1. KUTCH - DROVANA
PROF. ATUL SAPRE
PROF. DEVAL KARTIK
Akhil Sain
Jagdish Kohle
Jyotika Bindra
Samira Jain
Samina Rahman

2. COURSE OBJECTIVE :
To understand the process of ethnography on field
To experience the challenges and understand the process of getting access for in-depth cultural
research
To enhance communication skills in order to get correct data and insights
DURATION:
Theoretical inputs:
24 August 2012 - 28 August 2012
On-field research
4 September 2012 – 8 September 2012
PLACE:
Bhuj, Kutchh District, Gujarat

3. 1 Brainstorming and researching about the villages in and around Bhuj (Kuchh)
2 Visiting various villages to understand the scope of study
3 Mapping the communities of a region.
4 Dhrovana was finalized on the basis of easy access, interesting location and presence of
two major religious communities living in the same region.

4.  Observation research
 In depth informal interviews
 Casual conversations
 Participatory observation

5. BHUJ
BHUJ GANDHINUGAM BHUJ
BHUJODI MOTA DINARA DROVANA DROVANA
AJARAKPUR KHAVADA KHAVADA KHAVADA
AHMEDABAD BHUJ BHUJ BHUJ BHUJ BHUJ

6. BHUJ
BHUJODI
AJARAKPUR
BHUJ

7. AJARAKHPUR
Time of visit :
11am to 12:30pm
Objective :
To explore options and places
where we could conduct our
ethnography
Person we met :
Dr. Ismail Khatri
Work done:
Ajrakh Printing
Ajrakh Printing:
djfk

19. BHUJODI
Time of visit :
1pm to 3pm
Objective :
To explore options and places
where we could conduct our
ethnography
Work done:
Weaving

28. BHUJ
GANDHINUGAM
MOTA DINARA
KHAVADA
BHUJ

29. BUS STAND
A large public transit point where
people (from in and around Bhuj,
nearby areas, inter city/ state
travellers) convene temporarily for
the purpose of finding and waiting for
their respective buses to travel to
their destinations.
OBJECTIVE:
To observe the different people
passing by at the bus stop
To identify a group and the place
they belong to
To find a bus going to that area or
village to conduct our study

30. OBSERVATIONS GROUP 1:
A group of women: One old woman
with thick glasses, One middle aged,
One young girl in bright red, and one
little girl.
All wearing very colourful, heavy,
thick, clothing embellished with zig
zag lace, gota kinari and sequins.
Long frock/a- line kurta (stitched in
such a way that it gave the impression
of a two piece skirt with blouse) paired
with loose salwars and dupattas with
bold big floral prints covering their
heads.
All women (except the one in red)
wore big heavy metal earrings and
flat round studs(dia 2-3cm), nose studs
of slightly smaller diameter,
glass/metal bangles, heavy big
anklets. The woman in red was

31. dressed different and special. The top was heavily and intricately embroidered, wore an
elaborate neckpiece, a heavy nose ring, numerous bangles and heavy anklets.
An old woman in a shabby printed salwar kameez came to them asking for money. This could
have been an indication of them being from a well to do background.
We tried to carry out a conversation with them. They seemed hesitant and suspicious. Also did
not understand hindi/gujrati. They said they belonged to an area called Khavda (80 kms and
2hrs from Bhuj on further research). They did not let us take any pictures of them. We also found
out that the woman in red was newly married. After our conversation they followed our
movements around the bus stop looked at us suspiciously.
The women were accompanied by 2 men but they were not sitting with the women. They came
later at the time of boarding the bus. The men wore pathan suits of all black and carried blue
stoles with bright and big floral prints on their shoulders.

32. OBSERVATIONS GROUP2:
Women in black long flowy skirts and coloured dupattas and cholis. Heavily adorned,
embroidered attire. Backless colourful blouses. Gold jewelry. One of them carrying a black and
white big women’s leather handbag.
OBSERVATIONS GROUP 3:
A young man with slightly older woman and a small child. Man wearing pathan suit, dark brown
heavy leather shoes. A silver coloured watch on his left wrist. Woman in bright red salwar kurta
with green and yellow flowers, embellised with lace, a black dupatta with red
and green floral print. Big nose and ear gold colored studs. Little boy in green kurt and blue pyjamas,
blue chappals, kohl eyes. Took off his footwear, sat with a packet of snacks.
Group 1 seemed the most interesting. We noticed other groups dressed similar to them. We
decided to take the bus to Khavda.

33. KHAVDA
A city situated 80kms from Bhuj and
80kms from the India-Pakistan border.
The bus dropped us at the main
chowk which had a few shops and
where local transportation had to be
taken to go to the villages situated
around.
OBJECTIVE:
Talk to shopkeepers and shoppers to
find out about the nearby villages.
To find local transportation to go to a
particular village.

34. OBSERVATIONS:
 A small city- tehseel
 A lot of army vehicles were spotted
 Central point to catch buses (private/government) to Bhuj
 Very few private vehicles were spotted.
 A few tourist shops selling Kutch embroidery goods
 Small tea shops, 2 eateries, one fruit seller
 A busy mobile store.
 A fork was there at the main chowk. One road led towards the villages, fields and the
border. The other one led to the main market.
 Only men and young boys were spotted (black/blue pathan suits) with floral print stoles. No
women or girls were seen in the city/market place.
 Local transportation: Toofans (Tata cars), Chhakra was available for locals visiting Khavda.
It’s a cart with a motorcycle front and can accommodate large number of people (17-18)
even though it is meant for 7. Charged Rs. 10 per person for us (suspicion : the locals were
charged less)

35. MOTA DINARA
ABOUT THE VILLAGE
 Is 700 year old village
 85 kilometer away from the Bhuj
and
 5 kilometer away from Khavda
 Muslim and Harijan community
stay in the village
 Cattle rearing and farming is the
main occupation
 There are 800 household in the
village.
OBJECTIVES :
 To understand scope of
ethnography research in the area
 To get access to study culture of
the village

36. IN DEPTH INTERVIEW WITH GANNI
(VILLAGE SARPANCH) AND
OBSERVATIONS

37. FACILITIES:
 There were no shops to buy daily
necessities. Villagers go to Khavda for
buying basic things
 There were no individual tap of water
provided for household, all people were
depending on the hand pump which is
provided by government.
 Electric facility was provided in the year of
1986.
 Cow, buffalo, goat, horse and camel ,
these animal were own by the villagers.
Camel and hours are mainly own for selling
in the market.
 There was no bank in the village and very
less awareness about bank
 There was one government hospital called
Prathmik Aaroghya
 BSNL are providing Mobile connectivity
service
 Almost half of the population of the village
own mobile phones

38. OCCUPATION:
 Villagers depended on dry
farming so men of the
house stay out for 2 – 3
months for earning
 Selling Milk was other
occupation of the village.
 There was one milk center
in the village where people
collected their milk and sold
in the city
FOOD:
 Bajra ka rotala ,daal ,rice,
khichadi is the every day
food of the village

39. ATTIRE OF PEOPLE:
 Women wear Kanjra and
men wear Pathani.
 Women make Kanjra for
themselves before marriage
 Nowadays some women
have started to wear
Pathani ( Punjabi )
 Women wears heavy
jewelry
 There is no change in the
attire before and after
marriage in the Muslim
community

40. STATUS OF WOMEN:
 Women stay in the house
and do daily household
work
 Taking photographs of
women after certain age is
not allowed

41. EDUCATION:
 There was one Madarasa till
8th standard after that
students go to Khavda to
study
 After 8th standard girls are
not allowed to study further
 After 8th standard, boys
from the village go to
Maharashtra, Ahmedabad,
Baruch for their further study
(Vocational study, hand skill
based study, agricultural
study )

42. RELIGION:
 Majority of population in the
village is of the Muslim
community.
SOCIAL INTERACTION:
 Every day men of the
village met outside of the
Masjid after Maghrib.
 Women met at Friday on
Eid prayer in Masjid.
 Most of the marriages are
happened within village

43. GANDHINUGAAM
ABOUT THE VILLAGE
 Is 100 year old village situated
 10 kilometer away from Khavda
 Muslim and Harijan community
stay in the village
 There are 150 household in the
village
 Over 200 families reside in the
village
OBJECTIVES :
 To understand scope of
ethnography research in the area
 To get access to study culture of
the village

44. RELIGION:
 Majority of population is
Hindu in the village
 Harijan and Marwadi is the
major community in the
village
 Very less number of people
are Muslims
SOCIAL INTERACTION:
 Muslim community live
separate because of less
space in the village
 Marriages never happen
within villages
 First people feel shy to
speak but after some time
they speak freely
 People allow to take
photograph

45. FACILITIES:
 For Daily need they have to
go to Khavda
 There were 7-8 bikes in the
village
 There was a underground
water tank for drinking
water.
 House in the villages quite
well and big

46. ATTIRE:
 Women wore odhani,
kanjari, ghagara, chuda
 Men wore white pathani,
black leather shoes,
Gamcha.
 New generation wore shirt
pants.

47. OCCUPATION:
 Main occupation of the
people is wood carving
 Sofa set, stool, stray are the
main products
 Women do handwork
called Gurjari
 Also Embroidery /
patchwork on cloths is
another source of income
 Sale of craft work happen
from house
 Sometime women go out
for exhibitions

48. STATUS OF WOMEN:
 Men in the house take all
the decisions
 Women/girls don’t go to
school after 4th standard

49. EDUCATION:
 There was a primary school
in the village after that
need to go to Khawda for
further study
 From the age of 7-8 girls in
the house start to learn
craft work

50. BHUJ
DROVANA
KHAVADA
BHUJ

51. PLACE: Dhrovana, Khavada District, Kutch
ACCESS:
We got access to the village through a school teacher in Bhuj travelling with us in the bus. He
helped us get in touch with a man called Abdul Sattar who works for an NGO in that region. Abdul
introduced us to the villagers, the school teacher of Dhrovana and a Harijan family in that village.
He helped us communicate with the villagers to explain our presence and agenda, to gain access
an a villager’s (Kanha) house and make arrangements for our stay.
OBJECTIVE :
 Getting access
 Familiarize ourselves to the location and people
 Explaining the scope of project to the informant
 Making arrangements for stay
 Understanding the research constraints in that area
INFORMANT : Kanha and Sattar Bhai

53. WHY WE CHOSE
DROVANA?
 Interesting location :
one of the last
villages to India-
Pakistan border
 Presence of both
Hindu and Muslim
community
 A high security region
 We had got access
to the village
 We could make
arrangements to stay

54. DROVANA
KHAVADA
BHUJ

55. OBJECTIVE:
Conducting detailed observation research over 24 hours.
OVERVIEW:
We took an early morning bus to the village and met Kanha and his family
Before that we wandered around to explore the village
Our 24-hr cycle started at 11:32 am
From there on we allocated areas of observation and started recording
Data Collection in the form of transcriptions, audio and video recordings and sketches
We stayed with Kanha and his family till 11:30 am the next morning

57. KANHA
Kanha is a musician who plays
flute. He is the elder son of the
family in which we stayed. He
was wearing a cricket outfit for
both the days, owns a bike
and smoke bedi. He is looking
forward for a city exposure for
performing and has done a
few too.

59. WATER TANK

60. SHOPS

61. HINDU HARIJAN WOMEN
 Lehenga and long kurta, with dupatta
 Kurta (long top) was different for married and unmarried women
 Hand made clothers
 Lots of hand embroidery on clother
 Vibrant colors, and big floral prints
 Synthetic fabrics mostly
 Bangles - glass and plastic
 White bangles for the upper arm
 Jewellery - Local names
 Kadi - Anklet
 Sasri - Nose ring
 Siri - Flat and round nose ring
 Thodiya - Earrings
 Vindo - Nose ring for the bride

64. HINDU HARIJAN WOMEN - MARRIED
 Married women wore backless top with lehengas (long skirt) and a dupatta (wide stoll)
 The backless long top - called Kanjri
 Heavily ornamented and embroidered
 Made by the bride herself before her marriage, and brought to her new house as part of her
dowry
 The skirt (lehengas) - either plain or printed, synthetic fabrics, with heavily embroidered or gota
borders
 The dupatta was not a regular rectangle shape, but a rectangle with a square piece attached
for covering the head
 Covering of head is mandatory, especially in presence of other men

66. HINDU HARIJAN WOMEN - UNMARRIED
 Hindu Harijan - unmarried woman
 Wore a stitched long top over the lehenga
 Dupatta worn only when going out
 Covering the head not mandatory
 Lots of bangles - glass and plastic

68. MUSLIM MAALDARI WOMEN
 Two piece stitched clothing - like salwar and kurta, common for all age groups
 Extra piece of cloth for covering the head
 Very little embroidery on clothes
 More earthy colors, and less bold prints
 The top/ kurta (called frack) was stitched in a way that it looked like two pieces - lehenga and
choli
 All hand stitched clothes
 Very less jewellery
 Only one bangle in each hand
 Ankle bands in legs
 No toe rings
 Head covered all the time, irrespective of age or marital status
 Chain in neck- golden color

69. MEN
HINDU HARIJAN
 Wore regular pants and t-shirts
 T-shirts looked old and worn out
 Cricket jerseys common
 No specific color pattern visible
MUSLIM MAALDAARI
 Kurta and pyjama (pathan suit)
 Carried an scarf - printed - bold floral prints
 Blue a common color in their clothing

70.  100 Hindu houses, 500 muslim houses
 Multiple structures in a compound
 Separate room for each couple
 Kitchen (2 windows, a cut out in the roof for the smoke to escape, a drain in the corner), mud
chulha
 Verandah
 Washing area outside
 Toilet
HINDUS
 Pakka(concrete)
 Wall art – Hindus
 Colours: Blue, green, yellow, red
 Motifs: peacocks, flowers, horses, plants, girls
MUSLIMS
Thatched huts, Bungas(round mud houses)+ concrete

75. BELONGINGS:
 Sewing machine
 Television
 Stereo
 Furniture: 2 woven cot,
 Chair
 Utensils
 Water pots stacked upside down on
one wall
 Godri (hand made fabric filled
quilt/bed cover)
 Framed photographs on walls
 First aid kit
 Mounted and laminated pictures of
gods
 Ceiling fans
 Big storage boxes
 Table
 1 Goat

79.  The village has 4 schools
 One basic healthcare facility in one of the school’s complex
 School is up to 7th standard only
 IT teaching facility with 3-4 computers also available in the school
 Language of teaching – Gujarati or Kutchhi
 English and Hindi sparingly taught
 Hindu Harijan kids more regular for school
 Lesser number of girls in higher classes

82. School facilities for children
of both religions and
communities.
Medium: gujrati
Difference in the sitting
pattern: kids of a
community tended to sit
together
More number of Harijan
than Maldari students
Male and female teachers

83. SOURCES OF INCOME :
The men of the household were
builders and masons
Harijan women did bead work for
themselves but also to sell outside.
One part of the house was given
out on rent to a female teacher

84. ENTERTAINMENT:
 Men gathered at the top of the
hill in the evening to talk
 Television
 Inter village/ community cricket
matches
 Singing/Playing musical
instruments
 Listening to radio/songs on
phone
 Gathering in the temple
 Embroidery/bead work
 Visiting neighbors
 Smoking

85.  11: 48 am - Milking the goat in the evening
 12: 10 pm - Bathing and dressing the little girl
 12: 30 pm - Watching Television (Is pyar ko main kya naam du)
 2: 00 pm - Taking a nap
 2: 30 pm - Making Tea
 3: 30pm - Collecting milk
 3:45 pm - Embroidery
 4:30 pm - Cutting firewood
 5:30 pm - Cooking dinner
 7:45 pm – Serving dinner
 8:15 pm – Eating dinner
 8:30 pm - Washing the vessels
 8:45pm - Watching television
 9:30 pm - Sleeping after the day gets over
 6:00am - Getting up in the morning
 6:30 pm - Cleaning the house
 7:30 am - Cook breakfast

86.  21 godris for dowry
 Daughter in law kept away from strangers, keeps her head covered at all times
 Hindu men gather in the evening (7 pm) at the family temple (Main deity: Shri Ramdev
Maharaj) with different instruments(manjira, ghanti, dhol. ektara) to sing bhajans. No women
were part of this ritual ( some women had come to visit earlier in the evening)
 Muslims don't work during Ramadan and rains
 Hindu Men don’t go to Muslim households, only for weddings (only close friends, for boy’s
wedding)

87.  Milk is sold at Rs. 25/L
 A Himalaya bottle was noticed in multiple households
 Onion is called Dungri
 Amma has asthma: 12 puffs from the inhaler
 Muslim women came to Amma for treatment of their kids: undernourished, massages, disabled
 Rudra dam area: Dhrovana Hindu settlements after earthquake
 Water is fetched from Khavda once a month (Rs. 400/tank- 5000L)

88. Women were observed
shop keeping for a certain
time in the afternoon.
A Gujrati educated
woman also lives in the
village running an
individual shop.

89. Head of the household
Stayed in a separate
structure by himself on the
same compound
Walked over from time to
time to with us
Was mostly ignored by the
rest of the family
Food was sent to him in his
house at meal times

90.  Selection of location of study (availability of diverse cultures)
 Gaining access and trust
 Language
 Collection of data (restriction on photography and videographer)
 Travel (long distances and remote areas)
 Code of conduct (so as to not offend the people or culture)
 Location (the village is near the border and therefore a high security area)
 Amenities and facilities (getting used to their way of life)
 Conducting the study unobtrusively without attracting too much attention or influencing the
data in any way

91.  Ethnography and observation research can be quick with practice
 Noting down things is also an art
 One needs to be non-judgmental
 Everything needs to be recorded: Time, place, number of people, behavior, ambiance
 An important tool to understand consumer behavior
 Gives emotion based information
 Data collected should be thick and deep
 Notebook, camera, recorder are tools that should always be handy
 Data collected should be reorganized well after collection and read well several times
 Consolidation of data should be done thoughtfully and may take time for decisions
 Getting access is not that easy
 Language is not always a huge barrier