Mumbai - The city of aspirations, the city of dreams where people aspire to be in limelight. They want to make it big in life. Some do while others find themselves shattered and finished. The city is awake 24x7. I have walked through the streets of Mumbai from 17th Sept 2010 innumerous times at different times of the day. I have found a colossal gap in the style of survival and existence. People live in shelters made of plastic sheets or plastic stitched together which once was part of a polypack sort of material. They eat stale and unhygienic food and somehow live on defying the medical/ethical standards of survival. A single enclosure measuring 8 feet by 8 feet packing box is their home - no ventilation at all. Their children are born, grow up and end up forever in the streets.
They look up towards the towering structures and skyscrapers bordering their slums, imagining and yet not knowing what glimmer and comfort lies in those magnificent towers. Their toddlers fully or partially nude most of the time play with dirt on dusty roads. On the contrary, we have gigantic glittering malls where we show off our purchasing power and style statement. We spend thousands of bucks just for fun but find it hard to spend on those "living creatures" who atleast deserve to exist like humans. Trees on the foot-walk make a cool resting place for weary travellers and roadside dwellers. Life takes a stern look on them during the rainy season in mumbai for about four months in total. Their torn clothes and dismal looks during the monsoon is heart rending for any human. Yet, they live on with the expectation that tomorrow will be better than the present - an example of optimism in such a dismal state.
One other representation of Mumbai is its slums. Though slums are dwindling day by day with towers coming in its place, yet dharavi boasts of being the biggest slum in entire Asia. A fact we cannot shy away from. The foot-walk goers never ever care to take a look at their plight nor do people living in glass towers. The gap here is not one of economy alone but that of morality as well. Big cities and metros in its rush to survive and urge to thrive push aside this humane touch. They are a vote bank for the "political game" in our society. Their needs/wants are harnessed in improper directions in doing malicious activities which ultimately harm the society like a boomerang out of control. The society is a fabric which can remain intact only if all its ups and downs are properly taken care off. The children from the streets mostly take to crime or unlawful activities. Their daughters right from early teens are pushed towards the flesh trade or sold off to western countries to childless parents at exorbitant prices or even child-trafficking in the Middle-east countries.
One other representation of Mumbai is its slums. Though slums are dwindling day by day with towers coming in its place, yet dharavi boasts of being the biggest slum in entire Asia. A fact we cannot shy away from. The foot-walk goers never ever care to take a look at their plight nor do people living in glass towers. The gap here is not one of economy alone but that of morality as well. Big cities and metros in its rush to survive and urge to thrive push aside this humane touch. They are a vote bank for the "political game" in our society. Their needs/wants are harnessed in improper directions in doing malicious activities which ultimately harm the society like a boomerang out of control. The society is a fabric which can remain intact only if all its ups and downs are properly taken care off. The children from the streets mostly take to crime or unlawful activities. Their daughters right from early teens are pushed towards the flesh trade or sold off to western countries to childless parents at exorbitant prices or even child-trafficking in the Middle-east countries.
Contd...Part/2
Prasenjit©1997-2011
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