Dharavi: Photos of Asia's Largest Slum

Dharavi is considered "Asia's largest slum," but is now rivalled within Mumbai itself by several other slum pockets in terms of size and squalor, and by Orangi Town in Karachi, Pakistan. Dharavi has a population of more than 600,000 people according to the Time Magazine; while the BBC suggests it is home to over 1 million people. In expensive Mumbai, Dharavi provides a cheap, but illegal, alternative where rents can be as low as $4 US per month. Dharavi exports goods around the world. The total turnover is estimated to be more than $650 million US. Dharavi features prominently in Danny Boyle's 2008 film Slumdog Millionaire, in which several of the child actors are from the Dharavi slum. Slumdog Millionaire is an adaptation of reality in the slums of Dharavi, one of the biggest slums in the world, in a city that also houses some of the richest billionaires in the world. The movie won eight Oscars, made millions in revenue, and opened to the eyes of the world to the reality of life in a slum.

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Nina

April 20, 2009

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Wow... I've seen this movie, and I think that somehow the still pictures are more revealing than the film's scenes when it comes to showing the abject poverty. I guess when you see people (extras?) moving around and going about their lives, you think, "Well, at least they're busy..." whereas with these you're more aware of their being stuck in this particular situation. Also, in the film the people don't look at the camera for obvious reasons, but here you get a bit more up close and personal.

Nina

April 20, 2009

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...Well, not that there's any eye contact here either, but at least you sense the relationship between the people and the lens more than in the movie. Something like that.

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