Slum Tours in Mumbai

By Mohan

On the eve of the smashing success of Slum Dog Millionaire at the Oscars , my report on a walk through Dharavi would be most timely.

Dharavi was probably a small village on the outskirts of Mumbai. In the mid 19th century migration from other parts of the country started to the bigger cities of India in the hope for better economic opportunities. Mumbai was no exception as it had the makings of a melting pot.

As slum dwellers started growing in numbers they were directed towards Dharavi which was the end of city limits of Mumbai at that time. Today the slums of Dharavi stand in the centre of Mumbai conveniently connected to the different parts of the city and the National Highway corridors.

I had heard and read about Dharavi Slums but had never visited the area. My imagination of slums was poverty , people living in the worst conditions, slum lords, drug peddlers, drunkards, underworld, mafia, poor children, unhygienic conditions so on and so forth.

I have heard about companies offering tours to the Slums of Dharavi. Slum Dog Millionaire has evoked more interest amongst travelers for the Slum Tours of Mumbai. I decided to see it for myself to decide whether it would be an experience worth considering for our guests.

My guide was Dev a young lad from Gujarat. He’s the 3rd generation of his family who have been living in Kumharwadi (Potters area) of Dharavi Slums. Dev reminded me of Jamal in several ways for he was ambitious and driven. His father was a potter and now runs a retail business. Dev has studied in a convent school and has a degree in commerce. He’s currently pursuing a post graduate degree and aims for an MBA. Currently he’s employed with JP Morgan as a Drafter.

The tour begins from the industrial part of Dharavi Slums in Mumbai. We walked through the area visiting several units that are engaged in re-cycling of plastic, metal, copper, corrugated boxes, etc. We came across several bakeries, soap manufacturing units, tanneries, women making snacks like chips, papads etc.

The tour then goes through the residential part. If your thought that the lanes in Old Delhi and Benares are narrow. Wait until you visit Dharavi. It cannot get narrower than this. Some of the houses probably never see sunlight. But residents have essentials like water and Mumbai’s uninterrupted electricity.

It’s a cluster of unplanned construction of dwellings that has taken place over years and people have accepted and adjusted to whatever space they can afford to pay for. The tour ends at a community center where children were being given lessons in English. The whole tour lasts about 2.5 to 3 hours depending on your pace and the time you would like spend.

At the end of the tour Dev took us to his house though we couldn’t go in his parents and some guests were sleeping.

Some important points that need to be included in the briefing given to guests prior to the walk.

First of all a general overview of the settlement and living conditions is to be given to guests as entering Dharavi for the first time can be quiet overwhelming. It is best not to engage in conversations with people and ignore any remarks made by bystanders. At all times it is best to follow your guide’s instructions and keep walking.

Dress modestly while going on a slum tour and since there is plenty of walking, a pair of good walking shoes is a must.

Lastly this tour should only be offered as an option for those who seek the experience. We did have a group of Americans who had done the trip before me. Dev told me that they enjoyed the trip. Written feedback is awaited which will also be posted here.

To conclude here’s a something my friend Jaideep Gupta wrote after watching the Oscars this morning.

“As I watched the Oscars today two thoughts passed through my mind. First, the journey from despair to hope is not a fantasy. The slum kids Azaruddin and Rubina did just that when they climbed the stage at Kodak theatre. Second, the happy gathering of the cast of the movie on the stage at Kodak theatre on winning the Oscars was so Indian. This large noisy inclusive and participative society of ours was showcased perfectly at the Oscars today. In everyway JAI HO”!

Unlikely Pilgrimage

Dear Friends,

I am presenting a travelogue written by my friend Jaideep Gupta on our pilgrimage to Varanasi with three American friends. We spend 3 days exploring this ancient city which is a sacred to the Hindus as a pilgrimage site and a great learning center.We hope you enjoy reading the experience and looking at the visuals.

Mohan

UNLIKELY PILGRIMAGE - BY JAIDEEP GUPTA

Last week we joined a million other persons on an unlikely pilgrimage to the spiritual centre of Hindu civilization. Benaras. The purpose of the journey was to film Benaras, to capture its visual splendour and if possible to explore its soul through a photographers eye. But as we discovered soon, whatever the stated purpose of the journey, it was really a pilgrimage after all.














We were an unusual group. A lawyer (Jaideep Gupta) , a travel professional (Mohan) , an American musician who has converted to Hinduism who describes himself as a Hindu trapped in an American body (Michael Fontana), a Jewish musician turned photographer (Jay Dorfman) and his 20 year old son (Daniel Dorfman) a quiet American undergraduate far removed from the intensity of Indian life.

Demonstrating the first truth of all pilgrimages: when you go in search of God, your background and your heritage ceases to matter. You become a participant in a great melting pot of humanity all seeking in some sense spiritual knowledge and enlightenment.














January is a month of pilgrimage in North India. Thousands of Hindus are on the move. Most of them start in a small island of the coast of Bengal called Ganga sagar on Makar Sankranti, and make their way to the Magh mela in Allahabad which takes place in the end of January. On the way they stop by at Benaras to take a holy dip in the Ganges.














We met a cross section of these travellers at the Pilgrims shelter behind the steps leading down to Dasaswamedh Ghat. The shelter was a microcosm of life itself. Basically a public park, a temporary shelter has been created with corrugated tin sheets. The ground had been covered with straw to make it possible to sleep on the otherwise cold ground and hessian sheets had been spread on the straw. Groups of pilgrims were sprawled around the shelter surrounded by their cheap duffel bags carrying their worldly possessions to mark the temporary boundaries of their travelling homes . They were of all ages. They had come from all parts of the country. There were families, several generations travelling together. Some had come from as far as Rajasthan and were on their way back after a dip at Ganga Sagar. The sadhus had come with their chelas and their chillums. They were surrounded by curious groups of onlookers hoping to gather spiritual knowledge or maybe just hoping to get a drag from the chillum that was being passed around.


Food was being cooked and served and eaten on one side, the menu sometimes quite elaborate. Dal sabzi and roti with pickles for those feasting elaborately. Nobody stayed more than a night. A dip in the holy river and off they went. No reservations were needed in the trains. They were completely at peace with the world. After all as one of the sadhus said when asked how he made a livelihood " He is all powerful."














While we made friends with the pilgrims, Jay's camera kept clicking. The variety of expressions and subjects he captured was truly astounding. Danny had his first puff at the chillum under the watchful eye of Mike, a veteran of the flower power army of the sixties. And Mohan made friends with Manohar Babaji of the Udasi akhara at Rishikesh and promised to look him up on his next trip to Rishikesh, thousands of miles upriver from this spot.

Later on while filming on the steps of the Scindia ghat, we came across a different phenomenon. A lone sadhu and his helpers had set up tent on the steps of the ghat. Babaji was sitting cross legged his eyes fixed unwaveringly in front of him. The entry of the cameramen did not ruffle him in the least and he merely stared back. His was a solitary pilgrimage untouched by the life teaming around him.

The next day we went down to the bottom of the river at Assi Ghat. This is one end of Varanasi, which is a segment of land encircled by the Ganges, the Varuna and the Asi rivers. Legend has it that to establish his abode on earth, shiva diverted the course of the Ganga below Asi by planting his trishul. Leading to the geographically amazing phenomenon of a huge river turning towards its source. It is said that anything which turns back to its origins is sacred and hence the spot where the river turns back towards its source was immediately identified by the devout as Gods place on earth. The ghats around this part of town were much quieter and less crowded. This is the best place to take a dip, if one is so minded. I took the opportunity to perform my duties as a Hindu here by wading into the river and pouring some water on my head.














Here we met the boat pilgrims. A party of maybe thirty or more pilgrims crowded into a country boat, travelling from Bharaich to Allahabad. Inquiries revealed that they were residents of a village , men and women of all ages travelling together. They had come ashore at the Tulsi Ghat to spend some time in Benaras. Jay filmed with Mohan translating for the pilgrims, thoroughly enjoying his new role. The rest of us basked in the mellow late winter sunshine soaking in the local detail and colour. Bathers came in a steady stream, ever willing to talk. A young man in safron when asked what he did, said without a moments hesitation " I am doing my duty". An elderly man in his sixties waded in and was introduced by the bystanders as a wrestler who had spent his life in Kolkata and had retired in Benaras. Twenty two years, confirmed the wrestler proudly. Some people still look up to Kolkata I said to myself.

Danny came up. It was a revelation to him, he said, to find that people still went on pilgrimage in the early twenty first century. What do you think you are doing right now? I asked. He thought for a minute and agreed. He too was on pilgrimage. So were we all.

The boat carrying the pilgrims now slowly drifted off upriver to its next destination. As we sat watching it dissappear down the wide curve of the river with the magnificient high ghats of Kashi ,the City of Light glistening in the back ground, it was easy to understand that life itself was a pilgrimage. We are just on the way to our next destination.

Jaideep

REVIEWING - SLUM DOG MILLIONAIRE

By Shoba Mohan

I love the movies. But when a movie is preceded by hype and attention however well intended, i usually refrain from “first day - first show”. After SDM , and having spent a night and morning ruminating on the film , i would say – “ I love the film”. Its movie magic for sure.

The first half was revolting and nauseating but you won’t walk away because the story has got to you. The breathless unfurling of hope, keeps you in your seat . You want to see for yourself where it goes, even though for the last one month you have read every review, blog and comment. Rehman’s music is an integral part of the movie, it is hard to imagine the compelling moments of the film without it.

I also like the idea of life being the biggest teacher and the catch in the end before the million dollar question. I have seen some fantastic films based on life in the slum. However as SLM weaves its story around a fantasy and a romance, the squalor and hard hitting truths just become a part of Jamal’s journey. Also the teaming of the east and west has been perfect in this case – an Indian story and a cinematographer from the west. Not for a moment does the camera linger – so it is effectively a glimpse. Sample this ; as the camera pans over Dharavi – ( Rehman’s racy score here is a winner as the kids gleefully run through gullies ) the atmosphere of the slums is established even as the children are chased by the constable .

The film’s brevity of scenes and juxtaposition of sequences is another strong point. The story moves back and forth, always in context but does not shy away from addressing a larger audience – hence it is Amitabh that little Jamal covered in crap goes to see and not Shahrukh Khan. Its Amitabh’s films that he has grown up watching – in the nineties ?? These are intelligent inclusions on the script writers part – also adding to the movies international appeal.

For movie buffs there are fine nuances – the grudging turnaround of the inspector superbly portrayed by Irfan Khan, so so subtle. I am a fan more for implication can explicitness and Danny Boyle’s film has many such implied moments. His superb direction is evident in scenes which Bollywood would have highlighted, in Boyle’s film its only a quick glimpse and then relegated to the back ground. For eg : Latika being taken into the taxi and the glint of steel. Only the next scene shows the damage.

Earlier I used to think what’s the big deal about casting, those were the days when a film was written for the superstar. In Slum Dog.... you have to applaud Loveleen Tandon’s superb casting right down to the ears of the 3 chaps who played Jamal ! And how they got the kids to speak with their eyes ??? Wow !

When Jamal says that it’s not the money he is after and he hopes Latika would see him on TV and that is the reason he is here. I like that.
That circumstances have not made a cynic of Jamal Malik.

Lastly you leave the hall elated . Jamal is still dewy eyed after all that he has seen in his young life ! Very Rare ! Very Bollywood. Jai Ho !

Still there is plenty we must have missed...... i strongly recommend an encore !