Lok Jumbish: Rural Participatory Design in Rajasthan, Lessons for the Future

Abstract

In this chapter, a participative design process involving design charrettes for planning sustainable schools in rural communities of western India is discussed. In the early 1990s in the State of Rajasthan, a remarkably ambitious project was launched. It sought to address the need for education in rural communities in a region that trailed in literacy and educational achievement. Called Lok Jumbish (translated from Hindi-Urdu as “People’s Awakening”), it aimed to provide ‘Education For All’ in the educationally backward state of Rajasthan. One aspect of the project was a plan to address the need for sustainable buildings infrastructure and support the overall goal by designing and building primary schools. This chapter reflects on the context, details, impact and lessons learned from a successful participatory design process implemented in Kishanganj Block, Baran District. It is written as a dialogue between Sanjay Prakash, one of three lead New Delhi architects selected to pilot the work on the ground in different parts of Rajasthan, and Virajita Singh who was project architect on Sanjay’s team from 1993 to 1996. The need to better understand and implement sound processes of participatory design, including design charrettes, continues to grow in our times. This chapter concludes with the advantages of design charrettes to involve rural communities in the design of their buildings and infrastructure and the lessons learned, which can be applied to other rural communities in India and beyond.