2008 Woodie Awards
Feeling small in the largest slum in Asia
Blog dispatch from students in India
Erika Webster
Issue: 7/14/08 Section: summer in india
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All morning, I had been preparing for what I expected to be the most emotionally troubling day since we'd arrived in India, and I braced myself for the destitution and degradation I would be walking amidst as our group assembled to visit what is known as the largest slum in all of Asia. The Dharavi Slum in Mumbai covers about two square kilometers of land and is home to approximately 650,000 people. If all the space were divided equally, each inhabitant would be allowed about 1 square meter of space in which to live and exist. The density of the population combined with unavailability of space has caused the people of Dharavi to live tightly packed and stacked upon each other, with entire families (and even the in-laws) living in homes the size of small rooms.
The houses are mostly two story, concrete buildings that share single walls and are connected by ladders. As I pass open doorways, I can peer inside rooms to see people sewing shoes or cleaning vegetables, and I feel apologetic and uncomfortable for being able to invade their privacy with so little effort. To call the conditions at Dharavi unsanitary would be an incredible understatement since the trash in the road is indistinguishable from the gravel. Children defecate in the street.
We mass media students follow our guides through the slum, where we are introduced to the thick stench of raw sewage rising from the stagnant water of a nearby creek. However, with one toilet for every 1,500 people, one can understand the smell. We step gingerly through the maze of grimy, narrow corridors between the shanty homes, navigating puddles and slippery tiles. Students press against the walls to make way for large delivery trucks rumbling up dirt roads with widths barely four people across. Goats, chickens and stray dogs linger at shop fronts, while curious children wave and shout as we pass.
It is here the dual nature of Mumbai is most realized. As we wander through the village, not only were we faced with the most tremendous poverty I have ever been confronted with, but we were seeing it in India's commercial capitol. In a city becoming known for its rising commerce, growing number of millionaires and technological advancements, Mumbai harbors the largest slum in the country--and the continent.
However, even given their impoverished circumstances and the Hindi-English language barrier, the people of Dharavi are generally far more hospitable and conversational than the majority of people I've encountered in the U.S. At our guide's request, many residents offered to show us their homes, asking us our names and our country of origin while doing so. They tell us about their work, enquire as to ours and laugh kindly when we look befuddled and overwhelmed. The day, from which I believed I would return in tears, I found to be an enlightening lesson on the strength of human nature in the face of adversity.
Viewing Comments 1 - 10 of 16
Veronica Martin
posted 8/14/08 @ 1:03 AM PST
you've really painted a well-described picture with this post... even with the lack of live ones (pictures). touring the slum gave rise to such an odd mix of emotions and reactions, but i identify with the ones you've recorded here. (Continued…)
Vincent Hobbs
posted 8/14/08 @ 1:51 AM PST
Well written Erica. Being in the same group as you, I feel you described the slums accurately and didn't leave anything out (except for the part when the men recorded you with their cell phones). (Continued…)
Alyss Tsukayama
posted 8/14/08 @ 4:02 AM PST
Good post Erica. I can identify with everything you were saying. i too was almost dreading the invasion of people's lives and space. I thought that the organization did an excellent job and the ivasive feeling passed. (Continued…)
Kevin Wren
posted 8/14/08 @ 4:38 AM PST
Good blog, fo sho. I feel we could have spent weeks in that place and only seen a glimpse. Most of what we've seen were glancing blows, but Dharavi hit me kind of hard. (Continued…)
seanmilton
Sean Milton
posted 8/14/08 @ 5:04 AM PST
I felt over prepared for the tour as well...but in the end people were much like everywhere else in India--gentle and welcoming.
Rand Lutomski
posted 8/14/08 @ 8:53 AM PST
Wow, this is a great post. You were really able to capture the image of the slums so well. However, what I think is more important than the image you have been able to create is the fact that in light of the dire circumstances in which most of these people live you have been able to recognize that these are strong people living and working in a harsh environment and making the most of it. (Continued…)
anne-davis
posted 8/14/08 @ 9:34 AM PST
The poverty here is immense, as I am sure one assumes yet there is no way of fully grasping this until you are staring at half-clad children weaving through the legs of the masses. (Continued…)
Melissa Heintz
posted 8/14/08 @ 9:43 AM PST
Good post Erica. I felt that the families were extremely happy despite their circumstances. For some reason I felt like I've seen worse living conditions on the streets in Mumbai than in Dharavi. (Continued…)
Laurel Saito
posted 8/15/08 @ 12:21 AM PST
You captured the essence of the slum well. When we got back, the first think I did was take a shower. Then I just thought about it and it seemed so overwhelming. (Continued…)
Gina
posted 8/15/08 @ 1:56 AM PST
Nice summary of our day in Dharavi, Erika. I, too, thought it would be heart wrenching, but I witnessed a "village" of people who work hard, take care of their families and don't seem to be bitter in the face of it all. (Continued…)
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