Poverty Games - India

September 2010

Behind the most expensive Commonwealth Games in history, lies a very different reality. Slums are destroyed for the tourists, and the poor struggle to eke out a living working to create the venues.

"I have my good days and my bad days", says ten-year-old Arif. Just a stone's throw from the luxurious athletes' apartments symbolising the growth and promise of a new India, he lives, works, and plays in Delhi's biggest slum. Picking through the rubbish in the rivers and dumps of Dharavi, he ekes out a tiny living to give to his parents, risking both infection and injury. In the run-up to the games, thousands of slums are demolished and residents are banished. Many come from the outskirts to work, hoping to see the spoils of India's economic growth. Yet they earn less than a dollar a day working on the games sites. "Showing the most beautiful parts of the city and putting curtains in front of slums is not going to solve the problem", says Vinod Shetty. India has overspent on its Commonwealth Games budget by tens of millions of dollars. And according to a recent Indian report, has diverted money from schemes to fight poverty to further fund the Games. "Don't read the press, everything will be OK", laughs Head of the Games Committee, Suresh Kalmadi. The 5 million people living in slums with no access to clean water or toilets, beg to differ.

Produced By SBS
Distributed By Journeyman Pictures

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[straighter100]

@Ravensteinzh

no, its cuz the damn gov consists of fucking idiot politicians.

[straighter100]

Holy fucking shit i wanna live int those apartments (the ones they show at the beginning)

[KaptaanPakistan]

THIS IS GOOD AS COMPARED TO PAKISTAN

[ukgreaterlondon]

i am going to come the wealthiest white male in history

then i am going to india and

i will give a life time supply of money to the sexy ladies in india and i'll pay security to protect the sexy indian ladies from money dangers and sexual dangers .

i am an extremist in happy ladies : )

[ukgreaterlondon]

i love you india : )

[GinnaYad]

I don't disagree that over population is a problem... but you have no right to complain when you've got enough shit on your hands already.

[GinnaYad]

May be the west needs to learn a lesson or two from India and China then, eh? After all, it's the west running after these two countries, and not the other way round.

[ukusapillage]

I THINK THE WEST SHOULD PROIHIBIT ALL MIGRATION FROM CHINA AND INDIA UNTIL THEY START TAKING MEASURES FOR POP GROWTH THEY DONT GIVE SHIT ABOUT THEIR OWN AND MAKE WEST PAY FOR THEIR DUMB FUCKS BREEDING PPL RIGHT INTO MIDDLE SHIT AND MISERY LIFE, THESE PPL DESERVE ALL THE CRAP HEADING THEIR WAY, HOPE THERES A VIRUS THAT KILLS HALF THEIR POP ASAP, INDIA AND CHINA ARE SUCKING WORLD DRY WHILE THEY BREED LIKE RABBITS THIS IS A DISASTER WAITING TO HAPPEN WHILE THE WEST DOSENT HAVE CHILDREN

[ukusapillage]

I THINK THE WEST SHOULD PROIHIBIT ALL MIGRATION FROM CHINA AND INDIA UNTIL THEY TART TAKING MEASURE FOR POP GROWTH THEY DONT GIVE SHIT ABOUT THEIR OWN AND MAKE WEST PAY FOR THEIR DUMB FUCKS BREEDING PPL RIGHT INTO MIDDLE SHIT AND MISERY LIFE, THESE PPL DESERVE ALL THE CRAP WEADING THEIR WAY, HOPE THERES A VIRUS THAT KILLS HALF THEIR POP ASAP

[Ravensteinzh]

Much of India is in poverty, one problem is the government spending money on things that India doesn't need. For example, commissioning aircraft carriers and building more.