Lifestyles in jeopardy

But all this will change. The concepts of the padvi and the oti will have to be abandoned and baithaks will no longer be a dominant feature. There will be hardly any space for sleeping or cooking. Baburao Umte of Killari village says, "We used to keep our livestock and farm implements inside the courtyard. But that will not be possible in the new houses. The only option is to keep all this inside the house and live in tin sheds outside." Sleeping in the courtyards will have to be abandoned.

The rehabilitation programme has ignored traditional methods and introduced concepts alien to the villagers. The biggest category of houses have master bedrooms -- something the villagers are unfamiliar with. With new and totally alien houses to live in and no assurance of water for 2 years, the victims of the quake will feel its effects for some time to come.