The Other India

Pursuit of Happiness What is it that gives you joy? For some its power, while others say its pride. For some, it’s money while for some, its wisdom. But for the people of Basanti slum, S urvival made them happy. The Dual Disaster Basanti slum, Kolkata , the city of joy had been home to approximately 6625 according to 2011 census but this was in 2019 and people around the globe were struggling with Covid-19. But for the people of the slum, another disaster was in line. It was when Amphan hit. This dual disaster shook West Bengal and Orissa to its core but the severely affected were the slums. The Fateful Survival “Wind blowing at a speed of 115km/h blew off the houses made of vinyl sheets, scarp, tarpaulin and cardboards leaving just the skeletal roof. The cyclone left the narrow streets clogged with filth, fallen trees and broken electric wires. Amidst the howling winds and incessant rainfalls, those who survived considered themselves to be lucky. Hunger and fear started t...

  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...

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...