Dharavi; a community not a slum

Dharavi; a community not a slum

“Come to café Leopold, you know where it is nah? My shop is there, come and meet me”

“Nice to finally meet you” I said, a friendly smile, a firm handshake and we started chatting about life and the sometimes hard reality of it all. I immediately felt that he would show me something of Bombay that I haven’t seen before. I was recommended to Felix by a friend and she knew exactly what I wanted; inside knowledge and a real experience of a city. We stood in front of his shop, many beggars and vendors attracted by my pale skin trying to convince me to reach into my pocket and share some rupees, I kept smiling being friendly and told them “sorry”, my now good friend Felix gave them an intimidating look and shouted “Challo”

“I know where I’ll take you, come let’s go” Where are we going? I asked “I’ll take you to Dharavi, he says excitingly” his head moving side to side, the silent sign language of India. He probably knew my next question and finished the sentence with “It’s a slum, actually it is a more of a community, close to the airport” as quick as we made the decision, we were on the road. We criss-crossed the busy public transport and changed from bus to Suburban railway, leaving South Mumbai behind us and the pretty impressive Victoria terminus, we were heading to a slum. My mind was trying to picture anything like a slum, dirty piles of garbage, smelly sewage and sad looking kids with torn clothes. Is that something I would want to go and see I asked myself?I had no choice we were already on our way.

About an hour has passed and we reached Mahim station, where the chaos started again. I would compare it with London underground rush hour but 5 times the heat 10 times the smell and 20 times busier, people walking everywhere, in every colour. We chat; I look around, take pictures and try to take it all in, sock factories, jeans cutting and sewing rooms, brick ovens and plastic sorters, children walking to school, woman washing up and dogs chilling on the front porches. The streets are narrow and the flats are built right above eachother but the word slum does not fit here.
I see people from all religions, working and making a living, surviving in a way. But I didn’t feel any sadness or poverty.

I didn’t feel as if I entered their world to watch and judge, I was admiring their strength and amazed how they themselves created their community. It was an eye opening and real experience, I recommend anyone to do it.