Dharavi: Reaching for the sky

Welcome to Dharavi where residents are reaching for the sky. They want Dharavi to surpass London as a great city. Unlike the poverty tourism and accolades awarded to communitarian slum living by the likes of Prince Charles and Kevin McCloud, Dharavi residents think big. Sadhvi Sharma takes us through the streets and introduces us to aspirant families for whom Dharavi is a place of transition. The least we can do, she argues, is support their aspirations.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• WORLDwrite
• WORLDbytes
• news
• online
• video
• politics
• Sadhvi Sharma
• Dharavi
• Mumbai
• India
• Indian
• slums
• growth
• development
• economics
• environmentalism
• conservation
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• sustainable
• community
• communitarian
• Prince Charles
• Kevin McCloud
• international
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• poverty
• aspirations
• modernity
• progress

[PICLex]

@shrkumar90

There's a lot these people have that we don't. Tower blocks don't work, our communities have become fragmented. I wonder if these vids are fueled by the developers who want to turn the slums into another project. I don't think people should look to the west as to how to live, sure take what works(technology and education) but don't take our methodologies.

[peterson17able]

I couldn't agree more with Vivalasregus. What does Prince Charles know about 'community' or poverty? (Or anything?)

[shrkumar90]

This report is great way to get people to understand that slum life is full of people who are working harder than ever to grow with their rapidly developing country. India has a long way to go, but the fact that people are educating their children and looking to a brighter future where they do have all the comforts of the western world creates the impetus for change.

[Vivalasregus]

Love this short film, you actually get to meet people in Dharavi and hear about their plans, their desires instead of having to listen to the likes of Prince Charles telling us to live like this.

[Sarahk150]

Brilliant. Wow what a refreshing report you kind of know this is what the local residents want and think but Westerners can’t ever say it- due to their own disenchantment with all we have. While these Indian residents want a great city our own lack of any sense of community means we big up the idea of ‘community’ in the slums. Ms Sharma is so right we should support their aspirations all the way.