Life in Distress: Architecture for

Uprooted tribes
Index
List of illustrations and figures i
1. Hypothesis 1
2. Introduction 3
3. Research question 6
4. Aim 6
5. Objective 6
6. Research Methodology 7
7. Limitations 7
8. Case studies 7
9. Site Identification 8
10. References 9
List of Illustrations and figures
Image 1 The changing Landscapes of Internal Displacement. School of
International service, American University, Washington, DC.
Image 2 View of a relief camp in North-East India. Devising Pathways for
appropriate repatriation of children of Bru-Reang community. (2018)
Image 3 Number of forcibly displaced people according to the UN in 2019. UN
website.
Image 4 Bru- Reang women protesting for land allotment. The Hindu.
Image 5 Movement of Bru-Reang from Mizoram to Tripura. Devising Pathways
for appropriate repatriation of children of Bru-Reang community.
(2018)
Image 6 Location of Refugee camps in Tripura. Devising Pathways for
appropriate repatriation of children of Bru-Reang community. (2018)
Image 7 School and community area in Naisingpara Camp, Tripura. Devising
Pathways for appropriate repatriation of children of Bru-Reang
community. (2018)
Image 8 Case study images. Archdaily and Deezen.
Image 9 The Site location marked the state of Tripura and Mizoram.
1. Hypothesis
“Every human construction, whether mental or material‐ is a component in a
landscape of fear because it exists to contain chaos. - Simply to survive, a faith in
the trustworthiness of the space we occupy seems essential. Culture reinforces
that faith.”
- Yi-Fu Tuan
Landscape of Fear
Tuan writes that Space, Culture, and Security play an essential role in any human
being’s survival. So what makes a built environment feel like home? People
experince a contrasting relationship with places depending on how spaces
around them reciprocate and encourage to develop communication through
physical, social, cultural, and psychological elements. The connection that people
have with their homes is deep-rooted and often defines their way of life in the
world. Attachment to a place is dynamic as everyone explores places in an
inimitable way; creating a unique set of experiences, positive or negative.

Thus, when people are displaced from their homes, they not only lose the physical
attributes, but also the socio-spatial, cultural, and economic traits. It is the loss of
connection with the surroundings, experiences, and memories. Due to all the
changes and events, they now inhabit in an insecure and unfamiliar environment.
Communities worldwide have struggled to adapt to changing environments in the
wake of displacements due to ethnic conflicts, climate change, or shift in
demographics.

Image 1: The changing

Landscapes of Internal
Displacement

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As of 2018 according to the IDMC report, India has 2,675,000 displacements due
to disasters and 169,000 displacements due to conflicts. Displacement is not a
random event or impulse. There are systemic external factors and actions of the
citizens and government that lead to the event. Most of these actions are related
to the structure of the economy and the lifestyle of the citizens. These changes
lead to several questions like:
What material deprivation and sense of danger must be experienced to force
someone to flee that home?
How can a person continue to retain a sense of identity and connection to a wider
community as they move in fits and start through unfamiliar landscapes and
territories?

While there are various institutional and financial challenges when designing for
resettlement, most of the displaced are moved into temporary and unplanned
settlements that become permanent over time. Even today, after moving most
of the displaced people are vulnerable to the effects of poverty, disease, and
violence. Due to a lack of proper relief centres and long term solutions, the
Internally displaced people live in a detrimental and unhygienic state. To them,
the idea of home and security is a distant emotion.

North India is an ethnic mosaic with

more than 475 ethnic groups and 400
languages/ dialects. With such vast
diversity, the North-Eastern part of
India is mired in an ethnic conflict that
has disturbed the peace and
tranquillity in the region, violating all
norms of humanity by perpetuating
brutality and violence upon innocent
people.
Image 2: View of a relief camp in North-East India

“Our buildings show a constant effort to fill the void, to recapture that sense of
life which was once found in every home. Yet the sense of place is not recovered
through any attitude, device or style, but through the principles of pattern, spirit
and context.”- Jonathan Hale, The Old way of seeing (1994).

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2. Introduction
“Persons or groups of persons who have been forced or obliged to flee or to leave
their homes or places of habitual residence, in particular as a result or in order to
avoid the effects of armed conflict, situations of generalized violence, violations
of human rights or natural or human-made disasters, and who have not crossed
an internationally recognized state border.”
- United Nations

Image 3: Number of forcibly displaced people according to UN in 2019

“We know today migration has become a political hot potato all over the world.
Immigrants are the issue today—from poor countries to rich countries. Political
parties are winning and losing elections because of this migrant issue. In our own
country, we are also counting people. We do not know what we will do when we
have counted them. So, I think now it is time when the world recognises that
migration is not just a political hot potato, but we will have to see the human side
of it and decide that what we should do to reinvest in the rural economies. These
are poor people who have no option but to leave and we must admit that it is
because of us they are losing their livelihood,” said Sunita Narain, director-
general of CSE.

North East India is a melting pot of extraordinary ethnic, cultural, religious, and
linguistic diversity. The land is inhibited by more than 160 Scheduled Tribes, and
a large and diverse non-tribal population. Indigenous people (Scheduled Tribe)
constitute the most marginalized and excluded section of India’s population. In
most cases, they are excluded from development due to their physical isolation,
lack of communication or detachment from political mechanisms. Many tribal
people have been displaced unjustly from their lands which collapsed their social

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organization and ability to grow. Many tribes risk impoverishment due to
involuntary displacement.
Reang or Bru are one of the oldest Scheduled tribes in the state of Mizoram and
Tripura. They also reside in other North-Eastern states such as Tripura, Assam and
Manipur. Mizoram has always been a state dominated by the Christians Mizos.
There were ethnic clashes
between the tribes for a long
time. These clashes escalated
in 1997 leading to 43,000
Reangs being forced to
migrate from Mizoram. They
took shelter in North Tripura
and a small group took
sanctuary in Assam. In Tripura,
they are recognised as
Particularly Vulnerable Tribal
Image 4: Bru- Reang women protesting for land allotment.
Group.
They live in 6 camps across the Tripura-Mizoram state boundary. Ashapara,
Naisingpara, and Hezzacherra camps are the three make-shift relief camps in
Kanchanpur, located 6-10kms away from each other. Kashkaupara,
Khakchangpara, Hamsapara camps in Panisagar subdivision are located at a
distance of 10-15kms away from each other. Out of all 6 camps, Naisingpara is
the largest camp with a total population of 14,500. The repatriation took place in
8 phases since 2009 but only 5,000 people returned.

Image 5: Movement of Bru-Reang from Mizoram to Tripura.

Image 6: Location of Refugee camps in Tripura.

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People in the Bru-Reang community face various problems when living in the
camps:
 Lack of proper infrastructure. The houses are made of makeshift materials that
are unstable and potentially harmful.
 The camps are in extremely unhygienic conditions; the outbreaks of
contiguous diseases have turned the camps into potential death traps. Even
the basic amenities are not available in the camps.
 Water is collected from a nearby river that is contaminated and the water is
unfit to drink. There is a nearby well but the water is contaminated. There is
no other source of water or the camps.
 Sexual abuse of women increased. The camp is also looted often.
 Lack of proper relief materials, food, schools, healthcare and water.

Image 7: School and community

area in Naisingpara Camp, Tripura.

“Indigenous peoples have the right to establish and control their educational
systems and institutions providing education in their own languages, in a manner
appropriate to their cultural methods of teaching and learning.”
- According to Article 14, UN General Assembly, 2007.

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3. Research Question
“Migration is inevitable, necessary and highly desirable- It is no longer possible to
see human mobility just as background context for development, or even worse,
as a by-product of lack of development. Rather, with the Sustainable
development goals, migration is an important contributor to sustainable
development.”
- William Lacy Swing, 2017
Director General of
International Organisation for Migration (IOM)
The research questions that guide the thesis are:
 What role can Architecture play in places of distress?
 Is there a long term solution for relief Architecture as opposed to the current
temporary reliefs?
 How does displacement affect the lives of women and children?
 How do concepts of Acculturation, Phenomenon of place and connections, and
Social identity affect the lives of Displaced people?
 How do people embrace their identity and socio-cultural relationships in the
camps? Do they have a place of attachment in this foreign setting?

4. Aim of the thesis

The aim of this thesis is to:
 Create a favorable and resilient living environment for the people.
 Ensure easy access to all the necessary.
 Safeguard their social identity, culture and traditions.
 Promote skill development in the community.
 Create a safe and nurturing environment for women and children

5. Objectives of the thesis

The objectives of this thesis are to:
 Study the current pattern of displacement and its impact on people, place of
origin and host region.
 Analyse existing conditions and effects of displacement in place of origin and
host territories.

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 Understand the phenomenon of displacement and its repercussions to derive
systemic changes and development.
 Consider the mental well-being of the people as they have been exposed to
poor living conditions for a long time.
 Provide necessary interventions based on the existing conditions. The
interventions should be sustainable and make the communities resilient
against challenges in the future.

6. Methodology
To understand and respond to the questions, the thesis will have three phases:
 Phase I: Preliminary studies
- Collecting primary and secondary data through reports and articles
- Interviews with the community and organisations associated with them to
understand the intangible aspect
 Phase II: Analysing and critiquing data
 Phase III: Formulate design program and the final design

7. Scope and Limitations

 Human behavior and experiences are metaphysical and complex subjects. It is
a vast theme in itself, therefore this thesis will focus on refugee experiences
derived through observations and interactions.
 The severity of conflicts and assimilation will be based on the interviews and
experiences of the people and officials.
 Government census reports and other statistical data on demographics, as
well as local collections of tribe-related literature will be used to understand
the socio-cultural context.

8. List of case studies

The case studies were chosen in such a way that they address different aspects
of the thesis like, community building, local integration, cultural and identity
aspect, sustainable architecture, and Cost-effective design.

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 (Projects as stated below from T-L to B-R)

 Shelters by Shigeru Ban Studio in Sri Lanka

 Green school, Bali (2007) by PT Bambu
 The library of Muyinga, Africa (2012) by BC Architects
 Children’s centre in Tanzania by Lönnqvist Vanamo Architects
 Traditional architecture in Burkina Faso
 Community space for Rohingya women, Teknaf (2019) by Rizvi Hassan
 Disaster resilient bamboo houses, Assam (2018) by SEEDS
 School in Rudrapur, Bangladesh (2005) by Anna Heringer
 Jetavan, Maharashtra by Sameep Padora and Architects

9. Site Identification
The site is located near Tripura- Mizoram border. Currently, there are 6 camps in
Tripura in Kanchanpur and Panisagar, while there are various settlements in the
nearby district of Mamit.

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 Image 9: Site location marked the state of Tripura and Mizoram

10. References
 Bhattacharya, Jayanta. "Ramification of Conflicts in Tripura and Mizoram."
2012.
 Bologna, Roberto. New cities and migration. Florence: Scientific Publications
Committee of the Department of Architecture, 217.
 Das, Samir Kumar. Blisters on their Feet: Tales of Internally Displaced Persons
in India's North-East. New Delhi: SAGE Publications, 2008.
 Das, Tuhin K. "Conflict, Displacement, and Inequality of." Asian Journal of
Peacebuilding (2016).
 "Devising Pathways for Appropriate Repatriation of Children of Bru-Reang
Community." Quality Council of India and National Commission of Protection
of Child Rights (2018).
 Displacement associated with Conflict and Violence, India. Geneva: Internal
Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC), 2019.
 Dutta, Subrata. Uprooted Reangs: Strangers in their motherland. New Delhi:
Akansha Publishing house, 2005.

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  Fried, Marc. Greiving for a lost home in urban conditions. New York: Basic
books, n.d.
 Gupta, Maya and Kalyani Nedungadi. Passage to Asylum Dilpreet Bhullar.
January 2019.
 Hauhnar, Lalramnghaki. Socio-Economic conditions of Repatriated Brus in
Mamit district. Guwahati: Tata Institute of Social Sciences, 2017.
 Impact report: Skill Interventions of SEWA International for Bru Tribe of
Tripura. New Delhi: SEWA International, 2016.
 Internal displacement in armed conflict. Geneva: International Committee of
the red cross, 2009.
 Kolkman, René. Tribal Architecture in Northeast India. Brill, 2014.
 Lalengkima. Ethnic Relations in Mizoram: A study of Mizo and Bru in Mamit.
Mizoram: Department of Political Science, Mizoram University, 2015.
 Migration in the 2030 Agenda. Geneva: International Organization for
Migration, 2017.
 Reang, Dr. Lincoln. "Sustainable Development of Reang Culture in Tripura:
Role of Bru Socio-Cultural Organization (BSCO)." Our Heritage Journal (2020).
 Sahni, Ajai. "Survey of Conflicts & Resolution in India's Northeast." Institute of
conflict management (2001).
 Sebastia, Briggitte. "We will not leave the Forest. We will not leave the Land."
2006.
 Sharma, Sushil Kumar. "Displaced Brus from Mizoramin Tripura: Time for
Resolution." Vivekananda International Foundation (2017).
 The hidden crisis: Armed conflict and education. France: United Nations
Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, 2011.
 Tuan, Yi Fu. Space and Place: The perspective of experience. University of
Minnesota Press, 1977.
 Tuan, Yi-Fu. Landscape of fear. University of Minnesota Press, 1979.
 Verghese, B.G. India’s Northeast Resurgent: Ethnicity, Insurgency,
Governance, Development. New Delhi: Konark Publishers, 1996.
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