POOR LITTLE RICH SLUM

POOR LITTLE RICH SLUM

(About “Dharavi” - by Rashmi Bansal and Deepak Gandhi,

What they saw in Dharavi and why it matters)

I would recommend everyone to read this book - Poor Little Rich Slum, by Rashmi Bansal and Deepak Gandhi. The book describes about a lot many things which the author’s experienced during their visit in Dharavi. Below mentioned statements and questions are directly taken from the book for better understanding.

“……Who wants to read about slums? Toilet cubicle bigger than house they visited…

Looking into eyes of a civilization, and saw beauty with in chaos…Trying to restore faith in humanity…IF Sixty percent of a so called city is a slum, then can we really call it a city or can we call it slum…

People are blind to inconvenience of living in a place where one toilet is shared by 1440 residents…To a little girl who may live in a 100sq ft house with eight other siblings, but still has a smile in her eyes…Gold mine for builders, mega hub of micro enterprises…In Dharavi everyone is too busy doing their own thing…Tourism is yet another business…They adjust to lack of privacy, hygiene, progress…

What is the point of coming to school? A child who grows up in Dharavi may be poor but he does not feel inferior…They don’t want to move somewhere else. You can take a man out of Dharavi, but you cannot take Dharavi out of a man. Slum where people have LCD TV…Education is Empowerment…In other slums people go to work, but here they come to work…People who came here from a small village and now running enterprises with  good profit…Hardcore business people and social workers who say give me much work that I stay awake 24 hours…I came to Dharavi because that was the best I could afford…If I die no problem, my goodwill should live on…There is something to learn from us…I want, my girls to go out, work, and see the world…It takes a lot of effort to make a sale…Agents of hope are everywhere around Dharavi…

Is the middle class way of life really better?...People who live here know their rights…There is a lot of anger and sadness within…We cannot change the harsh realities of life…It is all about discipline…The problems of the poor are similar across the world…Most kids are first generation schoolgoers…Life is a challenge, accept it…Why can’t a million people make up an Special Economic Zone…I am not ashamed of my background…Economies are not built on capital alone…..”

I thank the authors for taking me on a tour through Dharavi...Thank You