Reviving Assam homes as an earthquake remedy

In the village of Majkuri in Assam, 30 kilometers from Jorhat, the young art governor, Avinebish Sharma, was restoring his ancestral home, Mukta Bahwan. It is currently home to five people, four of whom are aged 80 or over, the oldest being his father’s 94-year-old aunt. This is not an ordinary structure, it is an example of the Assamese architectural style that emerged after the great earthquake in the Northeast in June 1897. Measuring 8.15-8.35 on the Richter scale, the earthquake caused dramatic geomorphological changes, along with the destruction of the infrastructure.

Stone structures that were used of limestone and brick, promoted by the British, were in ruins; Most of the structures that survive are those that were built in the traditional style. This aroused the interest of the British government. Parthasarathi Barua, a Nagaon physician who was researching what is known as Assam-type houses, wrote in his articles that the Geological Survey of India, led by the famous seismologist Richard Dickson Oldham, arrived in Shillong after the earthquake to study these homes. In an 1899 report, he wrote, Oldham suggested sticking to Assam style homes in the area.

All Saints Church, Shillong reduced to rubble after the Great Earthquake in the Northeast in June 1897. Image Courtesy: Affenebish Sharma

Today, there is a renewed interest in this culturally rich method that uses local materials, is energy efficient and can withstand earthquakes. Of course, the style has evolved over time. Assam houses followed the Type C or L plan, with thatched roofs, mud stucco and walls of wood, reeds and bamboo. Oldham suggested some modifications, lightweight homes with elaborate wooden frames. Says Sharma, 28, who works in Kolkata. Homes generally had a granary, Bhoral Ghar, portico, Soura Ghar, drawing room, or Buloni Kutha, and kitchen at some distance from the main residential neighborhoods.

Buildings after the earthquake began to combine elements of traditional and Tudor styles, introducing decorative columns, staircases and lobbies. With high ceilings, these homes were well ventilated. “Between the 1940’s and the 1950’s, one saw the proliferation of such homes in Dibrugarh, Jorhat, Tispur, Guwahati and Nagoon,” Sharma says.

Over the years these have evolved further, with additions like the Radio Room. Sharma explains this, saying that this happened because there was one radio in the village, or two or three in a town at most. Everyone would go there to hear the news or comment on the war. But they will not be allowed into the inner rooms. ”The radio would be kept in the hall; this became the radio room.

Refurbished radio room at Mukta Bhawan. Image courtesy: Affenebish Sharma

Buildings based on traditional architecture resisted the strongest 1950’s earthquake (MW 8.6) – but the style gave way to cement structures. In a 2015 article in The Indian Express, Sanjoy Hazarika, author and director of the Center for Northeast Studies and Policy Research, wrote about its importance: “In the past 30 years, this mode of urban construction has been demolished by two factors: cement and quick money … Traditional architecture is also being severely challenged by new money and visible “permanent structures” in rural areas, constructed by prominent personalities as signs of prestige. “

Today, restorers are creating a new discourse on this architectural style. Ancestral Homes in Assam, a Facebook group founded by architect Arijit Chowdhury, documents memories of these structures. Restoration work has begun on some. Avesana’s team, along with lead engineer Ziaul Hussain and architect Smita Datta Makhija, have restored a century-old Kamrup Bungalow on Sukreswar Hill in Guwahati. Today it is the Brahmaputra Heritage Center. It’s unusual, Hussain says, with a square plan and a high, sloping roof.

Public hospitals and schools, such as the Ghorhat Governmental Secondary School for Boys, have distinct features. “These have long walkways and a field up front. The low-density building takes up 10-20% of the plot and the rest is open. Proper planning and use of original, eco-friendly materials make the building energy-efficient, climate-resistant and comfortable,” Hussain says.

Restoration work isn’t easy, Sharma found out. For example, ecura, which is an original reed, does not have it, along with some other original building materials, so he had to use bamboo and other traditional materials. The first phase of the renewal has been completed, but the second phase has slowed down due to the epidemic. My brother and I have grown up in the prime Jorhat area and will visit our ancestral village during the weekends. We decided very early on that when we start work, we want to do something for the house, ”he says. It took time to convince Mukta Bhawan residents that the house needed a renovation.“ There used to be a Moina Parijat in the house, which is a place where meetings are held. children. One of the biggest reasons for renovating the house was to give tangible shape to all the stories we heard as children about Mukta Bhawan. And also to highlight the importance of these homes today, “Sharma says.

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