My Daily Life in the SLUMS OF MUMBAI (Life-Changing 5 Days)

Summary

In this immersive video script, the narrator recounts their experience living in Dharavi, one of the world's largest slums in Mumbai, India. From exploring bustling markets to using communal toilets and celebrating local festivals, the script offers an intimate look at the diverse community and entrepreneurial spirit thriving amidst challenging conditions. The narrator's journey challenges common perceptions, revealing a vibrant life where residents pursue their dreams and contribute significantly to the local economy.

Takeaways

• 🌍 The narrator spent five days living in Dharavi, one of the largest slums in the world, to better understand life there.
• 🏙️ Dharavi, originally a village of fishermen, rapidly grew into a massive slum during British colonial times due to industrial expulsions and rural migration.
• 🕌 Dharavi's population is highly diverse in religion, culture, and language, reflecting the varied backgrounds of its residents.
• 💼 Despite the challenging living conditions, Dharavi is a hub for entrepreneurship, with an estimated annual turnover of around $1 billion.
• 🎥 Dharavi has gained global attention through films like *Slumdog Millionaire* and books like *Shantaram*.
• 🚽 The narrator experienced firsthand the limited sanitation facilities, such as public toilets used by thousands daily.
• 🌊 The narrator explored both urbanized and non-urbanized areas of Dharavi, including a nearby fishermen's village and contrasting upscale office buildings.
• 🏠 Some parts of Dharavi have been redeveloped into apartment buildings, providing better living conditions for residents.
• 💡 The narrator was struck by the entrepreneurial spirit in Dharavi, meeting individuals who have built successful businesses despite their origins in the slum.
• 🤝 The experience challenged the narrator's preconceptions about life in slums, highlighting the resilience, aspirations, and humanity of its residents.

Q & A

Why did the speaker decide to return to Mumbai after their first visit?

The speaker returned to Mumbai because they left their first visit with more questions than answers about life in the slums. They wanted to spend more time living inside the slums to gain a deeper understanding of the local lifestyle.

What is significant about Dharavi, according to the speaker?

Dharavi is one of the largest slums in the world, housing up to a million people. It is known for its incredible diversity in religions, cultures, and languages, and has become a hub for entrepreneurs due to the lack of government regulation and the availability of cheap labor.

What historical context does the speaker provide about Dharavi?

The speaker explains that Dharavi was originally a sparsely populated village inhabited by fishermen. The slums were established in 1882 during the British colonial era and grew rapidly as various polluting industries were expelled from downtown Mumbai.

How do the people of Dharavi manage sanitation, according to the speaker's experience?

Sanitation in Dharavi is challenging. The speaker notes that many people use public toilets that serve over 2,000 people daily. These public facilities charge a small fee, and sanitation conditions are generally poor, contributing to the spread of diseases.

What cultural event did the speaker witness in Dharavi, and what was its significance?

The speaker witnessed the Guru Poornima festival, an Indian celebration dedicated to spiritual and academic teachers. During this event, students express their gratitude and respect for their teachers. The speaker participated in the festivities and enjoyed the communal atmosphere.

How do the residents of Dharavi utilize their environment for relaxation?

The residents of Dharavi, including the speaker's friend Praveen, use nearby non-urbanized areas, such as a small fishermen's village, as a retreat from the crowded slums. This area serves as a place to relax and enjoy nature away from the hustle and bustle of the slums.

What contrast does the speaker observe between different areas within the slums of Mumbai?

The speaker observes that some areas within the slums are incredibly clean and well-maintained, almost resembling normal residential areas. In contrast, other parts of the slums are less developed, with poor sanitation and living conditions.

How does the speaker describe the entrepreneurial spirit within Dharavi?

The speaker highlights Dharavi's entrepreneurial spirit, noting that many residents run their own workshops, small factories, or businesses. Despite the challenging living conditions, many slum dwellers are resourceful and have found ways to succeed economically.

What does the speaker learn about the aspirations and capabilities of the people living in Dharavi?

The speaker learns that the people of Dharavi, like people everywhere, have dreams, goals, and ambitions. Many are pursuing careers, education, or entrepreneurial ventures, showing that they are not defined by their circumstances but by their drive and determination.

What message does the speaker convey at the end of their experience in Dharavi?

The speaker concludes that regardless of where people come from, everyone is equal in their pursuit of happiness and ability to adapt to their circumstances. The experience in Dharavi taught the speaker that what defines people is not their background, but their resilience and compassion.

Outlines

00:00

🌍 Exploring the Heart of Mumbai's Slums

The narrator recounts their first experience visiting the slums of Mumbai two and a half years ago. Despite learning a lot, they left with more questions than answers. On their return to India, they decided to spend five days living inside Dharavi, one of the largest slums in the world. The narrator provides a brief history of Dharavi, mentioning its origins as a fishing village, its establishment during the British colonial era, and its growth due to industrial expulsion and migration. The slum is portrayed as a hub for entrepreneurs, generating an estimated annual turnover of a billion US dollars. The narrator reflects on how Dharavi has become a symbol of interest due to films like 'Slumdog Millionaire,' and shares their intent to learn more about life in the slums firsthand. The first day involves reconnecting with a friend, Praveen, and exploring the crowded markets and daily life in Dharavi, including trying street food and witnessing the challenges of sanitation.

05:03

🚿 Embracing Life in the Slums

On the second day, the narrator adjusts to the realities of slum life, beginning with the necessity of a daily bath, which is a cultural norm in Dharavi. Praveen takes the narrator to a non-urbanized area on the edge of Dharavi, where they visit a small fishermen's village. This area serves as a retreat for Praveen and his friends, offering a contrast to the hustle and bustle of the slums. The narrator describes the village's primitive living conditions, the drainage system separating clean and polluted water, and the stark difference between the village and the modern city. Despite the lack of cleanliness, the villagers enjoy their time in nature. The narrator reflects on the village's historical significance and the sharp contrasts between the past and present in Mumbai.

10:08

🏘️ Discovering the Diversity of Dharavi

The narrator continues their exploration of Dharavi, visiting various areas from playgrounds to workshops and other slums nearby. They describe the surprising diversity within the slums, noting that some areas are incredibly clean and well-maintained, with colorful houses and no unpleasant odors. In contrast, other areas still reflect the typical image of slums. They also explore government redeveloped areas, where slum dwellers have been moved into proper apartment buildings. The narrator highlights the unique experience of rooftop exploration in Dharavi, where they observed the bustling life below from above and marveled at the juxtaposition of different living conditions in close proximity.

15:11

💼 Understanding Life and Opportunities in the Slums

On the final day, the narrator reflects on the overall experience of living in the slums. They recount a dance battle with Praveen and a visit to the local train station, emphasizing the daily commute of millions of slum dwellers to work in other parts of Mumbai. The narrator also gets a professional shave from a local barber, symbolizing the ordinary yet resourceful life in Dharavi. Through their interactions with the locals, the narrator's perception of slum life is transformed, realizing that the residents of Dharavi are just like people everywhere else, with dreams, ambitions, and resilience. The narrator acknowledges the challenges of slum life, particularly in sanitation, but also highlights the entrepreneurial spirit and success stories, such as that of their friend Shaleash, who built a thriving online business from within Dharavi. The narrator concludes that while circumstances may differ, the pursuit of happiness and adaptability is universal.

Keywords

💡Dharavi

Dharavi is one of the largest slums in the world, located in Mumbai, India. It has a rich history, dating back to its establishment in 1882 during the British colonial era. In the video, Dharavi represents the main setting where the narrator spends five days living and exploring, offering insights into the lives of the people residing there. It is depicted as a densely populated area with a vibrant and entrepreneurial community, contrasting with the common stereotypes associated with slums.

💡Entrepreneurship

Entrepreneurship in Dharavi is highlighted as a key aspect of life in the slum, where the lack of government regulation has led to a thriving hub for small businesses and industries. The video emphasizes that many residents are involved in various forms of entrepreneurship, from running small factories to online businesses. This entrepreneurial spirit challenges the negative perceptions of slums and underscores the resourcefulness and resilience of the people living there.

💡Sanitation

Sanitation is a significant concern in Dharavi, as highlighted in the video. The narrator notes the challenges related to access to clean water and proper sanitation facilities, with public toilets being used by thousands of people daily. This issue is portrayed as one of the major problems that need addressing, with the lack of proper sanitation leading to health risks and the spread of contagious diseases.

💡Slumdog Millionaire

Slumdog Millionaire is referenced in the video as a film that brought international attention to Dharavi and other slums in India. The movie has contributed to the global perception of slums, often depicting them as places of extreme poverty and hardship. However, the video contrasts this portrayal by showing the diverse and dynamic life in Dharavi, challenging the one-dimensional view often associated with slums.

💡Community

Community in Dharavi is depicted as close-knit and supportive, with residents sharing resources and helping each other. The video captures moments of cultural and religious celebrations, such as Guru Poornima, where the narrator participates in local festivities. This sense of community is portrayed as a vital aspect of life in Dharavi, where people from diverse backgrounds coexist and collaborate.

💡Cultural Diversity

Cultural diversity is a prominent feature of Dharavi, as it houses people from various regions of India with different languages, religions, and traditions. The video showcases this diversity through interactions with locals and participation in cultural events. This diversity enriches the social fabric of Dharavi and contributes to its unique identity as a melting pot of cultures.

💡Public Perception

Public perception refers to how people outside of Dharavi view slums, often influenced by media and stereotypes. The video addresses the misconceptions that outsiders might have, such as believing slums are solely places of poverty and despair. By sharing his personal experiences, the narrator aims to reshape these perceptions, showing that residents of Dharavi are industrious, resilient, and lead lives similar to those in more affluent areas.

💡Adaptation

Adaptation in the context of Dharavi refers to how residents have adjusted to the challenging living conditions and made the best of their circumstances. The video highlights how people in the slum have adapted to limited resources, such as using shared public toilets and finding creative ways to run businesses. This ability to adapt is seen as a key factor in the resilience and success of the Dharavi community.

💡Fishermen's Village

The fishermen's village represents the historical roots of Dharavi, which was once a sparsely populated area inhabited by Koli fishermen. The video takes the viewer to a small fishermen's village on the outskirts of the slum, providing a contrast between the traditional, serene lifestyle of the fishermen and the bustling, modern life in Dharavi. This village serves as a reminder of Dharavi's origins and the ongoing connection to its past.

💡Urbanization

Urbanization in Dharavi is discussed in the video as a process that has transformed the area from a small fishing village to a densely populated slum. The video touches on the rapid growth of Dharavi due to migration and industrialization, as well as the government's efforts to redevelop parts of the slum into proper apartment buildings. This urbanization is a double-edged sword, bringing both opportunities and challenges to the residents.

Highlights

During the first visit to India, the speaker spent two days exploring the slums of Mumbai but left with more questions than answers.

On the second visit, the speaker decided to live inside Dharavi, one of the largest slums in the world, for five days to gain a deeper understanding of life there.

Dharavi was established in 1882 during the British colonial era and grew rapidly due to the expulsion of polluting industries from downtown Mumbai.

Dharavi's population is incredibly diverse, with people from various religions, cultures, and languages.

Dharavi is a hub for entrepreneurs and cheap labor, with an estimated annual turnover of around a billion US dollars, mostly from exports.

Dharavi gained global attention from movies like 'Slumdog Millionaire' and books like 'Shantaram'.

The speaker explored various areas of Dharavi, including crowded markets, tiny lanes, and public toilets used by thousands of people daily.

The speaker experienced an Indian festival called Guru Poornima, where students pay respects to their spiritual and academic teachers.

The speaker visited a tiny fishermen's village near Dharavi, which serves as a getaway for the locals from the hustle and bustle of slum life.

Contrasts between the fishermen's village, the slums, and the high-end office buildings in Mumbai were highlighted.

Some slums in Mumbai are extremely clean and well-maintained, with colorful houses and no noticeable smell.

The government has redeveloped some slum areas into proper apartment buildings, providing better living conditions for the residents.

The speaker went rooftop hopping in Dharavi, offering a unique perspective of the slums and their dense population.

The speaker had a dance battle with a local and explored the local train station to see how slum dwellers commute.

The speaker emphasized the entrepreneurial spirit of Dharavi's residents and shared success stories, such as a friend who started a six-figure online business.

Transcripts

subtitles

Two and a half years ago during my very first visit in India I spent two days walking all around the slums of Mumbai and

Even though I got to learn so much about the life

And the slums I didn't really have the chance to live

Inside the slums and so I left with more questions than answers

So now that I came back to India for the second time I decided to go back to Mumbai and actually spend five days

Living inside the adi, which is one of the largest slums in the world

This is how it looks?

At the end of the 19th century that IV was a sparsely populated village inhabited by coldy fishermen

Then the slums were established in 1882

During the British colonial era and grew exponentially fast due to the expulsion of various polluting industries from downtown Mumbai

Throughout the years millions of people have reported to Mumbai from rural India in search of a better future

And some of them settled in Dharavi this led to the local population being incredibly diverse in their religions cultures and languages

These days that I've is one of the largest slums in the world housing up to a million people

Since there's very little government regulation it has become a hub for entrepreneurs and in place of incredibly cheap labor

It is estimated that the annual turnover of Dharavi some around a billion u.s.

dollars with most of their goods being exported overseas

In the 21st century the Ravi has become a topic of interest in mystery for

Millions of people due to the publicity to received from movies like Slumdog Millionaire and books like Shantaram as for me

I'm not a scientist or a researcher of any kind

I simply wanted to learn more about what life was like in the slums of Mumbai. I knew I would find this experience

I open it. I just couldn't have predicted how much

It is 12 p.m.. In Mumbai a few kilometers away from the slums

And I'm finally going there so my friend who lives in the slums. Who's called Praveen is already waiting for me

I'm gonna pack my stuff and take a back seat to meet him

It's been almost two years since I last saw Praveen and I was incredibly happy to finally meet him again

Yeah

brother

Once we met we started exploring the slums right away and made our way to one of the biggest markets in all of that that

Was completely packed with people there's literally thousands of people buying and selling stuff

There's kids going home from school. There's all the vegetables fruits clothing electronics and everything else you can imagine

It didn't seem like all the food stalls were properly sanitized

But the locals told me the products were fresh so I dug in walk garden for 15 euro cents. That's a good deal

Then we kept on exploring other areas of that, I'll be passing through dozens of tiny crowded lanes

I'm gonna try playing cricket for the first time in my life right now

right here

After a couple of hours in the slums I asked permian if I could use the bathroom somewhere

He said no problem, bro

And we ended up here in those houses these houses these houses

Or these house people don't have any toilet

So everyone just crosses this sheet and goes to the bubble toilets right there every single day over

2,000 people used this public toilet, and it cost only 5 Euro cents to get it they have toilets on both sides

This side right here

Every single door has a different toilet

It turned out the day I arrived to Dharavi was a really important celebration across India called Guru, Poornima

It is an Indian festival dedicated to spiritual and academic teachers during which the students pay their respects and express gratitude

Praveen brought me to a tent where everyone was paying their respects to their spiritual teacher status fighting the atmosphere was really

Festive and everyone got as much free food as they wanted. I couldn't resist it, too

Which is like well here it became smart a single

Everyone was really excited that I came to the festival and they brought me on the stage which was quite a unique experience

Eventually, we hit the streets and spend hours parading all across the slums

the police have stopped the whole

Traffic in this intersection so that we could pass a little in the middle of the street and now the chorus goes together this card

And the procession will continue

Late at night pravin took me to the place that would become my home for the next five days

I finally go to the place where I will be saying for the next five days. It looks like a proper slum

There's many small houses a lot of moist dark lanes

Sometimes there's some lighting, but not always

Yeah, yo Praveen

I'll wait I need to leave money wishes

It is already 11 p.m.. At night, so I guess it's the end of the first day of me being in the slums

But so far has been awesome right now. Just go straight to bed

I'll try to wake up early next morning to once again explore as much as I can

This morning I went downstairs and everyone was taking a bath

And then my host said so where do you want to take a bath?

I said I don't know I'm too lazy to think about and then he said no no no no

If you live in the slums you have to take a bath every single day no exceptions

So I guess it's time for my morning bath they

Start with a pina

Fresh feeling of freshness and

For your head you guys use like a shampoo

After the shower we had a quick breakfast and continued exploring that Island that day Praveen wanted to show me the only

Non-urbanized place in the slums, so we walked at the edge of the lobby and hopped into his friends Pratt

How do you like it Praveen?

It's good

Good you want to swim you want to go swimming

Well hater ha ha

Some minutes later. We arrived to this really tiny fishermen's village where we met up with a few more praveen's friends

We just came to some small island and look at the color of that water. It's even more interesting hey

We have a floating platform right here

Then a bathtub right there. It didn't take me long to understand

Why this place was so incredibly important to Praveen and his friends?

It was their only get away from the hustle and bustle of life in Dharavi now. We're going to some sort of another swamp

That's much bigger than this one apparently and also Praveen told me that no foreigners have ever

Visited this place only the local people who who live in these tiny houses or our huts

Somewhere somewhere there, that's that is garbage

That's that is

Relatively clean water so they have this water drainage system

where basically the fish from this side they cannot pass to that sides to the garbage and

The water level increases on that side the water without the garbage can flow to that side

Lucas's house, yeah

We have some images so that and for the yeah

Yeah, so they also sleep here or just rescue

Fish catching so they catch fish here

Here, and then the rest here the place wasn't the cleanest but the guys didn't seem to care all that much and made the best

of their time in the nature

The woman in the vote now has a helmet. Let's race guys who's gonna be first

Would you like to live here

This is a small island. They say it's the small Thailand right here

Coming here was like going into a time machine that took me hundreds of years back to the end of the 19th century

when that IV was just a group of tiny fishermen's villages housing only a few thousand families a

few hundred meters later

I was thinking back to the 21st century where I could see the mind-boggling

Contrasts between the fisherman's village the slums and the high-end office buildings that were so close to one another yet

So completely distant at the same time. This is still the swamp side. That's a super black river, and these are already the slums

Someone's building their house right now. We're so close literally 3 meters away

Though I don't think you can cross this part so easy

bye, bye

bye Hey

From then on I would wake up early every morning have myself a refreshing shower either inside or outside

Yes

Then I'd get something to eat and spend the whole day exploring throughout those few short days

We went absolutely

Everywhere from children's playgrounds to workshops where praveen's friends worked to busy

intersections and tons of other interesting places a couple of times

I borrowed my friend's motorbike and drove to a few of the many other slums in the area some didn't look that good

But others surprised me with incredible views well, Jess. It's one slum

That's just by the sea the sea is right here. The waves are really strong today

So apparently everything is wet even the walls of these houses

I didn't expect this but some of the slums we visited were so clean. They didn't feel like slums at all the slum

We're visiting right now is

extremely clean and

Every Hut is basically a house

So definitely look like Islam, it looks like a normal cute area the houses are color for that's a ping pong

That's a yellow one blue one the red one the orange one the other one

Though it--one and the best part is there's no smell it feels clean. It feels very beautiful very well preserved

We also checked out a few areas in the slums that the government redeveloped into proper apartment buildings

Just entered one of the houses apparently it's not allowed, but we're gonna transfer you stop. I don't know

Would you look at the view apparently this whole area used to be slams right now this part is to the Muslims

But everything around it became a building

so they would demolish the huts and these tiny buildings and build something like this and give everyone a flats and

The same thing happened here where I'm standing right now

This is a huge apartment building the UCB stands. No one can stop this love

One of those days Praveen told me we could go rooftop

At first it seemed a bit weird to randomly walk on people's roofs in the middle of the day

But Praveen told me no problem bro and off we went

Everyone thinks Hong Kong is the place to go rooftop in but it turns out into that I?

Look at this huge huge tree

There's room right out of the roof

There's a temple downstairs for hanging around on this roof

Next to the tree. I don't know how many roofs. We've been on, but it seems like 50 or more

there's hundreds and hundreds of huts all around this area and apparently can go on most of them as long as you don't break the

Roof because it's someone's house look at all of these houses

Everywhere in every single one of them. There are some people so here someone is drying their clothes

There someone's cooking. I think cuz I can smell it and in every single house

There's at least a few people right now and apparently there's someone down there. Also hello namaste namaste

On my last day that I had a super fun morning dance battle with perviness

Then we made our way to the local train station to check out how the

millions of people of the slums commuted to other areas of Mumbai

Every single day we're approaching the train station to take a train that crosses all of the Navi

It's only two stops, but we can see literally the whole swamp. There's the train. That's the cabin pretty packed

I would say how the chains beginning to move let her get these photos back. There's so many people outside

Today's my last day in the slums of Mumbai and as any

Sensible person would do I decided to get a clean professional shape for 30 US dollars chefs

I know this might look a little different from your ideal barber shop, but this guy was a total pro

He gave me proper clean shape in no time

We forgot those in fact in for good measure

Then everybody

Then ever grow

The five days that I lived in the slums of Mumbai opened my eyes in ways

I couldn't have imagined because they got to spend so much time with the local people who completely

transformed my outlook on what their lives were like

You see as most outsiders had a very distorted view of the people of Islamists

We grew up hearing stories about them dying on the streets

No one being able to read and write kids having to sleep, surrounded by flesh-eating brats

And so on there are of course tons of problems that need to be addressed especially when it comes to sanitation

for example sources say that in Dharavi

There is an average of one toilet for a thousand people also

Livestock general lives in the same quarters with people and that combined with the fact that the local water sources lack cleaning facilities

sometimes causes the spread of contagious diseases

I am obviously in no way knowledgeable enough to know of all the intricacies of life in the slums

However people there are just like everywhere else

They have their own dreams goals careers thoughts and emotions

They are no way different from the rest of us it is said that the Rob is the most

Entrepreneurial place in the world and I found that to be very much true

Most people I met had something going for them some were running their own workshops

Or small factories others had the restaurant shops or food stalls not only that a lot of the slum dwellers

actually work those big office buildings for various technology or financial companies and

Simply lived in the slums to save money on friends

Which is incredibly expensive in Mumbai there were some astonishing success stories to take my good friend shale ash

He was born and raised in Dharavi and started his online business at the age of 22

The business took off a few years later

And now Sheila's rents six figures online business employs 12 people full-time

Goes on vacation every once in a while and supports his whole family. It doesn't matter where we come from we are all equal

Some of us are born with golden spoons at our mouths others are not but that doesn't define us

What defines us is our pursuit of happiness our compassion for others and our ability to adapt to whatever?

Circumstances were in and make the best of them

You