A walk through the city

2009-12-04T22:46:00.000-08:00

This link will take you around the area of Dharavi

http://www।sujamahesh.com/dharavi/index.html
Photos taken by karthik & Mahesh

2009-08-04T04:18:00.000-07:00

YmamdrH$am§gmR>r nwH$maMr "nwH$ma'!'

Moving Map

2009-05-22T03:27:00.000-07:00

Dharavi Moving Map

View more OpenOffice presentations from reshmaludbe.

City’s Landscape

2009-04-28T23:28:00.000-07:00

My day in Girangoan with my friends where they are doing research and archiving the changes , In the visit we all tried to understand the history as well as the contemporary side of it. It was about 3 hours walk through the lanes of Parel, Lalbaug and Byculla.

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Moments from Dharavi

2009-04-08T00:13:00.000-07:00

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Firaq.......Separation

2009-04-03T01:26:00.000-07:00

Firaq deals with an impact of violence which took place in Gujrat riots. The opening scene of the movie is well thought out and really touching. The stories revolved around some characters and the best one is the child who played Mohsin (Mohan). To know why he changes to Mohan you must watch the movie.

The best dialogue was when a Raghuvir Yadav who plays the character of a male servant tells his employer Nasiruddin Shah(a classical singer) that Muslims are being killed and he replies that "Insan insan ko mar raha hai... gum to is bat ka hai" (Human beings kill human beings, this is the saddest part).....even I believe this is a fact of all riots which have taken place in the past this country.

Overall this movie is made with a good intention of getting people to think and different from mainstream HIndi cinema. Some of the characters like Mohsin and Sameer Sheikh remains in your mind even after the film ends. It was so disheartening to know that you have to hide your identity only beacuse of your religion. Is this what life has come down to?

2009-03-06T02:33:00.000-08:00

आमच्या ऑफिस मध्ये गुरुवार हा capacity building साठी असतो। त्या दिवशी आम्ही सगळे मिळून वेगवेगळ्या topics वर discussions करतो किंवा documentaries बघतो. ह्या गुरुवारी आम्ही एक मस्त डॉक्युमेंटरी बघितली

ही फिल्म Rizvi College of Architecture मधून गेल्याच वर्षी पास-आउट झालेल्या फैजान जावेद सिद्दीकी ह्या एक तरुण मुलाने Equitable cities, sustainable transport and humane habitats ही फ़िल्म बनवली आहे। ह्या फ़िल्म मधून तो वेगवेगळ्या देशातल्या शहरामध्ये जाउन public tansport आणि शहरांचा कसा सम्बन्ध आहे? याचा सखोल अभ्यासा केला होता। ह्या फ़िल्म मधून आपल्या देशातल्या Transport सम्बन्धीची धोरण किती चुकीची आणि आधार नसलेली आहेत, आज आपल्या कड़े metros yet aahet. MMRDA सारख्या agencies fly over बांधते आहे, पण ह्या सगाल्यामुले Traffic, congestions सारखे प्रश्न सुटणार आहेत का? काहि युरोपियन देशानी कालाची गरजा बघता शहरामध्ये सायकल झोन सुरु केले आहेत, आणि ह्या सगल्या बाबी त्यानी स्ट्रोंग "Political will " च्या जोरावर शाक्य केल्या आहेत। आपल्या देशात जाहिराती आशा काहि जादू करतात की लोकांची नविन कार घेण्याची भूक वाढत राहते.आणि ह्या विकासाला/ विनाशाला ? जबाबदार कोण? जहिरातिना पुश करणार्या कार काम्पन्य? की न विचार करता नव्या नव्या कार घेणारी आपण लोक?

बहुधा भविष्यातल चित्र सद्यस्थीती पेक्षा काहि वेगळ नसणार आहे

New beginnings…

2009-03-05T03:50:00.000-08:00

I joined a research collective called PUKAR-Partners for Urban Knowledge, Action & Research about 8 months ago. My job now takes me to the innermost sanctums of one of Mumbai’s most debated areas, Dharavi. The project, Mythologies of Mumbai, researches the people, the culture and livelihoods . My past experience in the field of development involved working in Dharavi on Microfinance-self help groups of women who lived there and this has helped me these past few months… At the beginning I slowly started exploring the area and observed that whatever I knew about Dharavi was neither too little nor enough for the kind of research that my new job required.

After a few days of me joining PUKAR, a girl from New York Lisa joined my project. She is working on water politics in the eastern suburbs of Mumbai for her PhD. To get myself more acquainted with the area, I started reading a book called “Rediscovering Dharavi ” written by Kalpana Sharma a well known journalist. I was amazed by the kind of data I came across in the book.

One day Lisa & I thought of making a trip to Dharavi, just to walk around. We started with Kumbharwada, a historical pottery community who have been in Dharavi for the last century. We went lane by lane observing the pottery making process. I thought about it and realised that to understand the community and its processes I needed to get to know the people. Just reading and scientifically researching the community would not help at all.

After walking through the potter’s community we walked towards an open space which turned out to be a crematorium which was also indicated in the Google map we had with us. As it was time for Namaz, we couldn’t enter and so we didn’t go further on that inner road. From there, we crossed and entered a small lane on Sant Kakkaiya road which is inhabited by people of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka … there I happened to find the same co-operative housing society which was referred to me by one of my local friends from Dharavi. We spoke to some of the residents for permission to shoot from the building terrace and we got it quite easily. I couldn’t believe securing permission in this area would be so easy. Not only that, the welcome we received was great.

On that same day early in the morning, a colleague, who is a professional photographer, and I went to Dharavi for ariel view shots from the terraces of tall buildings and identified some. We selected a few sites namely, Shastri Nagar –which gives 2 views of houses in Dharavi and another was Mahatma Gandhi Co-op Housing Society at Sion Bandra Link Road. In this process he identified 3 more premises for good ariel views, Gold Field Towers, Vaibhav Apartments (built by Raheja Builders) and Satyam Shivam Sundaram Co-op Housing Society near Sant Kakkaiya Road .

At the end of the day, on my way back home, I happened to take the bus instead of the train. The bus route passed the very same premises and towers which we had been reviewing during the day. The day took me to places I had never been to in the last three years of my work there. I felt a sense of accomplishment through discovering these virtually hidden places in the inner sanctums of Dharavi. I felt proud to be apart of this vibrant part of Mumbai.

Dhobi Ghat, Dharavi

2008-11-29T03:29:00.000-08:00

Photos from Dharavi

2008-11-29T01:35:00.000-08:00

2008-11-03T01:21:00.001-08:00

Dharavi on the first sight

For the purpose of knitting contacts six of us went to Dharavi on Sunday. Our group consisted of Reshma, the Project Coordinator of the Dharavi-Project; Lisa, a PhD from New York; three College students from Dharavi: Ganesh, Umesh and Mahendra; and me, Alexander, the new German intern with PUKAR.

Because a group of 24 students of the Chicago University, studying livelihood and habitant studies, will come to Mumbai on 8^th November we just wanted to figure something out to show them in Dharavi. To get to know the inhabitants our three boys from the community got us in touch with Dharavi residents. For me it was the first step into a new World of what is called Asia’s largest slum.

The first thing I can say about it is that I never expected a place so full of life and action. As a person from the west all I know about slums I know from the media. Germany as a G8-country faces no considerable problems with illegal settlements nor has it such a high level of working migration. Sure, there is unemployment as well. And also there are habitats that are not what you can call high standard. But these consist not of self build huts or houses erected on former marsh land between railway tracks. So on that point getting out of the bus at T-Junction and entering Dharavi was like entering a totally new world.

Firstly we wanted to discover the tanneries of Dharavi, as Reshma was told, that the neighborhood we just entered was famous for its tanneries. After turning into a narrow lane we got to an open space. One could already smell the light stench of blood in the air, which was waving over from an open building. The smell was that of freshly delivered hides that where lying on the floor of the workshop. Men were washing and salting them, an important procedure before tanning. A tannery as we expected to see, was that not. The hides here become treated in the manner I just described and afterwards they send them to the real tanneries, which are now located in Deonar.

We headed further. In an open space in the shade of a building, women were rolling papads and laid them on a reversed basket to dry. In front of another house women washed clothes and hung them to dry in the sun.

As we went through another narrow street crowded by workers and children, Ganesh requested us to step into a door of a nearby house. Suddenly all we six stood in a Kitchen, where a Mother and her daughter prepared special Diwali Cookies. The prepared dough becomes treated with a machine looking like a peppermill. But bye drilling the handle not pepper comes out of the bottom, but the dough in a structured shape. On old newspapers the dough stripes are laid out in spiral shapes, waiting to get fried in hot oil. We all tried some of the spicy cookies – they were fantastic!

After that we were invited to another room of the house, were we met Malama, mother of 13 years old Ashvaria, 11 years old Asha and two younger daughters. Malama used to work as a nurse, taking care for patients in there houses. Now she is working as a registrar in an office. Her husband worked with a glass company, which went bankrupt and he lost his job. For 10 Years he refused to get another job, maybe because of proud, maybe because of other reasons. At this time Malama was the only person providing an income for the family. That brought tensions to the household. Now her husband works again, in the flower shop of his son in law.

Aishwarya is visits grade IX at school. She is a clever girl, asking me questions about Germany. Asked if she ever saw snow in her life, she answers “of course, in the freezer!” She is playing in a local soccer team in the defense position. This is possible because of a local youth organization called Magic Bus that cares for the youth in Dharavi, providing sports and cultural programs. Ashvaria wants to become a doctor, preferably a dentist after grown up. Asha is not in school anymore. Because of failing in math’s she is now doing domestic work.

I am impressed by the warm hospitality of the people. We sat around half an hour or more in the bedroom of the family, which was not bigger then five square meters. Tea was served and we were talking and talking and the atmosphere was warm and friendly.

After that we went on, again following the lively stream floating down the streets of Dharavi. After enjoying lunch in a great south Indian dhaba, we went to Kumbharwada, the potter’s community. Finding ourselves in between of kilns made of brick and black smoke, we talked to the here living and working people. For the Diwali festival they will remove all ovens from the courtyard because there will be held pujas and religious rituals after Diwali. During that time no pottery will be done. After the puja the Kumbhars will build up the kilns again and the work will continue as usual. Clay will be shaped to matkas, garden pots, cups and all other things one can image is made of clay. After that the kilns will be filled with the crafted goods, which will then be sold. The work is hard, starts at 7 am and goes on until 7 pm every day. But their work makes the people proud, which you can see in there honest but friendly countenance.

Garbi at Kumbharwada(potters community),Dharavi

2008-10-10T02:44:00.000-07:00

Aa Garba nathi Garbi chhe......Colourful Garbi at Kumbharwada, Dharavi.....enjoy

2008-10-07T02:28:00.000-07:00

Hi Evevryone!

Frankly speaking I never wanted to write anything about myself or about anything as i never had habit of writings, so i never wrote any diary or biography but since I have joined PUKAR-Partners for Urban Knowledge, Action and Research-a research collective . In PUKAR, as a part of my work, I am doing research on Dharavi.

This research will be about the people in Dharavi, and about thier culture , livelihood, habitat and related many more issues... so I have started it and lets see what comes up in this process....So do share your thoughts ,creative ideas and inputs.....

Thanks