Pols hold the heart of Amdavadis

AHMEDABAD: The 'pols' of the Walled City are its soul and represent a strong urbane Amdavadi character. But in the midst of growing developmental pressures the life in pols has come under threat. Each month, there are instances of old pol houses being pulled down to give way to modern apartments in the name of affordable housing. This is happening, though, since 1997, there has been concerted efforts to resist pulling down of heritage structures and revive the pol way of life.
The revival of the chowk became central to the idea of rejuvenating a strong sense of belonging among the newer generations and help them develop a sense of pride for the pol way of life. There were "historical" reasons for choosing this space. The chowks were major centres for social reformers, freedom fighters and artists to kick-start major movements in the state.
Stalwarts like Kavi Dalpatram, Kavi Akha Bhagat, Mahatma Gandhi, Sardar Patel, Tribhuvan Luhar, Umashankar Joshi, and several freedom fighters engaged the pol community for spreading their ideals and philosophies.
The pol life had its own uniqueness, which is only seen in Ahmedabad -- this includes community sharing of resources, and participating in the joys and sorrows of neighbours. The unique bond of neighbourhood in pols crossed barriers raised by caste, creed, and community.
But first an encouragement was required for this process to take off.
First, life-size statues of social reformers like that in Kavi Dalpatram Chowk in Lambeshwar Ni Pol, Akha Bhagat Chowk in Desai Ni Pol were placed in the chowks, which had otherwise turned into community dumping grounds.
The lanes leading to the chowk were paved and lit up, making it an important spot for children to play, the elderly to gossip and the young to while away their time -like it was in old times.
The experiment became a hit and the AMC's heritage cell is working on plans to revive pol squares in Manek Chowk, Ramji Mandir Ni Pol, Shantinath Ni Pol, Doshiwado ni Pol. This is an important exercise as with rapid commercialization, the pol squares were getting smaller leaving little space for residents and community life in pols.