Time Out

Time Out
Bhai Mahavir

Orchha's two faces
Orchha is not just another temple city with grand structures. It is, perhaps, the only pilgrimage in which its presiding deity has enjoyed unchallenged supremacy for four centuries no other religious or temporal authority being entitled to receive a salute here. It is Ram's territory with no Manthara around to serve as a killjoy! Thus in a way, Orchha did not have to wait for 14 long years for the establishment of Ram Rajya which continues unabated. Ram is worshipped here as a king.

Though founded by the Bundela chief Rudra Pratap in the 16th century, it was when Madhukar Shah's wife had a dream visitation of Shri Ram that Ganesh Kumari resolved to bring an idol of Ram from Ayodhya to install in a temple. Thereby hangs a charming tale. Since the temple had not be-en completed by that time, on arrival the image had to be placed at another site for the time being. But when they tried to lift it from there for proper installation, it proved impossible to move! The queen thenrecalled that in her dream the deity had proclaimed its intention to stay where it was placed first. A temple was, thereafter, erected at that very site.

Orchha boasts of many other magnificent buildings like Jehangir Mahal, built in honour of the emperor's visit. There is the palace of Hardaul -- son of Bir Singh Ju Deo who gave his life to vindicate his innocence and dispel his brother's suspicion of amorous ties with the latter's consort -- which lent Hardaul the halo of a god who is worshipped even today. It commemorates also Chandrashekhar Azad, who used Orchha as his underground base in 1926-27.

Had we left Orchha with the added-up scenario created by the above pictures, it would have been half the story. The day after our arrival, I got an occasion to get a vision of the future when we were taken to Taragram -- the `gram' symbolising Tara, Technology and Action for Rural Advancement. The village offering `Development Alternatives' generates its own power, and supplies electricity to three nearbyvillages also. One small-scale industry set up there worth a mention is hand-made paper of all qualities ranging from superior stationary paper to rough packing paper.

Its major breakthrough is in the field of improved and cheaper housing in a rural housing programme for Azadpura (a village 2.5 km from Taragram). ``Confronted with the reality that millions of our countrymen had no houses to live in'' and ``many more did have a roof over their heads that often leaked and caught fire, but little else by way of protection'', the group started thinking -- mad though it might have appeared -- of Shelter for All! The Tara Gramin Nirman Kendra committed itself to the delivery of sustainable building technologies suitable to the region while meeting their basic needs of shelter and generating employment. Building material options in rural and urban areas, use of local resources and sensitivity to the ecosystem are the basic criteria followed in selecting building systems.

One new technology for lowering housingcost per unit is that of Compressed Earth Blocks. Instead of importing baked bricks from outside, the production of blocks here created local employment, though the idea of each houseowner producing his own blocks did not work. The Tara Tile Maker produces micro-concrete roofing tiles from the micro concrete mix of one part cement, two parts graded sand and one part stone grit. There are also technologies for textiles, readymade garments and Jal Tara (water-testing kits).

What is the most significant single fact about Taragram? It has not asked for power. And it has generated employment for more than 250 persons. Geeta Srinivasan, a young product of Bangalore's Institute of Appropriate Technology, is the brain behind it assisted by former Air Vice Marshal Sahni.This is the other face of Orchha: complementing the one showing past grandeur, this is the direction of future hope!