Poverty Tourism?
There’s a controversial new tour offered in Mumbai that takes participants deep into Dharavi, Asia’s largest slum. It’s controversial because some consider it to be exploitive of the slum’s residents. TimeOut Mumbai says of the tour: The idea isn’t to stare at naked children or peer into their miserable hovels. Instead, the tour introduces you to the enterprise of slum dwellers.” Having visited Dharavi several times previously for work, I was intrigued by the “enterprise” piece. Frank and I decided we’d be our own judges.
Our guide, Krishna, took the two of us through the small alleys of the slum where we ducked to avoid the low hanging roofs and electric wires that stretch through many of the alleys. We weaved around men carrying mammoth bags of computer parts on their heads, pushing and pulling large barrels from one place to another, dragging cables, and who knows what else. We stepped carefully to avoid slipping into the open sewers that wind around so many corners and the rotting rubbish that made me regret having worn sandals. In some areas, there was little light because of the way the buildings are situated, one on top of another. The passageways were so tight that we could feel the heat from the vats just inside the shop doors where waste soap from commercial factories was being boiled and later would be cut and sold to wash clothes.
I was struck with how quiet it was as we entered the slum, a noticeable change from the noisy streets just outside. That was until we entered the areas where hammers were pounding and machines of all kinds were whirring. There we saw an incredibly industrious people hard at work. One stop along the way included a recycling sector where every kind of plastic you can imagine was being shredded, melted, and reshaped into something new. We saw hundreds of old computer motherboards, suitcases, radios, and furniture in various stages of the recycling process. In another area, we saw dented, rusted oil barrels being pounded out and painted so they looked like new. There were passageways where small temples and wooden heels for women’s shoes were being handmade. And, there were many small workrooms where men and women were cramped together embroidering. (If OSHA has a counterpart here, it’s certainly looking the other way.) In another sector, silk was being readied for weaving and hides were being cured with salt and made ready for tanning.
Separating plastic materials before recycling.
I climbed down what used to be steps to see a bakery. This is one of the few places where photos were allowed. An underage worker was quickly hidden from view before I took a couple of shots. The sweets being made smelled delicious, and I was almost tempted...almost.
More than 1 million people are cramped into 432 acres that make up Dharavi where only a small fraction of the homes have running water. This slum is the destination for many who come to Mumbai from all parts of India to escape the harsher realities of their village communities. They come to here to find jobs and opportunities.
As we walked through small segments of the slum, it was clear that Krishna was well known. He had spent six months living in Dharavi before starting up the tour, getting to know the enterprises and those who worked there. He has a gentle way with the kids who stopped us frequently to ask where we’re from. (Happily when we said “America,” the response was always positive.) The kids asked our names and said them back with big grins. (We, of course, struggled to pronounce their names, but they were a forgiving audience.) We shook many hands, and they kids posed for photos.
One of the last stops on the tour was a community of Gujaratis. There we saw families working clay and preparing it to be turned into pottery. The heat from the kilns was unbearable, and I realized I’d had enough. The old woman nearby the kiln and the children who were playing there were seemingly unaware of the overwhelming heat.
Mumbai is known as the city of contrasts, and we see that each day. Dharavi is located within a short distance of the most beautiful homes in the city, but it’s rare that the rich and famous find their way to the slum. On the day of our tour, however, a major Bollywood star was there filming “No Smoking.” Thousands of the slum’s residents gathered along one of the ally ways that we were passing through, and the buzz was amazing. Police and body guards were on hand to control the traffic, and lucky for us, they helped us work our way through the thick crowd.
So, about the controversy surrounding the tour...All I can say is that I’m glad we went. This was about much more than the squalor in which these people live. Instead of the beggars who frequently stop us in other parts of the city, we saw the dignity and enterprising nature of the people who live and work in Dharavi. More than $665 million is generated there each year by people who push hard to make ends meet. And, by the way, we were charged 600 rupees ($14 total) for the tour. Eighty percent of the profits (after taxes) from the tour go to supporting a nursery school in the slum run by an NGO.
Hitting the Road
We're heading to Delhi tomorrow. Our travels also will take us to Jaipur (capital of Rajasthan), Agra (Taj Mahal!), Khajuraho, and Varanasi. I'm not sure what sort of internet connections we'll find along the way. Stay tuned.
Our guide, Krishna, took the two of us through the small alleys of the slum where we ducked to avoid the low hanging roofs and electric wires that stretch through many of the alleys. We weaved around men carrying mammoth bags of computer parts on their heads, pushing and pulling large barrels from one place to another, dragging cables, and who knows what else. We stepped carefully to avoid slipping into the open sewers that wind around so many corners and the rotting rubbish that made me regret having worn sandals. In some areas, there was little light because of the way the buildings are situated, one on top of another. The passageways were so tight that we could feel the heat from the vats just inside the shop doors where waste soap from commercial factories was being boiled and later would be cut and sold to wash clothes.
I was struck with how quiet it was as we entered the slum, a noticeable change from the noisy streets just outside. That was until we entered the areas where hammers were pounding and machines of all kinds were whirring. There we saw an incredibly industrious people hard at work. One stop along the way included a recycling sector where every kind of plastic you can imagine was being shredded, melted, and reshaped into something new. We saw hundreds of old computer motherboards, suitcases, radios, and furniture in various stages of the recycling process. In another area, we saw dented, rusted oil barrels being pounded out and painted so they looked like new. There were passageways where small temples and wooden heels for women’s shoes were being handmade. And, there were many small workrooms where men and women were cramped together embroidering. (If OSHA has a counterpart here, it’s certainly looking the other way.) In another sector, silk was being readied for weaving and hides were being cured with salt and made ready for tanning.
Separating plastic materials before recycling.
I climbed down what used to be steps to see a bakery. This is one of the few places where photos were allowed. An underage worker was quickly hidden from view before I took a couple of shots. The sweets being made smelled delicious, and I was almost tempted...almost.
More than 1 million people are cramped into 432 acres that make up Dharavi where only a small fraction of the homes have running water. This slum is the destination for many who come to Mumbai from all parts of India to escape the harsher realities of their village communities. They come to here to find jobs and opportunities.
As we walked through small segments of the slum, it was clear that Krishna was well known. He had spent six months living in Dharavi before starting up the tour, getting to know the enterprises and those who worked there. He has a gentle way with the kids who stopped us frequently to ask where we’re from. (Happily when we said “America,” the response was always positive.) The kids asked our names and said them back with big grins. (We, of course, struggled to pronounce their names, but they were a forgiving audience.) We shook many hands, and they kids posed for photos.
One of the last stops on the tour was a community of Gujaratis. There we saw families working clay and preparing it to be turned into pottery. The heat from the kilns was unbearable, and I realized I’d had enough. The old woman nearby the kiln and the children who were playing there were seemingly unaware of the overwhelming heat.
Mumbai is known as the city of contrasts, and we see that each day. Dharavi is located within a short distance of the most beautiful homes in the city, but it’s rare that the rich and famous find their way to the slum. On the day of our tour, however, a major Bollywood star was there filming “No Smoking.” Thousands of the slum’s residents gathered along one of the ally ways that we were passing through, and the buzz was amazing. Police and body guards were on hand to control the traffic, and lucky for us, they helped us work our way through the thick crowd.
So, about the controversy surrounding the tour...All I can say is that I’m glad we went. This was about much more than the squalor in which these people live. Instead of the beggars who frequently stop us in other parts of the city, we saw the dignity and enterprising nature of the people who live and work in Dharavi. More than $665 million is generated there each year by people who push hard to make ends meet. And, by the way, we were charged 600 rupees ($14 total) for the tour. Eighty percent of the profits (after taxes) from the tour go to supporting a nursery school in the slum run by an NGO.
Hitting the Road
We're heading to Delhi tomorrow. Our travels also will take us to Jaipur (capital of Rajasthan), Agra (Taj Mahal!), Khajuraho, and Varanasi. I'm not sure what sort of internet connections we'll find along the way. Stay tuned.
posted by arr at 7:40 PM
1 Comments:
i have just gotten to your blogs and have read each entry. i appreciate the time you have spent trying to share your work with people back home. you both have shown an ability to find some hopeful progress in what would otherwise be an overwhelming experience of poverty. the lesson you both teach is "small is beautiful". approaching problems on a family or even individual level has a real chance of working where institution-to-institution efforts, no matter how sincere (or well funded) they may be, have consistently failed.
i feel challenged to choose something small and specific to commit to.
thanks--frank's friend jade
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