Saudi students lend labourers a helping hand in Rajasthan

[ejazr]

The Hindu : News / National : Saudi students lend labourers a helping hand

Saudi Arabian students working at a construction site in Naya Barkheda village of Rajasthan on Tuesday. Photo: Rohit Jain Paras

The group of 12 students is helping in the construction of low-cost houses for two poor families

May Day, that celebrates the dignity of labour, turned out to be a unique occasion this year for the residents of the nondescript Naya Barkheda village in Bharatpur district of Rajasthan.

In their midst was a group of young students from a far-off land playing the role of labourers for the construction of low-cost houses for two poor families.

Houses for BPL families

This is the third group of students from a West Asian country taking part in the house construction, initiated the Habitat for Humanity-India in association with the Lupin Human Welfare and Research Foundation, as a philanthropic gesture.

The Habitat for Humanity-India recently sanctioned loans on easy terms for the construction of over 250 brick houses for below the poverty line families living in huts and mud structures in Bharatpur district. The Lupin Foundation selected two beneficiaries, Devi Singh and Karan Raibari, in Naya Barkheda village.

Manual labour

The group of 12 students from Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, had arrived at Naya Barkheda to lend a helping hand. Braving the scorching heat, the youngsters were seen carrying bricks and stones to the construction site, digging the earth, preparing cement and building material, helping the masons and assisting the labourers.

Lupin Foundation executive director Sita Ram Gupta said here that May Day had added a "distinctive feature" to the philanthropic gesture of the students, who had won the hearts of the villagers.

The youngsters work at Naya Barkheda the entire day and return to Bharatpur district headquarter every evening. The team is likely to complete the work assigned to it by this weekend. They are students of Aliha School in Dhahran, situated in Ash-Sharqiyah province of Saudi Arabia.

Lesson for students

Mr. Gupta said the students had also learnt about the challenges of poverty and deprivation through their exposure to this largely backward rural terrain.

Earlier, two groups of girls from the Sharjah Women's College and the American College, Dubai — both in the United Arab Emirates — had visited Nagla Ghasola and Dharampura villages in Sewar panchayat samiti in March this year to take part in this humanitarian act.

 

[pmaitra]

Ah nice!

May Day!

 

[ejazr]

I lived in Dhahran for about 9-10 years when my Dad was teaching as a professor at the university there. I knew some kids from Ahliah (pronounced: Ah-lee-yah) school too.

 

[Ray]

These students are bricklayers by profession/ training?

It is not easy to lay bricks to construct.

The manner in which the bricks have been laid in the picture above will give an idea of the expertise.

 

[pmaitra]

Actually Ray Sir, you have to look at the wall from both sides. On one side, it is always smooth and the other side is usually uneven, when laid by expert masons.

 

[Ray]

[video]http://www.videojug.com/film/how-to-build-a-brick-wall-2[/video]

 

[nrj]

Are these students any good with building walls?

How many houses did they complete?

Or was it just for Photo-ops ?

Hope the quality of construction is not compromised if these good-guys are not pros in construction.

 

[Ray]

Actually Ray Sir, you have to look at the wall from both sides. On one side, it is always smooth and the other side is usually uneven, when laid by expert masons.

PM,

I have overseen building of barracks and other buildings.

I can tell you that as a layman building a proper wall is a huge task and it is not that easy as it looks.

Bricks on both sides are symmetrical. Therefore, it cannot look uneven.

The problem comes when you have to break a brick to fit it in.

 

[Ray]

PM,

Note that the joints are not in a straight line vertically.

Now check the joints of what is being constructed by the self help people. The joints are near in a straight line from top to bottom. That would be a weak wall!

 

[pmaitra]

Yeah, it's no easy task.

What I was saying is even if it is laid by a professional mason, the wall will be smooth on the side you have the string. The other side is usually (almost certainly) rough. The wall will never have the same smoothness on both sides, but holistically, they are symmetrical.

Now, the smoother side is usually inside, so that when plastered, the plaster's thickness can be kept less, and the room does not lose square footage; but the outside usually needs more mortar for plaster, because conserving space isn't a big problem there.

 

[Ray]

There are three types of bricks

First Class Bricks
Second Class Bricks
Third Class Bricks

Specification of First Class Bricks

Made of good earth which is free from saline deposits and are sand molded.
Burnt thoroughly without being vitrified and have deep red, cherry and copper color.
Regular and uniform in shape and size with sharp and square edges and parallel faces.
Must be homogeneous in texture and emit a clear ringing sound on being struck together.
Free from flaws, cracks, chops, stones and lime.
Should not absorb water more than 20% of its own dry weight after 24 hours, immersion in cold water.
Have a minimum crushing strength of 105 kg per sq. cm when tested according to the test.
Should not show appreciable sign of efflorescence either in dry state or subsequent to soaking in water.

Specification of Second Class Bricks

They shall be well burnt or slightly over burnt.
They must give clear ringing sound when struck.
The may have slight irregularities in size, shape and color.
They may have slight chips, flaws or surface crack but must be free from lime or kankar.
The minimum crushing strength of second class brick should be 70 kg per sq cm.

Specification of Third Class Bricks

These bricks are slightly under burnt or over burnt.
They are not uniform in shape, size and edges.
They shall not observe water more than 25% of their own dry weight after 24 hours, immersion in cold water.
They have some signs of efflorescence.


As a Station Commander I had to know of all these things even though I was not an engineer.

Imagine that!

The Army expects you to know of things that you are not really educated to know.

And if the construction is not as per specifications, then the Army institutes a Court of Inquiry and you are had!

I had to also know of the grades of steel and so many other stuff that it was mind boggling!

Also, I learnt of gradation of vegetables, meats and so on.

The last one has helped me in retired life since I am 'qualified' to do marketing for provisions and food!

 

[ejazr]

Well the students would not be doing this alone. As the article mentioned, they were basically working with masons and labourers who were already building 250 houses as part of a sanctioned project

These are probably Year 11 or 12 students and have been assigned to do things like dig earth mix cement e.t.c. so its basically a 1 week charity work building 2 houses which is being done via the Lupin foundation.

 

[pmaitra]

Interesting to know.

I know because we had moved into our new house while our upper floor was being built. We had to encounter situations were they (masons) would demand more cement bags for plastering the outside than the inside of the same wall. I had to, on a few occasions, tally the cost sheets. That is how I got some idea.

 

[Ray]

Yeah, it's no easy task.

What I was saying is even if it is laid by a professional mason, the wall will be smooth on the side you have the string. The other side is usually (almost certainly) rough. The wall will never have the same smoothness on both sides, but holistically, they are symmetrical.

Now, the smoother side is usually inside, so that when plastered, the plaster's thickness can be kept less, and the room does not lose square footage; but the outside usually needs more mortar for plaster, because conserving space isn't a big problem there.

Plastering is not the only issue. Add waterproofing too!

Plastering on the outside is to be more thick because it is exposed to weather. For good plastering, it should be a three coat plastering.


While one applaud the good intentions behind charity work, yet it is important that the end result though not professional should be able to stand the test of time for some time at least or else when the effort collapse, the heartbreak is too much.

I was merely commenting because the manner in which the bricks have been laid in that picture indicates that they were not guided by professionals or chaps who guided them could not care less!

I am sure that those who are constructing have great enthusiasm and they surely would like their work to be an example of what a helping hand can do to give succour to the poor!

 

[pmaitra]

Plastering is not the only issue. Add waterproofing too!

You're right. I forgot about that.

 

[nrj]

These excited students should be put to some crash course training before allowing them to build walls. It is a house for a BPL family, but hey you should not risk its quality for some enthusiastic young fellows sent by welfare organization.

 

[pmaitra]

I agree.

Either the students should take a crash course, or the building will take a crash course!

 

[asianobserve]

This is better than hanging out in Saudi malls and racing their pimped up cars. This Saudi youths should learn the value of hard work. Makes me shudder at the thought of their oil being exhausted...

 

[The Messiah]

This is better than hanging out in Saudi malls and racing their pimped up cars. This Saudi youths should learn the value of hard work. Makes me shudder at the thought of their oil being exhausted...

To be presice they'll be fu*ked.

 

[W.G.Ewald]

When I next need bricklaying expertise, I will solicit on DFI.