The Other India

The Hollywood Colony , Life of a Timekeeper :   The neighbours came in all the time and it was only joy I could see everywhere. The whole community was very friendly, they even have their own football team and cricket team. Meanwhile the house owner offered me the second tea of the afternoon, it tasted exactly like the first one, so delicious and I believe it was purchased from the same place which I had previously. Mr Mohan sells watches in the streets of ‘ Karnavati ’ for his living. He showed me the beautiful watch collection he puts up for sale every day. It was all well arranged on an 8-grilled stand made of steel. The watches were of different colour, shape, size and price. That display of watches were without a doubt a candy to my eyes. Mohan’s mode of business was to get money in advance from a local financer to fund himself for purchasing the watch and he sells them for a higher margin and keeps the profit. He receives approximately a margin of Rs 50-200 on each watch he s...

      The Hollywood Colony - A Memory :  One fine noon post lunch I took my go pro and started into the streets of Ahmedabad. The sun was soaring up high over my head. Camels were resting on the either side of the roads and I could see a couple of tea shops here and there .My throat had dried up and my goal for the day was still not accomplished. It was to visit a home in a slum from one of those streets. Grabbing my slippers from the backpack I kept moving forward until I reached the streets of the famous Hollywood Colony, one of  Ahmedabad’s famous slum. Still unsure how that place got such a name , but it is believed that it came from the inspirational works of a photographer named ' Kannagi Khanna'  who framed a woman from this village as a movie actress. I sauntered through the narrow walk ways of the Hollywood colony where houses and small businesses occupy two sides of the cluttered path. One thing that amazed me (Which we do not get to see in most...

The Past, Present and Future :  Slums in the Indian context is a place that came as a part of colonial invention, that sprouted from the leftovers of the dirt and stench at the backdrop of its flamboyant towns and cities. The advent of industrial revolution brought about a paradigm shift in the world by eventually reducing the grip of agricultural activities in the socio-economic realm. The destruction of the rural industries and agriculture by virtue of the innumerable British policies, and persuaded by the false prospects of better employment and livelihood in the industrial establishments of colonial India, forced the rural poor, burdened by famine and deprived of livelihood , to migrate in large numbers to towns and cities . This migration that remained consistent and increasing since its inception led to the formation of slums, that accommodate large number of population in the small discrete pockets spread at indiscrete parts of cities and towns where people subsist on mini...

   Mission Dharavi : An Example for the whole world A slum made miracle! There is no better phrase to describe. A collective effort from the NGOs, medical team, paramedical team, engineering team, private practitioners and the people of Dharavi pulled the rabbit out of the hat.Covid19 curve flattened in a matter of weeks where it was expected to spread like wildfire. Dharavi is undoubtedly one of the biggest slums Asia has seen so far. Extending her hands she stretches up to 2.5sqkm of area which is a home for more than 9 Lakh Indians. Without proper hygiene, toilet facilities, 10x10 hutments, high population and unclean environment unlike any other this place will give scare to an average Indian. Adding to this most of the people from Dharavi are working in essential services like hospital nurses, ward boys, food delivery workers. With these conditions present in Dharavi, Social distancing and home quarantine becomes unimaginable.  Regardless this limitations Dharavi bol...

A Journey through the Ghettos of India:   “The world doesn’t look like what you think it looks like”. Politics, Bollywood, Cricket.. All are still buzzwords that create rhythm to the Indian population. But there is much more to explore, An India that is way far from the glitter and glamour, a country that has untold stories to tell, a nation that saw its people emerging from rags and going to riches. Here in ‘The Other India' , we have such stories to narrate, tales of places and people who fought against all odds of squalor and aspired for a better life. So join with us in the journey to discover tales of each and every shantytowns of the country.  -Lakshmi