Our office undertook a mapping exercise of the Vachnalayas in the neighbourhood of Vile Parle East. Vachnalayas are roadside newspaper reading spaces that dot the streetscape in the city; They are either under a tree, at a street corner, next to a temple, at a crossroad – any sliver of space available on the street or off the street.
How to spot a Vanchnalaya:
They all have the name of the sponsoring local community organisation or political party.
They all have a place to sit or stand. Since they are all on the street or sidewalk, they are slim and can only accommodate a place to read newspapers while standing or a bench to sit on and a signboard. It all depends on how much of the side walk they have appropriated.
They also have a lockable storage cabinet below the reading stand to store the newspapers
What we saw at the Parle East Vachnalayas:
We found that the ones on Subhash Road, Tejpal Scheme and Malaviya Road are the most frequented and well maintained.
The one on Malaviya Road is maintained by a Charitable Foundation. Each of the newspapers in the stands is sponsored by a local resident and is replaced every morning with a fresh copy.
Some Vachnalayas have notices for jobs, rental apartments/rooms; some serve as gathering spaces for day labourers, some for those seeking to read the newspaper or meet up with their neighbourhood friends
A common observation while documenting these Vachnalayas was the pre-dominant use of them by men, in all except for one in the neighbourhood.
It is in one of the quieter street corners, at Tejpal Scheme Road 5, where this vachnalaya is located. This one is often frequented by women.
This vachnalaya doesn’t have any newspapers but has two granite benches and provides a space for women to chat and exchange notes.
In a space starved city, these Vachanalays fill the gap for social spaces and community spaces in the city. When these structures are designed with care, they contribute positively to the local streetscape.
