Habitat of bordowa field study report

The Aim of the project was to study and document the Habitat of the village of Bordowa, 16 km north of Nagaon District in Assam. Bordowa is the Religous capital of Assam, as it is the birth place of the greatest Saint of Assam Shrimanta Shankardev, who propagated the Bhakti movement.
As apart of the project we stayed at Bordowa for 4 days and interacted with the local community and people , visited their homes, and documented the entire process interms of videos and photographs. We tried to undestand the dynamics of Bordowa, as a cultural centre ,an Economic hub and as a potential model for sustainable growth.

1. SYSTEM DESIGN FOR
SUSTAINABILITY
HABITAT OF BORDOWA
A FIELD STUDY
Semester • Jan-May 2015
Department of Design, IIT Guwahati

3. 1Department of Design, IIT-Guwahati
Course Instructor
Course Objective
Dr. Ravi.Mokashi Punekar
Asst. Prof Sharmistha Banerjee
An introduction to the theory
and practice of System Design
for Sustainability. Product Ser-
vice System (PSS) design for
Sustainability. Evolution of sus-
tainability within design; Life
Cycle Design : methods, tools,
strategies, guidelines; System
(PSS) design for eco efficiency:
criteria, guidelines; System de-
sign for socio-ethical sustain-
ability (emerging context): crite-
ria, guidelines; System design in
emerging contexts; Evolutionary
transition path; methods and
tools for system design (system
map, interaction story board
etc.), Methods and tools for sys-
tem design for sustainability.
The Aim of the project is to
study and document the Habitat
of the village of Bordowa, 16
km north of Nagaon District in
Assam. Bordowa is the Religous
capital of Assam, as it is the birth
place of the greatest Saint of
Assam Shrimanta Shankardev,
who propagated the Bhakti
movement.
As apart of the project we
stayed at Bordowa for 4 days
and interacted with the local
community and people , visited
their homes, and documented
the entire process interms of
videos and photographs. We
tried to undestand the dynamics
of Bordowa.
Synopsis
As a cultural centre , an
Economic hub and as a potential
model for sustainable growth.
The following report
summarises our experiences
and observations during our
stay in Bordowa.
We would like to thank the
people of Bordowa for letting
us into thair homes and their
hearts.

4. 2
Students
Shambhavi Deshpande
Dorai Raj Natha
Aayush Jain
Rajib Bhakat
Kunal Drego
Kulmanali Khilare
Habitat Group
B.Des IVyr
B.Des IVyr
B.Des IVyr
M.DesIV yr
M.Des IIyr
M.Des IIyr
11020510
11020512
11020501
134205019
134205010
1342050
Course Instructor
Dr. Ravi.Mokashi Punekar
Asst. Prof Sharmistha Banerjee

5. 3Department of Design, IIT-Guwahati
Introduction
Habitat
A habitat is an ecological or
environmental area that is
inhabited by a particular species
of animal, plant, or other type
of organism.It is the natural
environment in which an organism
lives, or the physical environment
that surrounds a species population
various types of places intended for
human residence, as opposed to
and often in addition to e.g., places
of work, study, or entertainment.
The term habitat comes from
ecology, and includes many
interrelated features, especially the
immediate physical environment,
the urban environment or the
social environment.
Demographics of population based
on religion.
Bordowa is a village situated in
the Nagaon District of the state
of Assam. It is best known for its
religious significance as the birth
place of Srimanta Shankar Dev.It is
a place of cultural heritage for the
Assamese community. As a result a
large no. of tourists come and visit
the place through out the year. The
population mainly depends upon
Agriculture , Sericulture, Weaving,
Teaching, Handicrafts etc.
Based on religion the demographics
of Bordowa can be divided into
Hindus and Muslims as these
religious ethinicities dominate the
region. the hindu community is
found at the centre of the place and
muslim majority at the outskirts of
Bordowa.
Habitat in Bordowa Demographics
Muslims
Hindus
Satra
The Satra can be defined as the
cultural controller, or the habitat
controller of the place . It is often
cited as controller of all the events
in Bordowa.

6. 4
With respect to Bordowa we have mainly considered the physical
habitat of the place and the social interaction of the people of the
place and and within each other. The urban scenario dwals with the
built up Infrastructure and economy of that place. This can be the
broad classification for the study of the Habitat of Bordowa.
Habitat
Social HabitatUrban HabitatPhysical Habitat
Classification of Habitat
In terms of Religion
Hindus Muslims
The religious divide can be clearly seen between the two communi-
ties in terms of demographics and Habitat.
Observations:
• The land occupancy inthe center of the village is held by the
Hindus.
• Hindus are the landlord of the place and muslims work on thair
fields.
• The muslims work as field workers and peasents and the hinud
as the landlords.
• the main occupations among hindus are: farmers, weavers,
teachers, public service, business etc
• Occupation among muslims: Farmers, doctors, vegetable seller ,
business, cobbler, etc.
Classification in terms of Study
• Architecture.
• Habitat Plan.
• Kitchen.
• Domestic Activities.
• Cleenliness.
• Dress & Artifects.

7. 5Department of Design, IIT-Guwahati
Architecture
Assam type house Elevated HouseCemented House
The Assam type house is a
typical siting in Assam, the have
sloping roofs. the walls and roof
are made up of wood frames
and beams. The wall surface
is made up of bamboo tied
together with concrete or mud
mixture for outer surface.
The most common type of
houses available are the
concrete RCC houses. they are
normal houses though the front
facade is designed ina typical
assemese fashion .
There are multistorey buildings
also upto 2 floor high in this
region. The houses are very well
ventilated, and have specious
room. Windows are provided
for maximum sunlight to get in .
The houses are designed
as per vastu shastra as per
the teachings of Srimanta
Shankardev.
These houses are generally
found on the front lawn of a
house. they are mainly used for
storing grain , or as a store room.
They are very useful during rainy
season as the protect grain,
cattle and sometimes human
from the eminent floods.

8. 6
The main building material that
is used in building temporary
houses are bamboo, soil and
wooden frames.
The houses thet are made here
hav lintels above the window to
protect from rainsnad sun. The
roofing materials used are Tin,
Tali, Concrete and in some cases
dried coconut leaves for shelter.
The design of the houses are
highly inspired from colonial
times in the Hindu majority
areas. In Muslim majority areas
most of the houses found are
temporary and are not well
maintained.
The front facade of a typical Hindu Household is a triangular shaped
entrance as seen in the mentioned figures. Whesreas the Muslim
houses have a very plain facade with rectangular beam and intricate
designs on them . Window panels found here are mostly wooden
frames.

9. 7Department of Design, IIT-Guwahati
Habitat Planning
The Habitat in and around the living area is a very well maintaind
highly personal place for recreation for the villagers. Sometimes the
villagers live as a group sharing the same compound with multiple
families, somtimes having a seperate area for the entire family.

10. 8
A Typical plan of a house in Bordowa
A typical Assamese Hindu
Household in Bordowa follows
a similar pattern in terms of the
layout of the house.
The Lay out can be divided as
per the followings :
• The front lawn and back
yard are used for growing
fruits,vegetables and
flowers.
• A space is allocated for the
cattle.
• Granary is situated outside
the house or somtimes
inside .
• The Kitchen , Prayer room
, and toilets are placed
outside the main living area
so as not to infest germs
into the bedroom, This
promotes cleanliness.
• A dumping ground is made
at the back of thehouse
where a pit is digged and
the waste is dumped there.
• They are cleaned or burnt
when the pit is full. And
subsiquently a new pit is
digged.
Schematic layout of a typical Assamese house in Bardowa.

11. 9Department of Design, IIT-Guwahati
Kitchen
These are pictures of a typical
firewood using stoves to cook
food. The kitchen is placed
generally outside the main
living area, as women should
not enter the kitchen during
their menstural cycle.
The fire wood used with cow
dung is a very typical choice for
the villagers here.
• Most of the Hindu Household
uses LPG cylinders in kitchen
• Occationally ony firewood is
used.
• In the Muslim dominated
region though , the use of
these kind of firewood is
extensive.
• The firewood is made by
taking thin, long pieces of
wood or sliced bamboo
, which is then wrapped
around with cow dung.
• It is then dried and used as
a fuel.

12. 10
Domestic Activities
The people in the village are very Independent, and self sustainable
because of all the practices and activities they do in their household
compound. There is agreat amount of cultural resources in every
household. The traditional practices of weaving, Gamucha making ,
crafts making , carpentry are carried out everyday in each household,
making every household a potential small scale industry. Promonent
if these are Weaving, Kuhila crafts, loom, fishery ect.

13. 11Department of Design, IIT-Guwahati
The lawns in the house hold
are used for growing various
fruits and vegetables, and
other cash crops. namely
being: Tobacco, Coconut,
Papaya, Bamboo, Bnaana,
Bettle leaf, Gaurd, Guava, Chilli
and other seasonal fruits and
vegetables.
The manure for the crops are
generated from the waste
disposal pits backside of
thehouse.
Basically all the house hold has
a kitchen garden. Apart from
them seasonal flowers are also
grown on the lawns.

14. 12
The front lawn also houses the
cattles and the granary. Though
cattle grazing is not so much
prevelent among the Hindu
community , it is mosty foubd
amonf the Muslims. Cattle is
raised as an asset to the
Hen, Duck, Goose,Goat are
the prominent cattle raised in
Bordowa. Fisheries is one of the
most prospering and important
industries of the region. As fish
is eaten through out the year
by the assamese people.
household and is seen as a
thing of great value. The milk
produced from the cow or egg
from hens and duck are mostly
used for domestic consumption.
If in acces then it is sold to the
naighbours. Cow,

15. 13Department of Design, IIT-Guwahati
Cleanliness
Waste DisposalWaterToilets
Toilets are found in almost all
the houses of Bardowa. Open
Defication is not followed by
people around the village.
Temopary and permanent
toilets are made based on their
financial capabilities
Ground Water is mostly used for
drinking as well as washing, as
ground water is availabe under
20ft of groundlevel. The arsenic
and iron content in the water is
high.
The kitchen and other
household waste produced in
the house are dumped into pits
dugged behind the house. The
village as a whole is clean as the
villages are aware of it benifits.

16. 14
Dresses & Artefacts
The tradional dresses are still
worn by assamese women
woven by their own hand
making it one of the most
sustainable practices of the
village.
Hindus:
Makhela Chaddar, Kurta , Dhoti,
Gamucha, Salwar Kameez.
Muslims: Burkha , Saree, Lungi,
Shirt, Namaz Cap.

17. 15Department of Design, IIT-Guwahati
Traditional Artefects include:
• Japi
• Khorai
• Gamucha
• Masks for plays
• Dhol,Mridanga
• Tal
• Local Crafts
• Kuhila Artistry
• Water Hysin furniture
• Assamese Jewellery

18. 16
Observations & Conclusions
• The Residents of Bordowa are very wecoming and peaceful inhabitant.
• The overall village habitat is clean and the population is well informed about the benifits of Cleanliness.
• The ethnicity of the place is majorly divided in between the Hindus & the Muslims.
• The average Hindu population of Bardowa is well educated whereas the Muslim community lacs
behind in this regard.
• Hindus are the major Land holders in this region.
• The Muslims workers are employed in the fields as workers, and when the crops are cultivated they
get a share of it.
• The Batadrava Satra is the heart of the entire village and the village is known for the place.
• There are 3 major occations in Bordowa when a major influx of tourists from all over assam and
the world comes to visit. Namely: The Doul Utsav(Holi), Birth and Death aniversary of Shrimanta
Shankardev.
• The muslim population stay on the outskirts of Bordowa as dhey are not allowed to buy or retain land
inside the village.
• The fast growing Muslim population in and around Bordowa, is a major matter of concern for the
local Hindu population and as well as the Satra.
• But there has not been any cases of communal clashes in the village.
• Bordowa is slowly emerging as the religious capital of Assam, and it has seen amajor rise in tourist
influx in recent times.
• There is a huge scope for the setup of mant small scale industries perttaining to local crafts.
• Tourism can also be a game changer in Bordowa's economy if exploited sustainabily.
• Overall it is a very self sustained village, plople living in the place are happy and have no complaints.
• The teachings of Srimanta Shankardev plays a very important part in every individual of the village,
and they have inculcated his teachings in thair daily life.