the whole street
frontage has an integrated character that provides the
aesthetic strength. This needs to be preserved.

OId buildings can perform and sometimes better the

new ones in terms of durability and flexibility of their
material or their adaptability in use. The most appropriate
intervention tends to be low-key and can be financially
economical. Specialized conservation technique to prolong
the existence of structure should rely on the original
construction technique and material.

21.. Sociological Importance:

Structures in heritage area can be read as historic

evidence just like written documents or reports of the past
in understanding the past conditions and behaviour of the
society. They can sometimes indicate the changes that
have taken place in the society. Social history is revealed
by structures such as houses with workshops in the front,
 houses with stables and servants' entrances in the rear and
also by existence of wells and small community 'hauds' or
water tanks in the ali areas. These spots provided
opportunity for social interaction for the women folk of the
community. There are personal history and events of the
past that leave their mark on places, whether these be
residential structures, shops or temples. The evidence
provided by surviving structures should be carefully
examined for clues to understanding the history. Even the
names of structures like the Khunya Muralidhar temple
provide the history.

Cultural tourism is increasing and playing a

significant part in the development of the tourist economy.

In India, because of our vast number of heritage sites of
international significance like the Taj Mahal, the Sun
Temple of Konark, the temples complex of Khajuraho, etc.
adequate importance is not given to environmentally
significant yet architecturally not so dramatic urban sites.
For cultural tourism these smaller sites provide good
attraction for tourists who are interested in not visiting
heavily frequented sites like the Taj. Many people can get
meaningful employment in this sector of tourism if local
history, Iocal crafts and local historic settlement patterns
like the alis are effectively marketed.

22. Sociological Importance :

Structures in heritage area can be read as historic

evidence just like written documents or reports of the past
in understanding the past conditions and behaviour of the
society. They can sometimes indicate the changes that
have taken place in the society. Social history is revealed
by structures such as houses with workshops in the front,
houses with stables and servants'entrances in the rear and
also by existence of wells and small community 'hauds' or
water tanks in the ali areas. These spots provided
opportunity for social interaction for the women folk of the
community. There are personal history and events of the
past that leave their mark on places, whether these be
residential structures, shops or temples. The evidence
provided by surviving structures should be carefully
examined for clues to understanding the history. Even the
names of structures like t}:,e Khunya Muralidhar temple
provide the history.

Cultural tourism is increasing and playing a

significant part in the development of the tourist economy.
In India, because of our vast number of heritage sites of
international significance like the Taj Mahal, the Sun
Temple of Konark, the temples complex of Khajuraho, etc.
adequate importance is not given to environmentally
significant yet architecturally not so dramatic urban sites.
For cultural tourism these smaller sites provide good
attraction for tourists who are interested in not visiting
heavily frequented sites like the Taj. Many people can get
meaningful employment; in this sector of tourism if local
history, local crafts and local historic settlement patterns
Iike the alis are effectively marketed.

Specific inferences that could be related to our study are

noted below.
The social significance of some of the findings of the study
is listed here.

1. That the city and city sectors of Pune developed on a

social stratification, based on the traditional
professions. This trend of development and carrying
out profession in specific areas, though diminished, is
still prevalent in some professions like the potters,
coppersmiths, etc.

2. That the changes in socio-economic needs created

situations for some of the professions resulting in
gradual shifts and replacement of an ali or sector by
another single profession. For example, shifting of
the Pagadband AIi and replacement by the electrical
shopping zorte.

3. The changes in the socio economic cond.itions and the

redundancy of a profession are sometimes a result of
political situation. For example, the Gardi
community in Pune that had settled in Gardi Ali,
shifted after the conquest of the British and was
replaced by Badhai AIi.

4. Some of the changes in the ali are due to

technological or technical advancement as in the case
of the reduction in the demands of lime caused by
introduction of cement concrete. The impact is
visible on the Lonari AIi.

5. The health awareness of the society and the

resulting health standards have impacted some
zones like the reduction of Tambakhu Ali.
 6. Bara Balutedars or the barter system relating with it
along with the elimination of nobles or sardars who
supported them have also impacted traditional
professions.

7. Socio-economically some olis like the Bohri AIi still

have significance and importance in the trade and
profession of hardware and hence their existence is
continued and is flourishins.

8. Cultural changes that have resulted in the costumes

of the people have also affected some olis like the
Pagadband AIi.

9. Industrialisation and related growth has also affected

some olzs like the Lonari Ali. Tambat AIi. etc.

23. Suggestions for Management:

On the basis of the study carried out it was felt that

a management authority with some specific role is
necessary. This needed authority and its scope forms part
of the findings and recommendations of this work.

A management entity needs to be created for the

purpose of development and management of the heritage
areas. Its function is -

(i) To prepare and submit a management plan for the

heritage area to the municipality;

(ii) To assist units of local government, regional

planning organization and other non-profit

(1ntr\
 organizations in implementing the approved
management plan. This may be achieved by carrying
out programmes and projects that recognize, protect
and enhance important resource values within the
heritage area.

(iir) Establishing and maintaining interpretive exhibits

and programmes about the heritage areas. In case of
Pune City it could be in the Office of the Heritage
Committee located in Vishrambaug Wada.

(iv) Developing recreational and educational opportunity

in the heritage area and to increase public awareness
and appreciation <>f alis, historical and scenic zones
and cultural resources ofthe heritage areas.

(v) Protecting and restoring historic sites and buildings

within the alis and heritage areas that are consistent
with the heritage committee recommendations. Also
to ensure that clear and consistent signs identi$'ing
points of public access, types of interests are posted
throughout the heritage area.

(vi) Promoting a wide range of partnership among

government, organizations and individuals to further
the purpose of heritage area, along with
consideration of the interest of private property
owners.

In order to facilitate the preparation and

implementation of the management plan it is necessary to
conduct meetings open to the public at least semi-annually
to submit annual report to the municipality in which the

(1
 management entity receives municipal fund, clearly
indicating the expenses incurred and grants received
during the year.

The authority created for this purpose may grant to

non-profit organizations or individuals for heritage related
work. They may also enter into a cooperative agreement or
provide technical assistance to other interested parties.
They may also hire and compensate staff that shall include
individuals with expertise in heritage protection.

24. Suggested Funding for the Projects

It is suggested that apart from the Governmental

and municipal funds that may be made available for
conservation and related work for architecturally and
historically important buildings, funds can be made
available by approaching private industrialists and trusts.

Funds can also be generated by way of heritage

Iottery as has been done in the UK and some of the
European countries.

They can obtain money or services from any source

other than the state and the central government and
obtain goods and services for heritage work. The
management plan should include comprehensive policies,
strategies and recommendations for conservation, funding,
management and development of the heritage area.

It should take into consideration the existing

municipal, state and other development plan. It should
describe the actions that private and other organizations
have agreed to take to protect the heritage area. It is
necessary to create an inventory of historical, cultural and
other heritage areas that should be preserved.

A time based approval or disapproval programme

should. be provided to the local authority along with the
rules and regulations for any changes or modifications to
be done for structures within the heritage area.

The Urban Development Department shall approve

the list prepared by the Heritage Committee and also

instruct the municipality accordingly.

It is suggested that the authority should shoulder

the responsibility to communicate the significance and
meaning of heritage sites to the general public. They
should recognize that public presentation along with
multidisciplinary research and physical conservation is an
essential part of the preservation. It may also be noted
that tourist authority, private firms and even international
tourists organizations invest in expensive and
technologically advanced presentation systems as a spur to
visitor development. These can be taken advantage of in
making the public aware of their heritage.

trtrtr
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