Project Dharavi: Cosmopolitan to the Core

Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Cosmopolitan to the Core

One cannot help but notice the amalgamation of different cultures and religious values that exist on the lanes of Dharavi; Tamilians, Kolis, Gujratis, Catholics and Muslims - its a secular state in itself. The Koli’s were the first ones said to have inhabited this 18th century swamp island for their fishing business. When you pass through the narrow streets of Dharavi, you come across an amazing mix of cultures. What is remarkable is the harmony that exists between them.

But the true essence of Dharavi lies in its business sense, with different kinds of people belonging to different facets of life; who work day in and day out to make a living and earn their daily bread. Their dedication shows in their remarkable effort to work their best in rooms smaller than 4feet by 4feet.

Dharavi entertains a diversity of business activities; one comes across potters, scrap dealers, zari makers, cloth merchants, tailors and drug dealers. I was still so hesitant to communicate with the inhabitants as the notorious history it carries. However, my comfort zone eased when I started interacting with the locals. Their gracious attitudes and the curiosity to interact with us was heart warming. No selfish reasons and no boorish behavior, but only the soul reason to interact.

Mumbai as it is popularly known as is the economic capital of India and a lot of it's contribution comes from these 450 acres of marshy land. As I walked in these narrow lanes, I wondered: Anyone can work in an air-conditioned room filled with all the essential tools and appliances, but working in the most aggressive environment with unavailability of such comforts is an achievement in itself.

-Ushma Jani

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About this Project

In order to record this period of extraordinary change, we as a group of photographers and writers, will be visiting, photographing and documenting Dharavi everyday over a period of 12 months.This unique approach will capture the change as it occurs; and in the process, we will create a documentary of a changing society.

Dharavi has been written about, photographed and represented on celluloid often but all these images represent its existence in only one moment of time. By consistently recording the structures, scenes, activity and residents, we hope to capture a sense of Dharavi’s human aspiration and endeavour; to mark what will be lost and to document what will emerge

About Dharavi

Sprawled across the centre of Mumbai, India, Dharavi is a slum, a community, an industrial centre and the site of one of the greatest redevelopment programmes in the world. Home to approximately a million people, and the workplace of many more, Dharavi is one of India’s largest industrial hubs of recycling and leather goods, with an economy worth nearly $700 million before last year’s downturn. With 60 neighbourhoods within a 550 acre area, Dharavi is a city within a megopolis; with its own pattern of building, economic activity, labour markets and community. Dharavi's innumerable shops, and factories support not just the migrant labourers they employ, but also their families, who wait in far flung villages for the monthly allowances sent to them. As a result, it is a site of great interest for students of urban planning and design all over the world.

And now, the familiar face of Dharavi is poised to change beyond recognition. The Dharavi Redevelopment Plan, worth Rs15,000 crore (approximately $3 billion) will completely redevelop each of the area’s five sectors.

The Dharavi of our popular imagination will be razed and new structures will emerge in the same space: residential high rises, designated commercial units, civic amenities and new utilities. But residents are apprehensive, and with reason: the DRP will change not just the way Dharavi looks, but also how Dharavi functions. For better or worse, change is coming to Dharavi and nothing will ever be the same.