This is Mumbai, the wealthiest city in India which has the highest number of millionaires and billionaires in the country. However, Mumbai is also home to Dharavi, one of the largest slums in Asia and one of the most densely populated areas in the world. Despite the fact that around 1 million people are estimated to be living in Dharavi, not many people know about what's actually happening inside the slums. So we decided to travel to Mumbai to find out more about what living in Dharavi is like.
But first, we thought it'd be interesting to ask Mumbai residents living outside of the slums about their perception of Dharavi. What kind of stereotypes are there of people living in the slums? If I meet or see a person who's coming from a slum area, my first thought process would be, this guy is not going to be well dressed, not well groomed.
His language is not going to be organized. It's going to be full of slangs. Because of these stereotypes, obviously getting a job or getting an admission to colleges is going to be very difficult for them because people have a preconceived notion that they are not the right people to employ. Isolation is a big thing, I feel.
They get really isolated at times and we isolate them. That's the main thing that we shouldn't do. Yeah, there might be like a lot of differences between us and them but... They are human beings in the end. Basically, Indian society has a perception that they live in a very dirty way.
Like, they are like, wash your clothes or not, wear the same clothes for three days. Some people like, see the difference that like, he is from slum area so we can't talk with each other. Because if I talk with you, with this, that guy. I don't think he will steal anything from me.
But most probably he does. Sometimes he takes my purse with him. If I have my mobile with me, he will take it with him. If we don't pay attention. People don't interact much with them.
Like if we find two boys... selling the books. Why would we buy the books and all?
People don't have time to think for them. Wealth gap is definitely there in India because the rich gets richer and the poor gets poorer. Do you think people are educated there?
I don't think so. Basically they are far away from the societal zone where they are living in their own terms. They just want money to live. So they don't want proper education, they are just happy the way they live because they know that they are different from the society.
Obviously there are going to be hardships because they are not living on official property so availability of electricity, availability of water supply, that's going to be a big issue for them and these are basic necessities that a human being should deserve and must have but they may not be having it is what I anticipate. Can you imagine living there yourself in slums? Hello, This is vada. Vada.
This is called vada. This is made up of some flour and then it is fried. And this is some kind of chutney that is made up of herbs and coconut.
Do you eat this everyday? Yes, she does. Can you show us where they sleep?
Where do you sleep? Upstairs. Oh, in my head.
Be careful. How many people sleep here? Three kids and two adults. Do you sleep like this or something else? We sleep like this.
How do you manage leakage? We keep it in a bowl and don't sleep all night. How much do they earn per day?
No matter how much we do, we don't earn anything. She says that however she works, she will get a fixed income anyway. Which is like 6000 rupees per month. So it's somebody else's business.
She just does it. Do they have access to water? Yes, they do. We don't get water for 4 days.
We get it from here and there. Where do you get this water? We get it from here.
From the water tank. It's a water queen that I get here. Sometimes snakes come and sometimes snakes come.
Do you boil it and drink it? No, just like that. Do you get any diseases from dirty water? He is saying that the water you drink sometimes gets dirty. So, don't you get scared of getting sick?
No, we don't drink dirty water. We don't drink dirty water. If there is a problem, we will fill it up. Sometimes there is a problem with water?
Yes. Why is the water so dirty then? Where does the water come from?
The water comes from BAMC, which is like the authority for water in Mumbai. And sometimes there is leakage, so the dirty water... comes in with a clean water and that's how it gets contaminated.
How happy are people living here? It's a small village, but it's a happy place. So although outside of the slums there are better houses, people have access to more cleaner water, do you still want to live here? When I get a flat, I ask for money.
I don't want to live in a chalice or a building. I just want money. I want money.
If you get money, will you go? If I get money, I will go. After saying goodbye to the first family, we moved deeper into the slums to visit another home, one which proved to be a little more difficult to get to than the first.
Despite their living conditions, they welcomed us into their home. How long have you been living here? I have been living here for 24 years.
How much do you earn per day? Not daily, monthly. I earn 3000 per month.
What do you do for a living? What is your job here? I go home and wash dishes and do the laundry. I had a leg problem when I came to Artharhanya after marriage. After a few years, he helped me a lot and gave me food.
I have five children. I have to go to my job to earn money and raise my children. I am still struggling and going to my job. My husband has no support.
He doesn't give us anything. He doesn't come, doesn't ask us anything. That's why we have to work hard. I used to make very good tea. We used to make tea and water first.
I will add some sugar and tea leaves I am not used to drinking tea Sit down She is my mother in law Sit down Nice to meet you Uncle, drink fast I don't know how to tell you. I don't know how to tell you. I don't know how to tell you.
I don't know how to tell you. What type of diseases do you get? Sometimes I get cold, sometimes I get fever, sometimes I get typhoid. Sometimes I get malaria. How quickly do people get sick in this area?
Yes, they get sick very quickly. There is a lot of dirt here. Water comes from the gutters. That is why people get sick. How do you protect yourself from diseases?
We will clean our house with a soap and then sweep it. We can't say anything about cleaning our house. We can't refuse the public who keep coming and going. Give her a hug.
So sorry. Thank you very much. Smile!
There was a lot of trash on the street as you just heard, but the kids didn't seem to mind. The kids seemed carefree and just happy to be playing. We were even invited to play cricket with them, India's most popular sport similar to baseball. Okay good, we got it.
How was it playing cricket? I think I'm a pro. First, the whole slum was destroyed.
After that, the government made a building there. The Islamist protest is not about apartments, we want a place here. Because this is a society and a locality. How were you treated by people outside of Islam? I was born here.
I was in my childhood, then I was taken to school. I had money. They give money to anyone they want and then they know that you are a thief.
Students there will say that you are thieves, you are uneducated, you will say this and that. Sometimes the principal, if I get stuck in some fun, he says that you are a thief. They think we are cheap and we are the worst.
We are un-hygienic. Because we came from Dharavi. If in interview time, while we will give resume to company, if Dharavi name is mentioned, they are seeing us as cool. In school time, we write 500 bucks in the calendar too. I stay in sign.
Because Dharavi is very shy at that time. Do you guys personally want to leave? Darawi? No, no, no, no. So you want to stay here?
We are used to it. We are happy living here. Everyone we met was so friendly and kind in showing us around that we bonded instantly.
People seemed really chilled out just going about their day, especially this guy. They introduced us to Farisa, a preschool teacher in Dharavi. Farisa agreed to show us her home and her preschool. Why do you have a goat in your house?
Yeah, this goat we have for the bakrais we have brought. This is our festival which we are going to celebrate because in the Quran it is written that Allah has given the message to Prophet Muhammad Ibrahim to bring your son to the to sacrifice it. So he took, her wife was not ready.
But then also for Allah, he took the son to sacrifice. Then afterward the boys came. They stopped.
So you are giving the goats instead of your own children as sacrifice? Yeah, if the goat was not in the middle, every Muslim has to give one son for the sacrifice. So before 8 days we are bringing them and we are keeping them happy.
We are giving, what he said, So you treat them like a son? Yeah. So I will treat your boy as a son?
Yeah. After feeding her son, we headed over to her preschool. What percentage do you think the population of Dharavi is illiterate?
70% There are not many educated people here, very few Because people from every village have come here And all the people who have come here are poor They are not educated. But when they come here and get settled, they are teaching their children. They are trying to teach them the best they can. They work hard for them. They try to teach them privately.
They are doing what they are doing, but their children are not getting that work. The area where they are living with that problem, their children are not getting that problem. People outside think the only way to get out of the slums is education, but not everyone can afford tuition fees.
What are your thoughts on this? If there are children from Dharavi, then we don't want to let them study in Mahim or Bandra. The good education that is there in the convent school, they are not taking our children.
Why? We are coming from the slums. our children are going from the slum area. No matter how brilliant they are, no matter how well they are educated, they don't take the money. Why don't they take the money?
What kind of message would you like to tell people outside of the slums or even outside of India? Happiness doesn't always come from money. It's not necessary that we are living here and we don't have money because we are not happy. Happiness doesn't come from money. Happiness comes from taking care of ourselves, sharing with ourselves.