Community Profile

KATHPUTLI COLONY

The community profile is a summary of the history, present condition, and anticipated future of an area. It
provides an overview or services of snapshots of the area and is used as basis for identifying potential
impacts of proposed action.
Community profiling is the primary task while undertaking the social analysis of a given geographical area,
which develops a complete understanding of the social, economic & political structure operating within the
area. It also acts as a tool for data collection regarding crucial aspects such as community composition,
resources available, income, expenditure & occupational composition. These indirectly help to identify the
positive and negative impact of the projects on the people.

KEY INFORMATION for the community profiling comprises of the Community’s:

• History
• Local administration/leadership
• Population
• Economic profile
• Education
• Languages spoken
• Location & transportation
• Seasonal patterns
• Religion & castes
• Institution/social facilities
• Social facilities
• Physical facilities:
• Needs of the community:

HISTORY: Kathputli colony is known for its highly talented migrant population who are mostly in
performing arts like acrobats, folkdance and puppetry. It is a slum cluster of Pandav Nagar (West Delhi)

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situated in the middle of West Patel Nagar & Naraina Vihar, but it is located at a closer distance from
Shadipur bus depot. DMS (Delhi Milk Scheme) Headquarter is just opposite to the community.

The community comprises basically of a migrant population from RAJASTHAN, BIHAR, UP, ANDHRA
PRADESH &GUJRAT. Agriculture did not earn them sufficient income to support their families.
Rajasthani Bhatt people were the first to have arrived here around 60 years ago in search of livelihood
which was lagging behind in Rajasthan. Following them many others arrived here & settled down in search
of better job opportunities.

The population of the community is around 50,000-60,000 still dominated by Rajasthani culture and their
caste groups. The community is largely heterogeneous in nature i.e. it is not evenly distributed. It is
distributed on the basis of religion, occupation, culture etc. The community basically has 8 divisions like
the Rajasthani block (Kathputli), Qalander/ Madari basti, Marathi, Gujrati, Gilhera, Korhi basti &Bihari
camp. However the major portion of the entire slum area comprises of the Kathputli people. People in
different blocks have different occupations & interests.

LOCAL ADMINISTRATION/LEADERSHIP: if we talk about local leadership there are no traditional

forms to be seen. Here Pradhans play a crucial role in the decision making process of their respective
blocks & are largely a vital component of their block. Pradhans are supposed to be a link between their
blocks & the outside world. The Pradhans of Kathputli colony are divided by occupation, gender &age
group. The Rajasthani block (Kathputli colony) it self has many Pradhans like Nathu Ram & Leela Bhatt
who deal or take decisions in occupation related activities of the community. They have also established an
organization named SHARTHI, which plays an important role in providing a common platform for all the
artists. Dilip Bhatt plays a major role in conflict situation in the community; whenever, wherever or
whatever the conflict may be. The decisions taken by these Pradhans are mostly one sided i.e giving
preference to their own relatives before others. Most of the community people are passive in their approach
& participation in decision making. Similarly females also have a group led by Patasi & Kishori Bhatt has
an eye on youth problems in the community.

Vidya Devi is the current local counselor who deals with the community but is not involved in decision
making process of the community; in fact she is totally dependent on others. The government programs are
executed by her in the community like old age pensions, widow pension &others government programs as
well.

POPULATION: The total population of community is around 50-60,000; comprising of around 3500
jhuggis covering 10 acres of land. The population of the community is dominated by RAJASTHANI
BHATTS. They comprise around 60% of population, followed by the BIHARIS who are around 15% of
the population. The MARATHIS comprise 10% of the population. The rest are only 15% including people
from GUJRAT, ANDHRA PRADESH, WEST BENGAL & UTTAR PRADESH.

The number of children per family is in the given proportion:

 Less than 2 = 10%

 3 to 5 = 75%
 6 +++++ = 15%
Gender wise, females are more than males but there is no official data available.

ECONOMIC PROFILE: Community is not very well off economically. Majority of the people are
involved in seasonal occupations. These include puppet shows, magic shows, dhol, Kachighodi, Bhavai,
many forms of dance such as dancing on broken glass, thali, knives, fire dance, Ghoomar etc., other
occupations include mehndi drawing and bangle making or selling. The season more or less begins in
Oct/Nov & ends around Apr/May. Today the times have changed. In comparison to the scenario way back
in 1992, income levels have substantially increased so far, and housing too has improved. Participation in
saving schemes is now common, other measures such as ownership of clothes, performance costumes &
others material item have increased. People are now adopting modern techniques of commercialization,
they have visiting cards and mobile phones to publicize their profession, they take orders for programs and

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possess the necessary instruments, equipments etc required in these performances that would add more
glamour to their performance and attract more customers. The Kathputli people also arrange for other
traditional folk programs by employing people from other communities such as Gujrati, Marathi, Bihari
and others. Thus in this way they also as act as employers for others.

13 different occupations are represented in the sample in Rajasthani block (Kathputli colony)
50% = drummers
23% = musicians & singer
11% = puppeteers
16% = others

Approximately 52% of the community people have one income earner in their household & another 23%
have a minimum of 2 income earners. Some 14% of the families have 3-4 income earners.
The highest source of income is from performing at weddings and in hotels with a remuneration
consistently ranging from Rs.512 – 636 per day. As is to be expected, street performances have the lowest
level of remuneration ranging from Rs. 178 – 200 per day.
68% of people in the community take interest in teaching their art to people outside the community.
35% of peoples have traveled abroad, out of which 21% are one time visitors & the rest 14% are regular
visitors.

92% of them have cemented dwellings, 5% houses are made of mud & 1% made of only bricks. In 1992
only 19% lived in cemented dwellings and 8% lived in tents or shacks, however there are no such
evidences now.

Average number of clothing is observed to be 6%. The average no. of sets of clothes in 1992 was only
3.7%. Each performing artist has at least 3 costumes for a performance on an average, although 8% do not
have any costumes.

The artist also owns substantially more other material goods that indicate improvements in their standard
of living. In 1992, 29% had a television where as 82% do so now. 55% have a refrigerator and/or a freezer-
an item that could not even be considered by the great majority in 1992.

54% of the people of the community participate in formal savings while 32% of the community participates
in informal savings. Many people need material to bring out their profession and are dependant on agencies
like PRAYAS, KALAKAR TRUST and ANAND FOUNDATION etc & 58% people face problems in
obtaining the materials / equipments.

74% people believe that women play an important role in contributing to the community development.

As these people earn according to daily basis, they go daily on rounds in search of work. But this money
earned is not saved adequately and is largely spent lavishly. However on the other hand there are many who
are now associated with banks and have their personal accounts which reflect on their attitude towards
savings as well. The credit for these saving habits increasing in the community must also be given to the
SHG’s operating in the community who have inculcated this awareness and understanding in many people.
Those employed by the organizations or government, earn on a more permanent basis

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EDUCATION: Education plays a key role as it enables the powerless to articulate their concerns in a more
comprehensive manner. It facilitates learning & promotes the overall development of an individual as a
human being. However there are only limited educational institutions at present in the community. There
are 2-4 schools that are run by the MCD authorities & by the Delhi Government; however the services
provided by these schools are unsatisfactory on account of the following:

• Lack of basic infrastructural facilities

• Inadequate and irregularity of teachers
• Inadequate provision for mid day meals.
• Inadequate investigation & concentration with regards to the functioning of school authorities.

MCD school Nagar Nigam Prathmic Pathshala

Higher education among the girls is not encouraged. They are mostly restricted only to PRAYAS or
KALAKAR VIKAS VIDYALAYA. There is high drop out ratio that is observable even in the male child.
The male child too is not encouraged by his parents towards education. Besides, the parents encourage
them to work with him & earn money thereby children concentrate more on learning his traditional arts.

Besides government schools, different organizations working here provide alternative education to the
children with mid day meals like SIKHA PATSHALA, SEWA BHARTI, KALAKAR TRUST, MOBILE
CRECHES. One findings of Kalakar trust suggest that literacy and education level increased substantially
but there is still room for improvement, particularly in the area of competent literacy. Currently 74% of the
children of school going age attend school. This is a vast improvement over 1992 when only 41% of the
children were going to school.

Now a day the organizations working here create awareness among the community people to resume their
studies by adult education & counsel their parents to send their children to schools. Due to these
organizations the percentage of school going children has increased and people are understanding the
meaning of education by realizing its importance.

LANGUAGES SPOKEN: People belonging to different regions speak differently. As mentioned earlier in
my community people belong to RAJASTHAN so they frequently use their own language that is largely
Rajasthani (amongst themselves) and Hindi (with others). Most people of the community use Hindi as a
written language. Only few of them both read & write. Some of them who frequently make visits abroad
know English as well which is taught to them especially by KALAKAR TRUST.

It is very tough to say anything with data proofs as no exact data is available, but it is clear that most
women of the community are illiterate and this is an issue of major concern.

LOCATION & TRANSPORTATION: The community is located within WEST DELHI. There are
several places of commercial significance that are located near the community. These include:

• Satyam Cineplex
• DMS headquarters
• Shadipur bus depot
• Shadipur metro station

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 • Indirapuri (ICRA)
• MTNL regional headquarter

The bus routes from significant points in the city are as follows:

• Bus no. 618 while approaching the community from SAFDARJUNG TERMINAL
• Bus no. 410 while approaching the community from ASHRAM.
• Bus no. 990 while approaching the community from Old Delhi railway station.
• Bus no. 838 while approaching the community from Old Delhi railway station.
• DELHI METRO while approaching the community from CONNOUGHT PLACE.

Commuting in the community is from two sides, that is from Pandav Nagar side or Shadipur Bus depot.
From the pandav nagar side it is walking distance of 500m.

SEASONAL PATTERNS: Community activities are totally dependent on seasonal patterns. It is due to
changing economic scenario in the community. From November to May the community is very much
productive, as they earn mostly in these months. On the other hand the months from May to October there
is very less work to do. So, most of them prefer to go back to their villages.

RELIGION & CASTES: Mostly 99% in the community comprises of Hindus & the rest are Muslims.
They are nomadic tribes. In common Hindi language they are called NATS.

INSTITUTION/SOCIAL FACILITIES: As pointed out earlier the community is dominated by Hindus,

so the worship place is obviously temples. But there are no instances to draw from which reflect on
combined community worshipping at one temple. In front of every home there is a small temple found
meant for worship, especially for a family.

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There is not any traditional system of meeting place in the community like chaupal. People usually gather
formally at the centre of the community regularly.

There are no co-operatives & markets existing in the

community.

SOCIAL FACILITIES:

Health care: the health care facilities in the

community are only operated by non government
organizations like SEWA BHARTI &
KALAKAR TRUST. In general the health
situation of the community members has
generally improved. The level of immunization has
greatly improved & the rate of contraceptive use here has also increased than before. T.B & other lung
diseases still pose a problem as does alcohol & drug abuse.

Health status of Kathputli Tuberculosis:

Existing patients = 69
New = 138
Total patients in 2006 = 207
Patients pronounce cured = 54
Treatment complete = 63
Defaulter = 9
Failure = 4
Mortality = 3
Total patient carried forward = 74

Alcohol remains a major sphere of concern in the community as 40% of the people residing here indicate
that at least one person in the household drank alcohol to a minimum of three times per week. Another 11%
were noted to take drugs & 5% of them take both alcohol as well as drugs. Alcohol and drugs consumption
is also prevalent amongst the women folk of the community.

The People: The Rajasthani people are very warm and hospitable in their attitude, however generally hot
blooded, short tempered and blunt. They are rigid in their beliefs. However they are very respectful and
cordial to guests and very social, friendly, open and welcoming. The people of Kathputli colony are
extremely talented, irrespective of the age. As is evident from their dressing patterns, it may be observed
that the women folk especially, are very fond of dressing up in bright clothes, jewellery and other
accessories. They also seem to be very fashion conscious. Men are largely seen with long mustache, long
hair and are particular about their self esteem and conscious of themselves being Rajasthanis. Dancing,
singing and playing instruments are a passion for all.

Recreational: The only sources of recreational facilities in the community come from the people
themselves in terms of community melas (held for the older generation) or festivals and marriage functions.
The agencies working for the community also contribute in this field by arranging for outdoor trips etc for
those associated with them. The men keep themselves busy by finding entertainment in gambling in the
streets.

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Social Interactions and Issues: Matrimonial alliances in the community are formed with distant relatives,
thus each one is related to the other through some relation or another. Emphasis on values, ethics and mores
is highly noticeable. The people of Kathputli colony abide strongly by their traditional culture, and are
staunchly embedded in it. These are evident in the patterns of interactions between males and females, the
system of Pardah, the taboo attached to love marriages, prevalence of child marriage etc. The people
largely belong to the deprived classes of society and mostly belong to scheduled caste and scheduled tribes.

Eating Patterns: the people are generally fond of spicy food, and are great meat eaters. Chicken is a
favorite cuisine for them. Now a day they are also seen getting tempted towards junk food such as
chowmein, chhole bhatoore, etc.

Social Evils: some of the social evils prevalent in the community are Child Marriage, Pardah, Alcoholism,
Drug Abuse, Gambling, and Prostitution that stand out more openly.
PHYSICAL FACILITIES:

• Water: The DJB (Delhi Jal Board) is primarily responsible for ensuring adequate water supply in
the community. It also has a pumping station located near the community, but the residents of the
community however are quite unsatisfied with the services. They alleged that the water supply is
often inadequate and irregular. Corruption is a regular phenomenon where by the officials take
money from the government as well as the common people.

• Types of housing: mentioned earlier, about 90% of them have their own housing & 10% is on
rent.

• Sanitation: MCD usually deals with the sanitation related complain of Residents with regards to
maintenance & repair works basic infrastructural Concerns of the community. They constructed
several drains in the area. But the services given by MCD are still inadequate to fulfill the needs of
the community people.
People of the community also play a great role for bad sanitation. No one cares in the community.
That’s why sanitation is a big problem & one of the concern areas. Every where in the community
one can notice open drains & open sewage.

• Electricity: Electricity is a major problem in the community. It is totally illegal & dependent
mostly on police & DVB (Delhi Vidyut Board) employees who take bribes for this. People
sometimes also steal on the electricity from the neighboring areas of Pandav Nagar. Most of the
houses have televisions with cable facilities. The television too, thus keeps many of them in touch
with the outside world.

• Roads: The main road which links both sides of the community is in proper condition. This road
also divides the community in two equal halves. But there is no such road inside the community.
One could also see that in every street, sewages, water pipes & roads go along.

NEEDS OF THE COMMUNITY: After having an idea about the socio-economic structure of the
community, it is also important to highlight the primary concerns in the community. These include:-

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 • Inadequate water supply.
• Unemployment & under employment.
• Lack of adequate toilet facilities.
• Lack of education.
• Lack of health facilities.
• Lack of awareness regarding sanitation.
• Gender sensitization.

The social work trainees on their part make sustained & consistent efforts to deal with the identified
problem area. They achieve this by means of eliciting greater community participation in all their
endeavors. This would enable them to create a greater impact in the lives of the community people.