Previously an island with a mangrove swamp, inhabited by Koli fishermen; Dharavi’s history goes back to 1884 when the city saw a huge migration of people from rural areas to urban Mumbai.
Once known as the village of Koliwada, Dharavi is the third-largest slum in the world and the largest slum in Asia; Having an informal economy, Dharavi is home to mainly 4 industries, namely the leather industry, the pottery industry, the textile industry and recycling of plastic.
On 11th August, I made a trip here with a tour guide from Mumbai Dream Tours.
On arriving there, it was not only eye-opening but also thought-provoking how people survived here.
In this small and cramped area, a population of over 1.5 million reside and work. However, it is this labyrinth settlement which forms the microcosm of humanity in the city. With Mahim and Bandra to the west and the polluted Mithi River to the north, Dharavi is also neighbouring Kurla and Sion.
Having a yearly revenue of 1 billion US dollars, Dharavi is known for having over 5000 production units. Exporting goods around the world, Dharavi is known for having markets in the United States, Europe, and the Middle East.
Residing in harmony majority of the population are Hindus (60%), a section of the population are Muslims (33%) and a small section are Christians (7%).
Here, you can find 28 temples, 35-40 mosques and 12-15 churches.
Divided into working quarters and residential areas, you can even find a few schools here. Besides this, there are hospitals, local shops, vendors and a police headquarters.
However, several startling issues remain predominant here such as open sewage, sanitation, narrow lanes, and packed hutments. In the past 17 years, there have been close to half a dozen attempts to redevelop Dharavi but none have succeeded. In 2022, the Adani group took charge of the Dharavi slum redevelopment project with a promise to redevelop the slum cluster.
However, with the air thick with the smell of cooking spices, mixed with the acrid stench of industrial processes and the earthly aroma of the soil how can one imagine living a peaceful and happy life here? Life here is moving at a frenetic pace and children attend school in large classes having a single teacher to cater to them. What is the quality of life that an individual churns out over here and why is so little being done about it? If life is a struggle, then why does it feel like living here is like putting your life on the line?
With the energy of driven, relentless and palpable determination of the people here, walking through Dharavi is like entering an urban jungle. With the days beginning at 8 AM and ending by 11 PM daily, there is no time for family; it’s about making a livelihood.
Many Bollywood movies such as Slumdog Millionaire, Gully Boy, Dharavi (City of Dreams) and more capture the essence of this slum. Besides this, the slum is also a melting pot of many different languages and cultures.
Dharavi is so well known that it even offers slum tourism, i.e. having guided tours to showcase the living conditions, daily lives and challenges faced by the people who reside here. What makes this so popular is the fact that people are so interested in seeing a different aspect of a city, i.e. to experience the diversity and complexity of the place. There is both an industrial and residential side of Dharavi to witness and both are facing problems of their own.
SlumGods Performance
(SlumGods is a Dharavi homegrown hip-hop crew of rappers, beatboxers & B boys.)
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