Bhadli Village

Bhuj, Gujarat

As the project architect we decided that we would be facilitators and that there would be no imposition of our ideas on the people. Hence, the help offered to the people of Bhadli was financial, material and professional expertise; but the shape the village took was decided by the residents themselves. Three main factors that guided the reconstruction process were the incorporation of seismic and climate related safety factors, the new houses were built on the original parcels of land – so there was no relocation of villagers and finally the realization that Bhadli had to return to normalcy as quickly as possible. A total of a 124 homes were built. The concept of a village square was developed in the form of a multi- purpose hall, a women’s centre that boosted the craft output of the village and a balwadi. The community centre and school were completed in 2002. The community hall is used for the Gram Vikas Kendra meetings.