Society for the Promotion of Area Resource Centers, SPARC (Mumbai) - Radhika Saraf

Radhika Saraf

Major / fields of study: Economics

Tufts program & expected graduate year: Arts and Sciences, 2011

June 7 – 1st week of August, 2009. Organization: SPARC office, Mumbai. I did not have a specific project, but I was looking at the participatory nature of the Jawaharalal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission, as well as the Dharavi Redevelopment Plan. But, in the office, I mainly helped with designing and layout of brochures, writing articles and filling data.

I just wanted to help SPARC with whatever they needed. So I basically wrote articles, did the designs, layouts and contents of a few brochures and city profiles, filled in data, collected data. In the meanwhile, I was doing my own reading and understanding about the Dharavi Redevelopment Plan, as well as the Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission and the participation of the Mahila Milan (Women Together)

I went to Pune, in the state of Maharashtra where the Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission is being carried out. I got a chance to see the participatory nature of slum upgrading, building houses, the women’s commitment and dedication, the process of earning the trust of the government, and the proof that they are actually proactive members of society and have very practical solutions to the city’s problems.