While in Mumbai I joined a Reality Gives tour of the Dharavi slum, which is the second largest slum in Asia. The slum houses just over 1 million people as residents, with additional people who are uncounted who work in the industrial area.
People come from all over India, especially from the south to work in the slum to make money to then take back home with them. So the slum works as a mini city with multiple businesses, schools, small medical centres, street shops etc.
The tour was mind-blowing! Over 2.5 hours you walk through the industrial and then the residential areas with a local guide who lives in the slum, our guide had amazing english and was quite a character. He had lived in the slum since he was three and was now 26. His family are from Goa and moved to the slum to find work – so Mum, Dad and three kids.
We first went through a plastic recycling centre, where plastic is broken up, washed by hand and then dried on the roofs of the building. We then waked through the clothing manufacturing areas and tannery where children’s clothes are made and leather goods like bags and wallets. A worker is paid approx. 40 rupees ($0.88 NZD) for a completed kids garment of clothing, which will then sell for approx. 500 rupees ($11 NZD) in the shops.
There is a work-force who do not live in the slum (predominetly men), who come to the slum for work – usually from the south. Workers try to take as much money back home as possible, so work long hours and then ask to sleep on the work-room floor if they are allowed, so as not to pay any accommodation charges. A worker could then take home approx. 900 rupees for a months work, $20 NZD.
Following the industrial area we were then led to the residential area via really small alleyways, like miniscule alleyways! We saw people washing clothes by hand on the floor of their houses, people showering in the courtyard and ladies making pompadoms which are dried natually on large large circular disks. Women mainly work in the residential area, rather then the industrial area making clothes and food to sell.
People in general were really friendly in the slum, some kids playing cricket in the courtyard asked us if we wanted to join in and a lot come and say hi as you are walking through. In the industrial area we were asked if we wanted to try a pastry puff, I declined as these are made on the floor of the bakery. Hygiene in the slum is very limited.
We then waked from the residential area to a type of main street where there were shops, fruit markets, motorbikes and Tuk Tuk’s! – so very similar to a street outside of the slum.
If you get a chance to visit Mumbai I would highly recommend the slum tour. Reality Gives runs tours in both Mumbai and New Delhi with 80% of profits going back to the community – http://www.realitygives.org/
No photography is allowed within the slum, but I have asked permission to use the following photos from the Reality Gives professional photographer.