SAME PLANET, DIFFERENT WORLDS

Three very different events made up today, making it hard to believe that they all happened in one day. Thus, today’s blog will be broken up into three parts. Part One: Dharavi Slum Part Two: Bosch India Business Meeting Part Three: An Evening in South Mumbai Part One In psychology this year, we learned that wealth is not a determinant of happiness. Today, I saw that myself. As I climbed the metal stairs to cross the railroad tracks via an overpass, a young boy was climbing over the railway of the stairs, heading down toward the train tracks. Trains rushed by with the car doors open, if there were doors, and many people were standing in them. Above the tracks now, Sunny introduced the slum to us. The Dharavi Slum is one of the largest in the world, housing about two million people, and it is in the shape of a heart. It would take approximately ten days to explore the entirety of the slum. Nonetheless, it is safe, Sunny said. The slum has different sections. We got to see part of the commercial section, residential section, and market. Although there may be a few commercial stores in the residential section, they are largely separated due to the harsh chemicals in the commercial section that are not good for people to live around. It is difficult to represent the people and places we saw in a way that you can accurately imagine because of how unique and different it is than home. Being there and experiencing what we experienced made me beyond thankful for my home and my life. It was difficult to see but is an extremely valuable experience. I will do my best to articulate our time there in a way that you can imagine and grasp. Walking down the stairs on the other side of the railroad tracks, I was very cautious and stuck close to Sunny. Immediately, I noticed the busy streets and the amount of trash laying around. We were in the commercial section of the slum. There is a wider dirt road that the train tracks spill onto, which is busy with people moving about. Dogs, cats, and chicken roamed the streets and alleyways freely as well. We headed to the left where “buildings” can be found. These “buildings” are made of scraps, particularly metal scraps, and other various materials, including concrete, that have been found. They are stacked up one on top of another and side by side, leaving a narrow alleyway to walk through. Many of these “buildings” are small rooms filled with people making different products: recycling plastic, recycling paint cans, traditional Indian clothing, jeans, Indian biscuit snacks, dyed cloth, and vegetarian soap. The alleyways between the “buildings” are lined with water pipes running along the ground, supplying water to the homes and units. Electricity is also supplied, and the residents must pay for both the electricity and the water based on how much they use. Having just entered the slum, Sunny took us to where slum residents recycle plastic. They collect plastic from around the city, reform it into tiny pellets, and then sell it back out to companies. While Sunny was explaining this to us, an older man approached, clearly upset about Mom, Joey, and I being present. I do not know what he was saying, but I certainly began to feel uncomfortable and unsafe. Sunny stepped in to get the man to move along, but he did not seem to be leaving. Shortly after, a small crowd began to form. Fortunately, they too worked to get the man to move along. My initial feeling of danger and discomfort shifted to feeling more welcomed. Most were not disturbed or bothered by our presence and even made an effort to ensure we were safe. That moment is one I will never forget. Moving through the commercial area of the slum, we weaved through the narrow streets between the “buildings.” People lined the edges of the alleyways, bathing themselves. Small, metal ladders led up from the street to upper rooms, while other workspaces dipped just below the walkway level. We poked our head into many of the workspaces while Sunny explained what was being done. Old paint cans are collected from around the city, burned, cleaned out, and resold to paint companies. Traditional Indian women’s clothing and traditional Indian wedding clothing is sewn. Jeans are colored, designed, and made. The crisp-biscuit type snack that we had with our chai at breakfast yesterday morning was being rolled out and baked in another workspace. Women’s clothing and scarves were being dyed in another. Soap in India is typically made with non-vegetarian products, so in another workspace, vegetarian soap was being made. Hotels and vegetarians use this soap rather than the typical Indian soap. Many workers opened the door to their workspace and showed us what they were making. Some would continue working as if we were not there while others smiled or showed us their products. According to Sunny, the products are made to sell to large companies and brands in addition to knock-off and local brands. Leaving the commercial part of the slum, we crossed a busy street and entered the residential area. In this area, we were not allowed to take pictures, but it is unbelievable how these people live. I thought the “buildings” in the commercial area were packed in tightly, but it is nothing like the residential section. Here, there is barely enough space for one person to walk through, and it is very dark because the “buildings” are too close together for sunlight to shine down through them. I am not extremely claustrophobic, but my heart began to race as some claustrophobia set in. The ground we walked on was uneasy. It is a mix of dirt and concrete, but the concrete is broken up and cracked. Some of the concrete pieces were nearly floating in pooled water. Some homes had doors going into them while others were only closed off by a piece of cloth, leading to almost no privacy and a very communal feel. As we left the tight living quarters of the homes, we entered an open space area. Young boys were playing cricket and there are swings and a slide set up. Moving through here, we entered the area of the slum where leather is made. Due to the harsh chemicals involved in tanning the leather, the Dharavi Slum no longer does that. Rather, they receive the leather already tanned and work with it from there, including washing it, shaping, coloring, and customizing it. The slum has its own government, and they are the ones who banned tanning in the area. The nicest part of the slum is found in the leather-making area: a store lined with the leather products made. The only difference between these leather products and the high end leather products, according to Sunny, is the logo stamped on the product. Therefore, it now seems silly to buy name-brand products, if this is true. Continuing on, we entered the pottery-making part of the slum. In the commercial section, we did not see any women, but in the pottery section there were many, in addition to men. Clay was being spun on wheels and transformed into pottery. We saw both large and tiny pottery pieces that were made. The last area of the slum we visited was the market. It was extremely busy and difficult to walk through. Vendors were selling foods, including fruits and vegetables, and services were available. The slum has everything that anywhere else would have: a barber, laundry, groceries, a bike shop, a shutter shop, and so much more. Four schools can also be found in this area: a charity school, a government funded school, a part government and part parent funded school, and a private school. The difference between the charity and the private school is remarkable. The charity school is simply a few classrooms with desks inside, whereas the private school was gated and had a guard. Despite the difficult living and working conditions of the slum residents, they are extremely friendly and seemed happy. Many would say hello or good-morning or smile at you. The uneasy feeling I had as we entered the slum slowly diminished as our hour and a half in the slum progressed. Seeing the happiness and friendliness of the slum residents proved to me that wealth truly is not a determinant of happiness; they are most likely as happy as I am. In fact, Sunny lives in the slum himself. Some stared as we walked through but not in a threatening way. I would acknowledge them with a smile, and they would return it with a smile of their own. In addition to the happy people , I could not help but be fascinated by the architecture, although it does symbolize poverty. There was something unique about how the “buildings” were build with whatever materials could be found. There was nothing easy about walking through the Dharavi Slum and seeing its people in their daily lives, but it is a meaningful experience that has given me a whole new perspective and that has made me feel extremely fortunate for the life I live. Part Two Planning to attend business school in the fall, I got the unique opportunity to attend Dad and Prerna’s meeting with the Bosch India Team, but only after getting stuck in the elevator with Prerna. Once Dad got out of the elevator, the doors shut on Prerna and I, and we were momentarily stuck. What a great start! Nonetheless, the meeting seemed to go extremely well. I was only there to observe–my sole line being, “Hello, I am Hannah. It is nice to meet you.”–but I enjoyed watching Dad and Prerna give their presentation and listening to the discussion that took place. Somehow, I ended up seated between two CEOs–Dad and the Bosch India CEO. Talk about a front row seat. It was surreal for me to go from seeing the slums to watching this business meeting. I would imagine that these people, although living in the same city, are living in two completely different worlds. Part Three Currently, the Kala Ghoda festival is going on in Mumbai. I do not know how to explain it other than extremely busy. To get in to the festival, you must go through security, women in one line and men in another. Once in, there is almost nowhere to walk because there are so many people. Down the middle of the street, there is incredible art on display, and on each side of the street, there are vendors set up in tents. We only walked through one street, which is a very small fraction of the festival, but it was enough for me to say I had experienced it. It was extremely stimulating due to the mass number of people. From there, Prerna took us to dinner at an “Indian with a twist” restaurant, as she calls it. The menus were printed on newspaper paper, and the music was an American Pop and Bollywood mix. The food was delicious, although I could not tell you what any of it was. After dinner, we walked around Mumbai. We went down to the Gateway to India to see it lit up at night, and we went into the Taj Mahal Palace Tower. It was very nice, and there is a memorial inside of it for those killed in the 2008 terrorist attack. After looking around the lobby, we continued through the streets of Mumbai. Prerna told us about a traditional Indian “dessert” that we had to try. I do not remember what it was called, but we got them from a street vendor just to taste. In essence, it was a date, wrapped in mint, topped with raisin and coconut sprinkles and a cherry. It was very good, although I only had a bite. Everyone fell asleep driving home from South Mumbai, so I think it is safe to say that we have had some big days and that the jet lag may be catching up to us. Tomorrow is another big tour though–no time to rest when there is so much to see in just a couple weeks!

Dharavi Slum

Slum plastic

Slum paint cans

Sewing in the slum

Slum water pipes

Slum electricity

Leather

Slum market

Grocery store in the slum

Slum charity school

Slum private school

Pottery section of slum

Us in the slum

Little boy begging at our car

Bosch business meeting

Building in South Mumbai

Kala Ghoda Festival

Crowded festival streets

Art down the street

Festival shopping

Gateway to India at night

Taj Mahal Hotel memorial

Indian date, mint wrap dessert