Dharavi: Asia's Largest Slum
Tags: India Mumbai Travel Adventures
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| PHOTO CREDIT |
I obviously knew that slums existed. I knew that there were some in Mumbai. I guessed I might see them. But I hadn't expected it to be so soon, so close, so real. I felt a little bit of panic rising inside me.
I glanced around the inside of the plane, hoping to share a 'Woah, have you seen that?' look with a fellow passenger. Everyone in sight was Indian. They did not seem at all phased by the view we were greeted with. The panic rose a little further.
I glanced around the inside of the plane, hoping to share a 'Woah, have you seen that?' look with a fellow passenger. Everyone in sight was Indian. They did not seem at all phased by the view we were greeted with. The panic rose a little further.
Before I travelled to India, I genuinely believed that slums were scary places. I thought they were full of crime and people who would go out of their way to hurt you. I imagined there would be lots of sick people who couldn't afford medicines and hungry people who couldn't afford food. I had visions of helpless people who just sat around day after day waiting to die, people who had no hope or faith left.
I was wrong.
As part of the Study India programme, we got to take a tour of Dharavi, Asia's largest slum, with an organisation called Be The Local. Let me start by telling you about this organisation. It is set up and run by people who are from Dharavi; your tour guide lives in the slum. Many of the guides are students, saving up for higher education. This alone forced me to completely rethink all my preconceived notions. People in a slum running their own businesses? People in a slum saving for higher education? This was only the tip of the iceberg in discovering how wrong I had been.
In reality, Dharavi is a bustling hive of activity. There are businesses manufacturing patterned fabrics and recycling everything from plastic bottle to rubber tires, selling the outputs on to larger companies and organisation across India and the rest of the world. It is full of true entrepreneurs; people who have come from nothing and started up there own successful businesses.
I thought I'd grasped it now. People were making the most of a bad situation, making some money so they could get out of there. Nope, wrong again. People choose to live in Dharavi. They love the sense of community. They have their own shops and their own schools. They are proud of their neighborhood. There are some self-made millionaires, who can afford to live wherever they want, but prefer to stay right there in Dharavi.
The living and working conditions are far from ideal, there will be people who don't want to live there and there will be people who really are suffering and living well below the poverty line. But, this whole experience surprised me on so many levels. More than anything, it reminded me how important it is not to make assumptions.
In reality, Dharavi is a bustling hive of activity. There are businesses manufacturing patterned fabrics and recycling everything from plastic bottle to rubber tires, selling the outputs on to larger companies and organisation across India and the rest of the world. It is full of true entrepreneurs; people who have come from nothing and started up there own successful businesses.
I thought I'd grasped it now. People were making the most of a bad situation, making some money so they could get out of there. Nope, wrong again. People choose to live in Dharavi. They love the sense of community. They have their own shops and their own schools. They are proud of their neighborhood. There are some self-made millionaires, who can afford to live wherever they want, but prefer to stay right there in Dharavi.
The living and working conditions are far from ideal, there will be people who don't want to live there and there will be people who really are suffering and living well below the poverty line. But, this whole experience surprised me on so many levels. More than anything, it reminded me how important it is not to make assumptions.
Have you ever found somewhere to be so different from what you expected?
PS. If you're interested in Mumbai, see this post on the contrasts of the city too.
18 comments :
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Really interesting thoughts; I flew over Mumbai on a stop-over a few years ago and was horrified to see the slum below - you've really added another dimension to my views though. I'd love to get to India and explore further.
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Catherine21 March, 2014I'm glad I'm not the only one who was terrified by those views from the plane! Like I say though, it just goes to show why we shouldn't make assumptions!
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Michele {Malaysian Meanders}24 March, 2014I think I would have had the same assumptions about the slums as you did initially. It's very interesting to hear what you discovered. It shatters what I would have expected.
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Catherine29 March, 2014
I was so surprised, still can't get my head around it now, and it's been a year and a half since I visited!
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Danielle @ The-Lifestyle-Project02 April, 2014
Wow what an eye-opening photo. I've seen slums before but nothing on that level! Did you feel unsafe or preyed upon while touring through Dharavi? Did the richer people there have a noticeably higher quality of life or were the homes about the same?
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Catherine02 April, 2014
I didn't feel unsafe at all, but then we were on an organised tour accompanied by people that lived in the slum - if I was just wandering around by myself or with friends I would have felt a lot more vulnerable. The buildings I saw all looked about the same, but not really sure if these were just inhabited by those with less money, so can't really say.
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Agness Walewinder04 April, 2014Wow, I am surprised to read how people run their business there and live their normal lives. That must be so shocking for you. I've never made it to India, but some places in Cambodia were like that. There is also a slum area nearby Manila in the Philippines where some travelers head to in order to see how locals live there.
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Catherine08 April, 2014
Had overlooked the idea of visiting slums during my upcoming travels through SE Asia, but it would be really interested to see how they differ in other areas of the world. Will definitely be looking into this one near Manila.
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eemusings15 April, 2014That sounds really overwhelming especially for the first time. I remember reading Shantaram and being so shocked by the descriptions of everyday slum life - it cannot be easy, but when you don't have a lot of options, what else are you going to do?
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Catherine19 April, 2014
You've possibly hit the nail on the heard there - they don't have much of a choice but to make the most of life.
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Dharavi opens up so many questions. Do the successful people living there know that the lower monetary people are aware that they are living better? What about the clothes differences - true slum people would know the better well off are wearing clothes that they can't afford. Please do more posts on these living differences.
ReplyDeleteIt does open up so many questions - it's been over a year since I visited now and I still don't know how I feel about the whole thing.
DeleteI don't know for sure, but I think they are aware that others have better fortunes than them. But the impression I get is that most people find it inspiring and look up to these people, rather that being jealous or bitter.
Incredible photo - not in a good way, I guess I mean overwhelming. I've watched a few documentaries about the slums in India and the amazing people living there who are running their own businesses etc. though also many sad stories. I didn't know about self-made millionaires though, how strange.
ReplyDeleteHow was the Study India programme? I went on the Study China programme a few years ago and had a really great time, so glad that I had the opportunity to go. (also your Study India link is broken).
Ooh, thanks for letting me know about the link. I've updated it now, if you click on it you will be able to read all about my Study India experiences. How was Study China? I know a guy who went on both, and he firmly held the belief that Study China was altogether a better experience!
DeleteWow, this is right out of Slumdog Millionaire! I have a close buddy that I work with who is from India and a friend of mine who is currently volunteering in India. They both say the same thing as you, Catherine. Peel back a few of the layers and there is so much more there to see, feel and experience. Ironic, as I am a spoiled American (I live a very simple, non materialistic life) and have so many amenities. Yet these folks see poverty as an opportunity with what they have and to help others within their community. Says a lot about perspective, doesn't it? Great post :)
ReplyDeleteYes, there are so many layers! I think you could spend your whole life living in India and still find new things to surprise you!
DeleteWow, that really shocks and surprises me that people who are successful enough to leave the slums (millionaires!) would choose to stay...I guess from my Americanized point of view this would be like people in the NYC housing projects choosing to stay after making millions! But I love that students are running their own businesses in order to further themselves and education, definitely a tour I would love to support!
ReplyDeleteAwesome post!:-)
I was so surprised too! I guess if you think about it though, you can see there point of view...not wanting to leave friends and family, wanting to stay with what they've always known and fear of the unknown probably all come in to play.
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