Skip to main content

The Hollywood Colony : A Memory

  

 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 of the places) is that 99% of the people were happy. If you were a bit jovial and over the top people there tend accept you. All the houses around are mostly 10mx10m sized which is a home for an average of 4-5 people.On my way I met Mr Mohan an enthusiastic young man at a tea shop. A friendship was established there at ease. He was quiet pleasant and invited me to see his baby rabbits at his home. Upon reaching his home he showed me his 7 beautiful hares. They were so tiny and beautiful. Mohan showed me around his house, there were 5 members who lived there. It was again 10x10 with a single bed and living space. Up on his wall there hanged Mohan’s stone studded shiny white wedding attire. He never failed to impress me with his hospitality. It was then I realized that one don’t need much to be happy and make others happy.

to be continued..

Inspired from the Youtube Video 'I invaded an Indian slum , What does a house in an Indian slum cost ' by Harald Balder

-Joseph

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The First Step in right direction

    It is rightly said, if you want to know the real side of a country don’t look at their urban or developed area but have a look at their slums, that’s where the reality lies.   A slum shows the true picture of every country. In India, according to census 2011, nearly 17% of the urban households live in slums, which was around 23.5% in 2001. Although the percentage has gone down but the number of households living in slums have gone up from 10.5 million in 2001 to 13.75 million in 2011. Let’s have a look at the reasons for growing slums in India. First and foremost being the forever growing population of the country. India is the second most populated country in the world and soon it is going to overtake china. The problem with growing population is the lack of equally growing employment opportunity. People in search of better earning opportunity move towards the bigger cities and towns and are trapped there with low earnings and high living costs and the lack of avai...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Other India we hardly know about !

  What is the first thing that comes to our mind when we think about slums? Do we know what deplorable health and environmental conditions exist in slums? Every now and then we come across news that reports eviction of slum dwellers due to encroachment? Their houses are demolished and asked to leave. Do we ever wonder where would they go after getting evicted? They just get settled in another government or private land only to get evicted again just when they think that they have a home now. The cycle just keeps occurring again and again. Why aren't we able to solve this problem and help them to give a sense of belonging? Slums are the other India that we should focus on. Ok, let's understand the cycle first before thinking about a plausible solution. Due to rapid urbanization more and more people come to cities with a dream to improve their lives. They get settled on lands that are open and unclaimed what we call slums. These slums have people who work as daily wagers, dr...
Post a Comment
Read more

Voice of Slum - Part 1

There is a saying “ It takes only one voice at the right pitch, to start an avalanche ”. Hers is a story about a girl from the slums who herself held a pencil at the age of 10 and now she is reshaping the life of many children who dare to dream and desire to fulfil them. This story must be told to everyone and this is a voice that must resonate ,so that children in the streets are taken care and are equipped to lead their lives better. It’s also Story of a past filled with suffering, a Present full of hope and endurance, and a Future that promises to be brighter than ever before. I am talking about Chandni Khan who was born in the slums of Noida, a place where several kids are born and die in oblivion. But she refused to lay back and make her peace with her grim destiny as she climbed out of the darkness and now she is extending her hands to pull others out of the same misery too. This girl started working from a very young age. “From the age of five, I used to travel along with my fa...
Post a Comment
Read more