The Merchants of Mumbai

INDIA | Sunday, 13 January 2013 | Views [209] | View Larger Image

Rural migrants from nearby states flock to Mumbai in the hope of opportunity, despite all the efforts to stop them- including violence- from the conservative right-wing political parties. 20% of the hawkers’ earnings are collected as rent, and several ad-hoc bribes to local authorities are necessary to keep them on the streets. This immigrant worker, seen on a truck that says “Mera Bharat Mahan” (My India is great), was caught dozing in a traffic jam amidst the honking of “auto-rickshaws”.

The 250,000 street vendors of Mumbai are a part of the urban poor that has moved on to create jobs for themselves with minimal capital, instead of depending on the indifferent government to help them. Experts estimate that the ‘informal’ economy from businesses such as street-vending contributes significantly towards the country’s annual economic growth and is responsible directly or indirectly for as much as 90% of all employment. Seen here hiding from the midday sun on the heavily polluted Chowpatty beach, is a “gola” (slush) vendor.

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Seen sandwiched between landfills and shiny skyscrapers are the mega-slums of Mumbai, where most of the hawkers live. These informal settlements have their own microeconomics with tens of thousands of small home-based manufacturing businesses and residents from all cultural backgrounds in India. It is a brilliant example of survival of the poor, where livelihood is upheld not by government aids or charities but by true labour and hard work.

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The Merchants of Mumbai

The Merchants of Mumbai

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