Reflection on this module

This module was all about research, getting to know places. It was more focused on how I perceive things. I was supposed to pick one place, as in an area for the research work. I picked Chandni Chowk for as it is typically Indian and is mischievously fascinating.

Main street view of Chandni chowk

For me, being a nature and place enthusiast, Chandni Chowk was like a gold mine. First day at the Chowk was full of claustrophobia and anxiety. Everything new and clustered in big piles and people crawling all over place, it was a confusing place to be at, but I rolled with it. I being a design student am used to piles of unused stuff around me. And just at a blink of an eye, I started to like the mess that is Chandni Chowk. The next few trips made me an acquaintance to the place, people. I started remembering the lanes, short cuts to every place, be it the places that were even in the remote areas, I knew them, I loved them.

Although this module was focused more on the knowing places part, I was also supposed to pick a place inside Chandni Chowk to learn design process progression. I picked Bhagirath Palace for that matter. For those among you who don’t know about this place, it is like one of the biggest wholesale markets for electrical appliances in Asia. Although, the name suggests the place would be like a big palace with a lot of wonderfully big shops inside, well guess what, it’s not! It is even more claustrophobic and is throbbed with people all the time.

I saw some major problems areas there. No proper drainage system, no hygiene, risks of electrocution, accessibility problems, no sign boards, storage problems and what not. It was ironic to see that the place which is supposed to one of the biggest wholesale markets in Asia faces so many problems and it is all due to poor architectural planning.

Bhagirath Pakace

Moving further in the module, I had to pick one particular opportunity area to work on and find a design solution to fix the problem. Accessibility seemed like a vast area where I could actually find enough parts to research on. The major accessibility problem that bugged me the most was how the workers used to carry products from their godowns to their shops. In Bhagirath, shops are located far away from their godowns so the workers had to carry products from long distances and then get them through the narrow lanes safely to the shops. The sad part is that only a few times they used to manage to bring the products safely, other times it either got damaged or broken. So potential stuff getting wasted is a major loss and is something I have been working on for the past few weeks. I have come up with ideas like a movable trolley, adjustable stretcher, wide open bags etc, but all of them seem to even increase the traffic of that place.

Although, I came up with the idea of a bag for the workers. It has to be hanged preferably on their back, with a stand to hold the items. It has adjustable bands to even tighten the plastic sheet that covers and protects the items. It was all possible after a week of understanding and implementing the principles of ergonomics. I am still working on the look of the bag.

 I love the fact that we were given freedom in this module in a lot of ways and it made me realize that I have seized the opportunity to actually know Delhi, the old Delhi. But more on this later, so bye fellow bloggers and, or fellow readers.