Poor Little Rich Slum

Dharavi, we all start imagining the picture of a slum with all the dirt and the bad odour and the poor people when we hear this name. It definitely seems beyond belief to read a title like this when we are talking about a slum. Even I was bewildered when I heard it. But Rashmi Bansal, Deepak Gandhi and Dee Gandhi (the photographer) completely changed this picture. I mean Dharavi is still a slum, people still look poor and the place still looks dirty but what’s unlike is the poverty. Trust me after reading this you will definitely be inquisitive to know why and how.

“Poor Little Rich Slum”, it’s a book written by Rashmi Bansal and Deepak Gandhi in the year 2012 and first published by Westland Ltd. While writing this book even the writers were not sure about it. It was like who wants to read about slums, Sociology professors and NGOs. But this was the only thought that prompted them not only to write but to publish this book. While writing the book, they didn’t just capture the stories of the Dharavians but they have also shared that how this experience had completely changed their perspective towards life.

It was 15^th February 2011 when they made their first trip to Dharavi to explore the idea of this book. They didn’t go with an overactive conscience. They went considering it as an adventure. Moreover to discover what the hell is this place all about. They even found it difficult in the beginning. Like others they could not see anything beyond the garbage, the filth basically the ‘sluminess’ of the slum. But the things absolutely changed one afternoon. Straight from Dharavi, they went to Trident Hotel, BKC to have their lunch which was around 2 kilometers away. They must have visited the place before or they might be aware of the lavishness of the place. In spite of that they were a little traumatized during the lunch. They observed that even the toilet cubicle of the hotel was bigger than the house they visited in Dharavi few minutes ago. They couldn’t swallow their bites that afternoon. Suddenly, all the dirt, the filth seemed like an unfairness towards them. And as time passed, the more they interacted with the Dharavians, the more they saw beauty in that chaos.

The authors came across several unbelievable but inspiring stories during this trip which have been captured in the book. But the best thing what they saw in the eyes of the Dharavians was the pride of being a part of Dharavi. During the interviews, they met people stating, “We don’t want to leave Dharavi.” They are happy and contented in breathing in a slum like Dharavi. They are proud to mention that people in other slums struggle here and there to find work but here in Dharavi, people come to find some work.

Really, this book is something. It restores our faith in humanity.

We all can be happy, hopeful and enterprising - no matter where we are. We just need a right perspective to see the things. You can feel poor in a five star resort and feel rich in a hut.