A Residence at Jagabhagat Sheth Ni Pol

Family Profile Hariram bhai [70] is a historian who grew up in the old city of Ahmedabad. His father was a bookshop owner and owned a great collection of books that drew his interest in history. He dedicated his life to understanding the history and culture of the city and taught at the university as a professor until he retired a decade back. Specialising in the history of the old city of Ahmedabad, he has a collection of around 1,000 books which are rare and which he proudly showcases. He is actively involved in social affairs for the Pol communities and has a lot of visitors coming to meet him to discuss matters of the community. He regularly meets with students, researchers and community politicians as a consultant for the queries they bring in. His son Sanjay is a stock broker who holds his office in the city. He’s married to Radha who’s a homemaker with a keen culinary interest. Coming from a background of farming, she understands the value of growing produce herself. In her ways, she makes an effort to grow whatever she can with the space at her disposal. Sanjay [41] and Radha [39] have two children, Mira [16] and Shyam [8]. Mira is a teenager preparing for college while Shyam goes to school. A day in the life of Shah family The family shares a close-knit relationship, as a routine they eat dinner together every day. While Sanjay leaves for the market around 9:30 am, the children have already left for school early in the morning. Hariram bhai walks the kids to the curb where he then spends some time catching up with his friends. He returns home to have breakfast with Radha and Sanjay. Once Sanjay has left for work, Hariram bhai retires to his space for reading where he spends his time as Radha goes on about her household chores. The children return home around 2:00 pm, this is when Hariram bhai, Radha and the children have lunch together. Post lunch, the children spend some time with their grandfather; listening to him talk about stories, current affairs and any topic under the sun. Hariram bhai takes a nap after this with his grandson while Mira leaves for her coaching classes. Radha indulges in some light entertainment while beginning preparations for the evening. Every evening around 5:30-6:00 pm is like a soiree at their place. While Hariram bhai enjoys his evening tea with his friends from the pol, Shyam goes to the chowk to meet his friends. Radha’s task through the evening remains serving guests with seasonal snacks that she enjoys making. She usually receives help from the women's husbands who visit Hariram bhai. Sanjay and Mira return home around 7:30 pm. After freshening up the family eats dinner together and spends some time together talking about their day. Sanjay and Radha, as a ritual, go for a walk in the night outside the pol to have pan. While the family retires to their personal quarters around 10:00 pm, Hariram Bhai and Sanjay watch the daily news while Radha helps the children with their tasks for the next day. All house lights are out by 11:00 pm.