City Through the Eyes of The Street Child

CASE STUDY – JAMA MASJID

3.1 RECEUITMENT AND SAMPLING

Initially, a pilot study, included examining of site area of Jama Masjid along with 5

interviews on site, so as to ascertain the quality of interview and to identify researcher

biases early in the study. After, the conduction of pilot study, certain questions were

modified and then, another pilot study was done. The data that was gathered and

analyzed during the pilot studies were excluded from the main research data.

The sample of this research consisted three typologies of housing residing in the Jama
Masjid complex. 12 children were interviewed for the study. The participants were

selected on the basis of two sampling techniques- (a) Purposive sampling and (b)
Snowball sampling.

At the earlier stages of research, access to this population proved to be extremely

difficult. Thus, most of the study was done being a passive observer. Observation was
the major skill required to do the study.

The children who indicated an interest in participating in the study were selected
according to two main criteria, including: (a) age and (b) being street children, in my

research it would be those children who live on the streets. Though not always, as in
the case of daily labours, but for whom, living on the streets is a considerable part of

his/ her existence.

The participants were heterogenous by culture and religion, as Jama Masjid is a Muslim
dominated society so most of the participants were form Muslim background having

no cultural diversity. Differences existed in regional background as some of them were

migrants from Uttar Pradesh while others were from Bihar showing regional diversity.

The study is done being a passive observer and the participants were not involved in
the study directly, as they were not comfortable with the researcher.

1
 City Through the Eyes of The Street Child

3.2 DATA COLLECTION

Streets define the identity of a place. Streets are the only affordable habitable space

for them to survive in the city. Streets of Jama Masjid reflects the rich cultural identity
of the city as well as the miserable condition of the street children. Jama Masjid is a

ghetto with the dominance of male merchants and small scales businessmen who offer
work to the street children making them work on low wages. This relationship of small-

scale merchants and street children is a prominent economy in Jama Masjid. Jama
Masjid is a low-cost living area which provide a good economy to an unskilled labour.

Meena Bazar is known from the time of Mughal dynasty which is one of the identities

for the city but is unable to give an identity to the street children present there. Present

scenario states that streets are the only dwelling place for them to survive.

Figure 1 Jama Masjid

2
 City Through the Eyes of The Street Child

3.2.1 HOUSING TYPOLGY

There is need of a roof over the head and children near Jama Masjid have evolved

themselves to attain the roof by any means.

The typology includes:

 Permanent house inside Jama Masjid complex

 Rain Basera
 Portable houses using Potli System

TYPE OF HOUSES NO. OF

RESIDENTS

Permanent house inside 10

Jama Complex

Rain Basera 45

Potli Houses 60

Table 1 Housing Typology

PERMANENT HOUSE

The complex of Jama Masjid provides a few permanent houses. There are a number
of 5 families that reside inside these permanent houses. The complex itself offers

water and sanitation facilities to the residence.

RAIN BASERA

Rain Baseras are permanent shelter homes for homeless families provided by the

government. People require identity proofs to acquire a place in any rain basera.
These shelter homes allow them to have a stagnant life and stagnant job

opportunities.

POTLI HOSUING

3
 City Through the Eyes of The Street Child

Homeless families and children are mobile populations having a portable housing

system. Jama masjid outer complex region has a number of open areas to build their
houses and port them wherever they need.

Figure 2 Home in hand

4
 City Through the Eyes of The Street Child

Figure 3 Street is living

3.2.2 SHOP TYPOLOGY

There are typologies of shops providing adverse job opportunity which include:

 Permanent shops
 Temporary shops (Patri bazar)
 Permanent shops under temporary structure

TYPE OF SHOP NO. OF SHOPS NO OF CHILDREN

WORKING
Cloth 30 4
Shoes 14 2
Luggage 4 0
Bags 2 1
Utensils 2 0
Jewelry 4 1
Mehendi 1 0
Table 1 Shop Typology: Permanent Shops

TYPE OF SHOP NO. OF SHOPS NO OF CHILDREN

WORKING
Cloth 57 60

5
 City Through the Eyes of The Street Child

Shoes 30 25
Luggage 16 10
Utensils 12 14
Others 8 9
Table 2 Typology 2: Permanent Shops with Temporary Structure

TYPE OF SHOP NO. OF SHOPS NO OF CHILDREN

WORKING
Cloth 40 2
Shoes 15 0
Luggage 10 1

Utensils 4 0

Bags 14 0

Jewelry 2 0

Toys 3 0

Shawl 5 0

Others 2 0

Table 3 Typology 3: Temporary Structure (Patri Bazar)

6
 City Through the Eyes of The Street Child

Figure 4 Home for one trash for another

Figure 5 Mobile sleep

7
 City Through the Eyes of The Street Child

Figure 6 Sleeping in the city

3.2.3 LIVING PATTERN

8
 City Through the Eyes of The Street Child

Jama Masjid complex area is sufficient in every term that one can find a roof to live

and work to do. So, the movement pattern of streets children gets restricted to the
complex only. The complex provides them with abundant area to sleep, area to find

jobs and basic public amenities which cage them inside the complex only.

The children working on the shops move from there shops to the nearby handpump
areas to get bath and water access. They use public toilets provided at the end of the

complex at times. At night streets become their homes and place of living. The 3
meters by 4meters shop is an entire world to them.

The children living with their families on streets have a better sense of security so they

experience more freedom in terms of movement as compared to the working children.

Children with families have a greater access to education. Although, the children are

not willing to go to schools so they go to NGOs without any time bound. Regular
schooling restricts them and bound them with regulation which interrupts their

freedom. So, the children choose going to NGOs in search of food and education
without any violation to their freedom.

There is difference in the movement pattern at night as the children working at shops
roam around the complex indulging themselves in illegal activities and most of them
choose to stay in shops which provide them the only sense of belonging. Some of the
street children working on the shops have their families residing in rain basera, so they

go to their families after work.

List of activities by street children

 Fetching water from taps

 Working at shops
 Using toilets and other basic amenities

 Going to NGOs
 Playing on streets
 Using taps for bathing

9
 City Through the Eyes of The Street Child

10
 City Through the Eyes of The Street Child

Figure 7 Activity Mapping (morning)

11
 City Through the Eyes of The Street Child

Figure 8 Activity mapping (night)

12
 City Through the Eyes of The Street Child

3.2.3 BASIC NECESSITY

Figure 9 Toilet - a basic need

Figure 10 Water Facilities

13
 City Through the Eyes of The Street Child

Figure 11 Handpump: water is a necessity

14