The artisan nomadic tribes in Rajasthan have been moving towards sedentarism due to the fading art forms and the need to engage in livelihood activities that can monetarily support their families well. Due to inaccessibility to land rights, they face constant eviction. Belonging to the lower most caste they face alienation in society which has led them to the brink of economic hardships and unimaginable living conditions. Their children face discrimination in government schools due to these reasons. . In a few instances, the children faced death threats for attending government schools. Whereas in other locations the practice of separating these children's seating from those of the upper caste is a common practice.
Social Work and Research Centre has been running night schools for these underrepresented communities in the location of their residence. Khaanabadosh is an addition to these night schools to meet the urgent need for a safe shelter to conduct schools. It also functions as a livelihood-generating space for women who are restricted to move out of their settlements, to collectively engage in traditional stitching activities. 
A survey was conducted around 15 nightschools run for such communities around Ajmer district. Dadiya village was selected based on the urgency to provide a school shelter as well as receiving permissions from the local governing bodies. The school currently conducts classes for 40 children and 6 women utilize the space for livelihood activities.

The Khaanabadosh schools not only aim at providing appropriate schooling infrastructure for the children but also provide a platform for women to engage in livelihood activities. The space also acts as a community centre for the celebration of festivities within the settlement as the communities’ access to the other village centres is restricted. The project intends to construct another 6 schools in identified locations around Ajmer district, where children not only from within the settlement will have access but also provide a space for children from the nearby settlements. 
The designing and construction were implemented with a participatory process to impart amongst the community, a sense of belonging and ownership towards the school. Their traditional methods of building were worked upon to create climatically appropriate spaces. It also aimed at generating employment for them by enhancing their existing skills in construction. The use of local grass, openable panels and lifted roof protects the indoors from the extreme climatic conditions. The night school is electrified using solar lamps provided by SWRC.
The portable nature of the school eliminates demolishing of schools in case of evictions. It also allows the structures to be constructed within the settlement itself. They are installed within 48 hours and can be dismantled and re-installed in a new location. 
The long-term aim of this project is not only restricted to providing schooling infrastructure but also engaging in advocacy and awareness to educate the upper-caste community against oppression.

The project was initiated and facilitated by Shreya Kothawale, an architect, in collaboration with SWRC and the community members. The project was implemented under SWRC’s nightschool program. The founder of the NGO, Bunker Roy guided us throughout the project. SWRC’s education team helped in understanding the nature of the infrastructure needed, whereas the local teachers guided us with the on-ground spatial configurations. The children communicated their needs and enthusiastically helped us throughout. The women and men of the community helped us with their skills in construction which refined our construction detailing before and during the construction. The core construction team involved the fabrication team of SWRC along with 8 community members. 
Part funding for the first pilot was won by Shreya Kothawale as a part of the Youth for India Sahyog Fund whereas the remaining was contributed by SWRC. 
YFI Fellowship funding: https://www.youthforindia.org/
SWRC NGO under which the project was implemented: https://www.barefootcollegetilonia.org/