Two new community spaces in Govandi aim to help locals transform their lives

American architect and designer Frank Lloyd Wright had famously said ldquoWe create our buildings and then they create usrdquo Thousands of miles away in Govandi a small group of people in the resettlement buildings of Natwar Parekh Compound are following this maxim where theyrsquove been able to reimagine spaces with art to improve community living and foster meaningful interactions in a tough neighbourhoodFrom left to right Tayyaba Darvesh Parveen Shaikh and Sana ShaikhCommunity Design Agency CDA an architect and urban plannersrsquo collective recently opened two new community spaces Humraahi and Awaz in addition to the already existing Kitaab Mahal in the eastern suburb to create an ecosystem of creative spaces through architectural changes focused on arts and wellbeing of its residentsA view of the exteriors of the community library Kitaab MahalWhen we dropped by on a Saturday afternoon we were greeted with warmth and excitement from the youth Parveen Shaikh the lead community organiser at CDA for Govandi explains the journey ldquoI was born on a footpath in Sewri It was a dream for me to have a house of my own and an address proof to show the government But soon we realised that in all the excitement of this relocation we lost a sense of community and livelihood One day at an awards function I came across people from the Community Design Agency and a plan to make the space more habitable for the community took shaperdquo the 46yearold reveals ldquoThe idea was to introduce artistic interventions that made people reclaim the compound as their own and retain the sense of social cohesion that was lost during the displacementrdquo adds Natasha Sharma lead for arts and design programmes CDAChildren play a sound bath during a healing session at HumraahiTucked away in a corner of the compound is Kitaab Mahal the arearsquos community library Inaugurated in 2022 it is painted in bright colours where shelves are lined with childrenrsquos books and hand drawn paintings the space originally cropped up as a response to the COVID19 pandemic ldquoBecause of the restrictions during the pandemic kids in the area found it extremely difficult to study or even access digital tools This room served as a space where they could engage with reading and learningrdquo Sharma tells usNatasha SharmaAs children started frequenting Kitaab Mahal new activities and interactions cropped up that demanded more space ldquoIn October 2023 a murder occurred in the compound because of a minor scuffle between kids during a festival and it got us thinking about the prevalent anger in the area that could possibly overpower their responses to situations It became necessary to introduce interventions where people could access therapeutic tools and engage with models of wellbeing like expressive arts therapy music therapy or even dance movement therapy That is how Humraahi emergedrdquo Sharma recallsDesigned to accommodate peoplersquos needs and not the other way around Humraahi represents the youthrsquos very own playground ldquoThere are no rules We organise weekly workshops however we use this as a space without any judgment where people can express themselves freely They discuss their dreams and aspirations and this actually instils confidence to look beyond their daily challengesrdquo reasons Tayyaba Darvesh the 23yearold facilitator of Humraahi Awaz a room in another building is a space led by the women of the area that focuses on promoting leisure and relaxation ldquo The women here tend to their families and are burdened with responsibilities 247 The lack of space in their homes gives them little privacy This is why such spaces are importantrdquo Sharma revealsWith plans to start sixmonth mentorship programmes for Humraahi based on storytelling and filmmaking with sessions on art therapy as well the area is teeming with excitement Children are having fun while the women joke with abandon about their day The infectious positive energy is hard to miss Shaikhrsquos words stay with us ldquoHealing is all about giving importance to yourself and engaging with your loved ones otherwise you are lostrdquoLOG ON TO govandiartsfestival on Instagram