Stepwells, Slums, and Schools

SUNDAY
An early morning departure brought us from Jaipur to Ahmedabad, where we now have the luxury of an entire day off. We checked in mid-morning, and after a long rest we had a huge buffet lunch at the hotel. Some people wanted to spend the whole day out exploring the city, but since we're slowly going down with various ailments, I wanted to take it easy and catch up on organizing photos. But there was one thing we all wanted to see, so we hired a car to visit Dada Harir Vav.

Stepwells are a method of water storage that allows access even with fluctuations in water level. By building levels and steps within the well, people can easily reach, maintain, and manage the well. Dada Harir is a 600-year old stepwell, 5 stories deep. Like most stepwells, it has a vertical shaft as well as a tiered passageway with chambers (known as galleries) and steps to access the well.

On the first tier of the principal well

View of the galleries from the well

We entered the well through a VERY narrow spiral staircase, leading us down to the first level of the well. There was a good view across to the galleries, where back in the day people would lounge to escape the heat.

We descended further down the well via the spiral staircase to the second and third levels, where we started encountering bats. They were flying around the walkway VERY close to us, dodging and weaving between pillars and people. Oddly, they only seemed to be on the third level...  

Flowers and graphics of Islamic architechture.
Note the bat poop along the balcony ledge.

All along the sides of the walkways and walls were intricate carvings. It was amazing to see how well they were preserved, considering the fact that back in the day, they must have been submerged for much of the year.

To get a better idea of the structure and plan of Dada Harir Vav, here's an interesting cross-section (we entered through the spiral staircases marked (B) that flank the octagonal well (A), descended down to the lowest level, then walked east up the gallery stairs and exited at the domed porch at (E):

From 'Architecture at Ahmedabad, the Capital of Goozerat, photographed by Colonel Biggs, ...
With an historical and descriptive sketch, by T. C. H., ... and architectural notes by J. Fergusson, etc.'

Near the stepwell is a mosque and tomb, where Dhai Harir (the woman who built Dada Harir Vav) is buried.

The view from the stepwell - mosque on the left, tomb on the right

The charcoal factory, seen from the roof of the mosque

We explored both structures, and even went up to the roof where we got a view of the neighboring charcoal factory.

Detail of the mosque

The imam and his helper (?) were nice enough to show us around, and had us pray at the front altar. The entire complex was fairly quiet with very few tourists, so it was nice to get to explore at our leisure! It was the perfect foray for a taste of Ahmedabad, and a total gem in the middle of the bustling city.
















MONDAY
Another busy day, with excellent visits to very different types of educational organizations. We started with an overview of Ahmedabad (which they seem to pronounce as "Ahm-na-bad"), and the state of Gujarat. We met at the Indo-US Educational Society, which helps high-achieving students apply and attend universities in the United States. This is something many Gujaratis strive for - in some families, if you don't send your child to the US for schooling, you've somehow failed.

The road to the entrance of the slum community

The next visit was on the complete opposite end of the spectrum. We visited an NGO that works to educate children in slums. Gyan Shala sets up schools directly in the slums so that parents feel comfortable sending the kids on their own. Teachers are from the community, and many don't have degrees - they are trained by Gyan Shala and the curriculum is developed by program managers in the home offices. They are now working in several states and communities, reaching 4,500 students.

Vasna Road

7th grade English

Gyan Shala then took us on site visits to the slum schools. Our schools were on Vasna Road, usually located in a spare room in someone's home. The first classroom was a 7th grade English class, crammed into a small, dark room. The desks were shoved close together, with barely enough room to squeeze through. The children, like any of our kids, were friendly and curious - more than willing to stop their lessons to say hello.

The social studies class on the left, Gujarati on the right. 

Next we visited four high school classes - an English class, computer class, Gujurati class, and social studies class. The high school rooms were upstairs in unfinished buildings - almost all the rooms had at least one wall missing.

The high school students were a bit more reserved - as our guide explained, they were more hesitant to try out their imperfect English skills, but were all still curious about having visitors.

The high school English class, held in what seems like an upstairs porch

First graders at the math table

Lastly, we visited the elementary school classrooms. The Indian school year goes from June through March, so the 1st graders had only had about a month's worth of school experience and were still learning how to be students.

Elementary kids have one teacher and stay in the same classroom; every fifteen minutes, they switch 'stations' and move to a different subject. The subject corresponds to a color - red is the table for math, and there is also a yellow and a green table. The workbooks that Gyan Shala create also correspond to the same color, so students quickly learn the routine.

A universal tool to make someone smile is showing them pictures of themselves, and Snapchat filters are a surefire way to make quick friends. It was fun seeing the reaction of the kids when they saw themselves with bulging eyes or flower crowns. We even showed the grandma downstairs, who was delighted to see herself with dog ears and tongue...






Our final NGO visit of the day was canceled, so instead we went to visit the Adalaj Stepwell, in the village of Adalaj just outside Ahmedabad. This stepwell was built in a mix of Hindi-Islamic architecture in 1499AD. According to legend, the Hindu ruler Rana Veer Singh's kingdom was attacked by the neighboring Muslim kingdom of Mohammed Begda. The Rana was killed, and Begda fell in love with his widow, Rani Roopba. She agreed to marriage only if Begda complete the building of the stepwell, which had been started by Rana Veer Singh. But once the stepwell was completed, Rani Roopba decided to kill herself in honor of her dead husband. She took a walk around the well as she prayed, then flung herself into the waters and drowned.

Just outside the stepwell are six tombs, said to be the masons who built the well. Begda supposedly asked them to build a similar stepwell, and when they agreed he had them killed. He was so impressed by the perfection of the well that he did not want it replicated. Kinda jerky, I say!

The octagonal well

Ground level view of the galleries

View of the galleries

Intricate carvings on the landing

The Adalaj stepwell is bigger and much more intricately carved than the Dada Harir stepwell, but the octagonal well is closed off and visitors can only enter and tour the galleries. It's also much more visited, and many of the tourists wanted to take pictures with us...