[Reader-list] Rechristening Dharavi from Slum to Industrial Zone

[Kabir Khan]

Rechristening Dharavi from Slum to Industrial Zone
<http://wastenarratives.com/2015/11/16/rechristening-dharavi-from-slum-to-industrial-zone/>


*“Mumbai is a crowd. Dharavi, with people oozing out of every crack and
countless quarters of artisans and small industries, is often referred to
as the throbbing heart of the city”*

*-  **V.S. Naipaul*

Born and brought up in Bombay, like other Mumbaikars, I took Dharavi for
granted. It was a place that one just passed by, either in disdain or
disgust. Stories of the underworld and mafia dominated the narratives of
Dharavi. Dharavi was the go to place, for people who came to Mumbai with
dreams of a better life, but chose to stay there or the surrounding areas
for the cheaper rentals.

In 2007, when we launched Radio Active 90.4MHz, a community radio station
in Bangalore, many communities that we invisiblize, based on our
perceptions, came to the forefront.  Though my tryst with waste started in
2009, Mumbai and Dharavi were never in the immediate picture. It was not
till 2012, when one of the optional tour components of the Australia India
Youth Dialogue was the Dharavi Tour that I saw Dharavi with new found
respect.

According to Pieter van Beukering is a Dutch economist, “Solid waste has
three outlets: formal collection for disposal by the municipality, informal
sector recovery for recycling and waste that remains uncollected. While the
former and the latter always occupy space in popular media, the second
outlet continues to remain invisible, which Dharavi stands testimony to.
The sheer industriousness and determination, is what makes this place a
vibrant recycling hub.

Walking through Dharavi, our minds whirled with questions... though the
informal sector exists in all developing countries, what makes their work
invisible? What problems do they face? Why is the sector so fragmented?
Does social exclusion make it impossible for them to access better
technology, credits or markets? What bargaining powers to these people have
– when it comes to space or welfare schemes? Continued here...
<http://wastenarratives.com/2015/11/16/rechristening-dharavi-from-slum-to-industrial-zone/>

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Regards

कबीर/کبیر

Phone:00-91-96-63-427-315
Email: kabir.postbox at gmail.com
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<http://maleccha.wordpress.com/> & Twitter <https://twitter.com/Maleccha>

http://www.hasirudala.in

http://www.wastenarratives.com

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