A well-wisher in Bidar’s heritage story

Vinay Malge’s efforts are geared towards honouring the past, so the district sees a brighter future.

Though the semi-arid landscape of Bidar is dotted with unique architectural marvels and ancient monuments, many are crumbling, dilapidating slowly. So also, even though Bidar is frequently drought-stricken and ranks low on several development indicators, government attention has been scarce. It is this reality that motivates 41-year-old Vinay Malge and his team of like-minded individuals to restore these marvels and improve access to health, education and hygiene.

“I grew up next to the Bidar fort and spent many days playing there. The neglect towards the structures, water shortages and low performance on other development indicators is what moves me,” he says. While Vinay has the ability to look at what ails Bidar, his roots in the district also enable him to see its potential.

This outlook remained with Vinay when he was travelling while working as a business development manager at a leading insurance company. One issue that he was confronted with, while at the company, was a skill gap. “Many people from Bidar and other Kalyana Karnataka districts who were interviewing for positions at the company were rejected,” he says.

In an effort to improve the communication skills of youth in Bidar, Vinay opened a soft-skill training centre in 2008. A two-month training session, 60 hours in length, was offered at a charge of Rs 1,400 toward this idea. “I also specifically went to the government hostels in the city and waived the fee for those who could not afford it,” he says.

He happened upon many individuals who saw the burgeoning potential. “I decided to form a team that could make an impact through a positive outlook,” he says. Called Team Yuvaa (Youth United for Vigilance, Awareness and Action), the group came into being in 2013, with a membership of 30 people comprising science graduates, artists, urban planners, anthropologists and journalists.

“We helped them find jobs through the course and also address these issues in the time after that,” he adds.

Tothagarth Suryavanshi, an MSc graduate and part-time lecturer is a member of Team Yuvaa. “I was motivated by the social cause of the team and have been associated with it for more than a decade,” he says.

Abhishek Patil, a team member, says he came across the group’s work during Covid. He has been a part of Team Yuvaa since then. "I had the opportunity to study and work on various things, including water harvesting, the protection of ancient monuments and revival of step-wells. I could also learn various things as the team engaged in research on these subjects", he said.

The team started with the numerous step-wells, typically attached to monuments, in Bidar. The wells, Vinay believes, are key resources that aid local water management. “We collaborate with the district administration, persuading them to take notice and initiate action,” he says. To date, the team has cleaned around 175 kalyanis.

By 2013, documenting the city’s heritage also meant that the team came across the ingenious karez system of Bidar — which consists of a network of subterranean aqueducts connected to open wells. The system was introduced to Bidar in the 15th century by Iranian immigrants.

Construction activity had caused an accumulation of debris and silt in these waterways, rendering them unusable. “The karez system became devalued when piped water came in,” Vinay says. Under the stewardship of the district administration, there was an attempt to document and map the network.

Credit: DH Photo

“Right from mapping the network of aqueducts using satellite-based data, to working with the district administration and pressing them to release funds, we were involved in restoring the karez network in the Naubad region,” says Vinay. The Naubad aqueduct was connected to 34 open wells, was carved out of laterite rock and made use of terracotta pipes.

It was easy to see how the karez network could benefit the populace of Bidar. The ducts were constructed in such a way that allowed water to be transported over long distances in dry climates without much evaporation. This ancient water system could be used to transport water for drinking and irrigation purposes, even in the contemporary world. The system is also resistant to natural disasters such as earthquakes and floods.

Team Yuvaa worked as a local partner with the district administration, Indian Heritage Cities Network and experts from the Indian Institute of Technology, Hyderabad, to revive the system.

Horizontal tunnel experts were also invited by the district administration to guide desilting work. Rejuvenation of the connected open wells was undertaken simultaneously. After consistent engagement of over 200 workers, engaged over 17 months, the lost glory of the karez was realised.

A decade later, the restoration of the karez has brought relief to many arid areas in Bidar. Now, all connected open wells are filled with water. “Water has been available in the historical aqueduct throughout the year after the cleaning operation. We have been using it to grow vegetables, tur and other crops. The natural flow of water can also be used for drinking purposes,” says Rajshekhar Naubad, a farmer in the region.

Devotees visiting the Siddeshwar temple nearby claim that the groundwater table has increased following the revival of the karez system. Part of Team Yuvaa’s work has also been persuading communities to dispose of garbage responsibly. Many of the city’s water systems have become clogged or non-operational due to the build-up of waste.

With the support of residents, city municipal council staff and officials, every Sunday, some volunteers gather to carry out cleaning drives in Bidar city. The team selects different locations to remove posters, clear obstructions and unclog drains. These locations include heritage monuments, underpasses, major road junctions and neighbourhood parks.

In an effort to reduce waste mismanagement, many from the team have been engaging with shop owners and street-side vendors through awareness rallies. "Our efforts have caused an impact on shopkeepers who stopped dumping waste into open drains and spaces. The municipal staff started collecting the waste dumped by them at the garbage bin by visiting in the morning and evening," Vinay said.

Water security

A large area of focus for Team Yuvaa has been water security in Bidar. The area experienced a major drought from 2012 to 2016. Most of the district’s bawdis and kalyanis ran dry.

The team rallied together to revive some of the step-wells that were in disuse after silt accumulation. “We submitted a proposal to the district administration to revive 19 kalyanis using funds earmarked for disaster management,” he says. The administration responded positively, suggesting a scaling up of efforts — and carrying out desilting in 117 lakes and tanks.

Through the ‘Kere Sanjeevini’ programme, the administration made use of earthmovers in de-silting lakes. The machines were idle after the suspension of the Hyderabad-Mumbai National Highway project over issues with land acquisition. “We suggested that farmers could carry the silt from lakes for free, if they were able to arrange for transport and the government obliged,” says Vinay. Farmers shifted silt from the lakes to their farmlands when the district was reeling under the drought in 2016. The programme was so successful that the government decided to implement the scheme across the state.

Kishore Joshi, who served as the Bidar district tourism department assistant director for three years from 2015, says that the team had consistently extended support to the district administration in the preservation of the heritage of the district. "Team members have been working for the cause of the public without expecting anything in return. More students are visiting Bidar for sightseeing after an awareness campaign launched by the team,” he adds.

Research activity

Vinay says he has a vision for Bidar that Team Yuvaa plans to implement through: Advocating for water security and protecting water management systems; protecting the natural grassland ecosystems of Bidar; and working towards getting a UNESCO world heritage site tag for the iconic karez system and other heritage structures. The team continues to study the karez system even six years after its restoration through condition assessment reports. They hope to submit a dossier to UNESCO, to recognise the karez systems and declare Bidar a World Heritage site.

A step in this direction has been establishing the Living Labs Network and Forum, a network of transdisciplinary researchers, who are united by their research into the Dakkani region or Kalyana Karnataka.

The organisation maintains place-based catalogues, also categorised by the methodology of study. Such a record enables researchers to have a unified platform that links method to outcomes.

The unique landscape, monuments and water management systems of Bidar have meant that many researchers and students have been visiting the district. To encourage such research, the team has also entered into MoUs with Ahmedabad’s CEPT University, Gulbarga University, Karnataka State Akkamahadevi Women's University and Karnataka Folklore University. The team welcomes collaborations and studies based in Bidar.

Supriya Malge, his wife, is fascinated by her husband’s contribution towards the protection of Bidar’s rich heritage and resources. “I look forward to contributing more for Bidar in the future, inspired by the work he does,” she says. She recognises the bravery in Vinay’s work. “He often has to take on people with vested interests and has received backlash from them. This worries me a bit as he received threats from illegal sand miners for sharing videos and photographs of their activities with the officials,” she adds.