Visit to the Dharavi Slum, Mumbai – March 8, 2011

During my final full day in India, I took a tour of the Dharavi Slum in Mumbai, the largest slum in Asia. More than 1 million people live there. I was been a bit hesitant to do a slum tour, after doing the township tour in Namibia. Mieke really wanted to check it out though, and I’m so happy that I went with her. It was such an interesting experience.

According to Lonely Planet, approximately 60% of Mumbai’s population live in slums, the largest being Dharavi. It really is a city-within-a-city. There is an entire economy that is flourishing. Numerous businesses export their wares, and the turnover from business is estimated to be US$650 million.

We met our guide in the morning, and took the train to the slum. We got to travel in the women’s compartment, a much more relaxed experienced compared to the more crowded men’s compartments.

Walking towards the slum, there were some little kids running around the street buck naked. One little boy without pants popped a squat right there on the road and pooed. Nobody walking by batted an eye. It is really sad that this just seemed normal to everyone passing by.

Where we entered the slum the word ‘WELCOME’ was painted brightly on some corrugated steel. Our guide took us through the streets, and everyone was very curious and seemed happy to see us, not at all bothered by the tourists exploring their neighbourhood. Lots of kids shouted “Hello!” at us. During the tour we got to see how a great variety of the businesses functioned. The economy really is amazing.

We saw plastic being refurbished and transformed into pellets to be used in the manufacture of toys, cardboard boxes being recycled and repaired, oil cans being recycled and a bakery churning out pasteries. I bought some of the plain pastries from this bakery that was tucked just below street level, and we could see the men working. Mieke was the only one who would try one. The other three in our group seemed freaked out at the prospect of eating one. Two of them had just arrived in India though, so I understand their squeamishness at sampling street food. However, some of the best food I ate in India was from street vendors, selling it for a fraction of what restaurants charged.

People in the slums either rent or own their homes, and they pay utility bills for electricity and water. There are public hospitals so that people have access to general healthcare, although more expensive medications and procedures aren’t covered. There are fire trucks and ambulances, though how they get through the crowded streets I have no idea. There are schools, some free or subsidized by the government. The government has also been involved in redevelopment, some high rise apartments with peeling paint the result.

Hindus, Muslims and Christians all live together in the slum. Temples and mosques and churches, all within close proximity to each other, with everyone seeming to get along.

We walked through some really dark narrow side streets, with low overhangs jutting out from the buildings, and it was like being in a maze. We came across a wedding celebration in full swing, all these women in brightly coloured saris, covered in jewels, singing and dancing in a circle. They seemed so happy and joyful, dressed up in the middle of a crowded, dirty road on a hot day. I was lucky to witness their celebration.


For more information on the slum, this is the website of the company that toured us though:
http://realitytoursandtravel.com/