Samsernagar
Forest-side Inhabitation
Overview
One of the clusters of houses chosen to study was the Samsernagar site in Kalitala in the 24 North Parganas. The site is in close proximity to the forest. This site lies about 1.5 kilometers from the zero point of India at the India-Bangladesh border. To reach the site, you travel along a road that doubles as an embankment, holding back the river’s flow. These houses are perched on the landward side of the embankment, while one house stands uniquely on the riverside, facing the tides. Three houses were studied on the landward side and one house along the river edge. One of the houses along the landward side had a shop and a garage along the embankment road.
A long sectional outlook of the embankment,and the river artery and builtform that it separates. showcasing the varying levels in the forest landscape formed due to this embankment and manufactured dry land.
The path is made with bricks leading to the river from the embankment road. Used to board boats that take you across the river to the forest. A space often used by the locals for sitting and leisure.
A look inside the open kitchen area. A display of the mud chula as well as the openings that use mangrove branches as a structural member as well as a jali for the window.
A long sectional outlook of the embankment,and the river artery and builtform that it separates. showcasing the varying levels in the forest landscape formed due to this embankment and manufactured dry land.
Key Plan
SECTION DD'
SECTION EE'
SECTION FF'
SECTION GG'
1. Chopal Bari
Chopal bari is the house on the river-ward side of the embankment, occupied by Chopal Pravaniki and Bhavani Pravaniki who live here with three children. Chopal da belongs to the Nai Caste and migrated to this area in about 2013 after he was invited by the local community to participate in their rituals as a barber. The land that was offered to him was on the landward side but was too small to be habitable. Instead, Chopalda chose the land on the river-side, where he put in his labour and money to consolidate the marshy land. Chopalda’s land is vulnerable due to direct contact with the saline water river and its tidal flow. The mud plinths are washed over by salt water every day which is damaging to its structural integrity. The water also disrupts the yield of the kitchen garden, making soil infertile. What's interesting is that Chopalda is said to have “ magic fingers”, and what he has been able to do is build his house with constant maintenance and sustain it for over 10 years, he has been successful in also maintaining his garden by washing the soil and looking closely at its conditions.
The house starts with a small corridor from the embankment road that opens into the main house occupied by an open kitchen that extends into the courtyard itself , another room where the children, Probosh and Vivash, construction labourers in kolkata, stay when they are in town. Then a storage room used to store handmade matches, barks sticks and fishing equipment. There is a chicken coop, and then after a long stretch towards the forest, a washroom. The house itself is a cluster of smaller buildings,branch like, that is anchored at the multipurpose courtyard.
Being a fisherman's house, the family has a strong relationship with the forest, which is almost an extension of the house itself. On a routine basis, depending on the seasons, chopal da goes into the forest for 6-10 days in small groups of 10,to fetch for mud crabs and fish that they then sell in the market. He carries his livelihood, finding shelter in the berth of the boat and carrying essentials like rice, lentils and some other edibles similar to his 10-15 comrades. These informal practices can be treacherous and fishermen need to be careful of not only what lingers inside the forest and its behavior but also forest authorities that can cease the fishers equipment and yield.
“The forest is our home, it's the source of our livelihood” Says Bhavani Praviniki, who looks after the functioning and maintenance of the house.
2. Burman house
The Burman house is the center of the cluster. It is home to Ushairan Burman, the matriarchal head, who has two sons: Ashit (married to Anjali Burman) and Oshin Burman. Surrounding the main house are three primary houses and a large courtyard where daily activities take place. This courtyard extends into a series of smaller fragments of the house, including an open kitchen that serves as the primary cooking area, a small temple, a chicken coop, a compost pit for the kitchen garden, a granary, and, because it is considered auspicious, a Thakur Ghar (temple). The courtyard ends at a large pukur (pond). The "house" is essentially this multifunctional courtyard, while the enclosed spaces are primarily used for resting.
The daily routine in the Burman house includes cooking in the open kitchen, feeding the ducks, chickens, and goats kept in the courtyard, stacking hay, washing dishes and clothes in the pukur, bathing in the pukur, working in the kitchen garden, and maintaining the house, among other tasks.
Ashit and Anjali primarily rely on fishing as their occupation. They live in a small brick house on the western side of the plot. Over time, they have expanded the house incrementally to accommodate bedrooms for their daughter, who is now married, and a closed kitchen for use during the monsoon. Their main brick house is a 5-chala structure, and with the additional mud-walled room, it becomes a 6-chala house. Adjacent to this structure is another building that combines a kitchen and bedroom, designed as a 4-chala unit.
Ashit expresses his frustrations about the condition of the house due to constant flooding and heavy monsoon rains. "The plinth of the house gets washed away," he says, explaining how changing soil conditions have impacted the structure. By March 2025, he hopes to rebuild his house with the ₹1,20,000 he receives from the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) scheme, supplemented by additional loans.
The landscape of the house is dynamic in terms of its conditioning and usage. Soil levels shift seasonally, which affects how much of the courtyard can be utilized. Small additions and reductions are constantly made based on immediate needs.
The courtyard also serves as a community space, hosting weddings and festivals. Ashit explains that he could not grow a kitchen garden this year on part of the land because of his daughter's wedding, which was held in the courtyard.
Oshin Burman, the younger brother works as migrant labour in Tamil Nadu. He has built a three-story concrete house in the middle of the courtyard. He also received aid from the PMAY scheme, but the money was insufficient. In total, he has spent about ₹6 lakhs on the house, incurring a debt of ₹2 lakhs, which he still needs to repay. This house also includes a small outdoor kitchen, which his wife, a farmer, uses.
Ushairan Burman lives in her own mud house and takes care of Ashit’s two children. She also manages various household tasks. Being the oldest settler, she recalls life before the current house structure existed: "We had one house—about 15–20 of us. At night, my grandma used to cover our ears to block out the sounds from outside. There were tigers scratching the walls.There were many days when we went hungry. The situation is much better now”.
