Photographer's Note
‘Mumbai - Living in Dharavi’
As mentioned in the note with my previous picture Dharavi is the largest slum in Mumbai and throughout India.
It is estimated that more than one million people live there making it one of the areas with the largest population density in the world.
Dharavi has been depicted in a number of Hindi films and since 2008 it has gained particular international acclaim with the British movie ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ by Danny Boyle.
Dharavi is not a homogeneous neighbourhood. Depending on where you are, it can look very different.
The main picture shows an area with many small alleys. The houses are built close together. The low-rise building style and the narrow street structure make this area very cramped and confined.
There is potable water and power supply. Cooking gas is supplied in the form of liquefied petroleum gas cylinders as well as through piped natural gas.
However Dharavi has severe problems with public health and there are sanitation issues with an average of 1 toilet per 1.450 people.
There’s a river that is widely used by local residents for urination and defecation causing the spread of contagious diseases. The man who guided me around in Dharavi referred to an area with shrubs and plants that was called the ‘jungle toilet’.
There’s also a section where the residents wash their clothes in water that people defecate in. Of course this spreads a lot of diseases.
Surprising to me was that I saw several people with a mobile phone.
Obviously I think it's very good that even the poorest of Mumbai can be reached by telephone and can reach others.
Maybe I'm old-fashioned but I keep finding it strange that electronic developments have happened worldwide at lightning speed while basic needs such as decent housing and affordable medical care for everyone remain a terrible problem (and of course not only in India).
These pictures do not show the best of India but also this is the world we live in.
Visiting Dharavi is a lesson in humility, a reflection on and an encouragement to put into perspective the concerns that we face in our own lives and above all a meeting with very friendly people.
Information from Wikipedia, the LP-guide and the man who guided me in Dharavi.
Critiques | Translate
jemaflor
(147018) 2018-03-05 23:10
Salut Paul,
Des sourires (pour les enfants) et de la couleur parmi le dénuement ... bien prise cette scène pleine de contraste et reflet de la réalité du cadre de vie de bien des habitants de la cité. Intéressante et originale vue.
emka
(158030) 2018-03-05 23:25
Hello Paul, These pictures look more slum-like. Beautiful pictures. Is this area closed? We can see in Workshop the wired fences. Cute children. You visited very interesting place, I am anvious :). Well, In just three weeks I will see something quite opposite :).
Kind regrads MAlgo
dkmurphys
(79209) 2018-03-05 23:29
Hello,
A smile of innocence from a chaotic world. I like the contrast between the children and the horror background. Well taken.
Daniel
maloutim
(13617) 2018-03-06 0:17
Indeed, India is making experiments to send people into space, while it is not able to provide each household with drinking water and proper sanitation :-(
Your picture is very comprehensive, showing the carefree happiness of the youngest dressed in bright clothes, but going barefoot... The preoccupied look on the young girls who probably wonder if there is any worthy future for them : They have to look after the babies rather than go to school ... and the very sad look on the man's face : What prospect is there for him and his family in this squalid environment ...
Thanks for sharing.
Kindest regards.
Marie-Louise.
Nicou
(193806) 2018-03-06 1:28
Hello
quelle image et compo quelle scène de rue et image superbe captage avec ces jeune ces personnages dans la ruelle étroite et colorée quelle scène de la vie de ces gens superbe.
Bravo et amitié
Nicou
holmertz
(102604) 2018-03-06 2:24
Hello Paul,
These children look as neat and cute as Indian children anywhere. You can't see from their appearance that they live under such difficult conditions. And the electric wires look like electric wires anywhere in India. Yet these photos bring us closer to an aspect of Indian life that we seldom see on TE, even though slums and squalor are still an ever present fact of life in the perhaps fastest growing economy in the world. Mobile phones but no toilets. It's a strange world we're living in. But the photos are excellent. I love them.
Kind regards,
Gert
dragonslayero
(3592) 2018-03-06 2:30
Hello Paul
I find your photo interesting as it shows more of daily life than the typical "I went to Taj Mahal" photos that I believe 90% of tourists would bring back.
Your photo has a nice candid feel to it and showing what daily life is like in this area.
A little bit hard on the light as some parts are overexposured, but still not over the top.
Thanks for sharing.
OJJ
willperrett
(14215) 2018-03-06 3:52
Hello Paul
A fine, indeed important, street documentary photograph. TE needs more images like this if it's to fulfil its stated intention to "teach about the world". I'm not convinced that postcards do that! For me the most telling detail is probably the expression of the man in the shadows behind the ostensibly happy, clean kids...
Regards
Will
jhm
(211736) 2018-03-06 4:38
Hello Paul,
Ge moet maar als kind ginder geboren worden, de toekomst roep meteen vragen op.
Uw foto bewijst opnieuw de toestand van de bevolking.
Uw gids moet nog iemand zijn die alles durft the tonen waardoor uw foto's kan maken.
Opnieuw een mooie documentaire met een goede uitleg.
Goed foto werk voor de drie foto's. Bedankt.
Groeten uit een lenteachtig Oost-Vlaanderen,
John.
jimmj63
(0) 2018-03-06 6:13
ciao Paul,
very useful shot and note, it looks like that boys are happies.
ciao, Giacomo
Sergiom
(117241) 2018-03-06 6:19
Bonjour Paul,
J'aime beaucoup cette scène de la vie quotidienne dans cette partie du monde où les enfants semblent bien heureux dans cette petite rue étroite . Les couleurs des vêtements apportent de la joie et de la vie à l'ensemble.
Amicalement
Serge
rychem
(72187) 2018-03-06 8:14
A very poor world and a different world to me, but I think it is necessary to take such documentary photos, to show how poor can be people outside the US and Europe
GyurMaster
(24818) 2018-03-06 8:55
Hello Paul,
Nice street genre, the vivid clothes of the children highlight them nicely from the dark alley.
Best Wishes
Gy
Tue
(92302) 2018-03-06 9:43
Hallo Paul,
Een goede impressie van deze plek met dit smalle en donkere straatje. Het zijn de mensen die hier, dankzij hun kleding ook letterlijk, kleur geven aan de foto. De lach op het gezicht van het jongetje is mooi en het is sowieso opvallend hoe iedereen naar de camera opkeek.
Lars
ChrisJ
(171794) 2018-03-06 9:51
Salut Paul,
A superb daily life scene from India. I saw similar spaghetti like collections of wires in Thailand. Looks like there are some immigrants from Pakistan / Turkey, judging by the collection of red & green crescent / star flags. Tfs!
pajaran
(115779) 2018-03-06 10:13
Dobro vece.
Lep pogled i trenutak, interesantan i dobar tekst ...
Dobar rad sa lepim fotogrfaijama u radionici, lepo pokazano, dobra perspektiva i kontrast, lepe boje, lepo uhvacen trenutak sa decom.
Deca su nase najvece bogatstvo i nasa buducnost.
Zelim vam mirnu noc, sve najbolje.
Paja.
Good evening.
A nice view and a moment, interesting and good text ...
Good work with nice photographs in the workshop, beautifully shown, good perspective and contrast, nice colors, nice moment with children.
Children are our greatest asset and our future.
I want you a quiet night, all the best.
lousat
(139170) 2018-03-06 12:14
Hi Paul,useful post and info from this very poor world,i can read incredible things in your note. And the pics are an example of the daily life,different but always beautiful,so full of colors and made in great perspectives,very very good post my friend! Have a nice evening and thanks,Luciano
Fis2
(170639) 2018-03-06 12:51
Witaj Paul!
Interesting scene from daily life.
The children are nice, make impression.
Good frame, colors and light.
Well done.
Good evening.
Krzysztof
adramad
(72934) 2018-03-06 13:01
Hello Paul.
An excellent scene from day to day, in this alley of Mumbai, children are a charm, the first of all looks at you with great sympathy, the color of their dresses gives a nice color, draws attention to the large bunch of cables on them , I wonder how they can know who each one is for.
Good management of brightness and sharpness.
Very well done. I love.
Have a great day.
Very best regards.
Luis.
Cricri
(176) 2018-03-07 4:36
Bonjour Paul
Une bonne note info, intéressante sur cette partie du monde, bien malheureux de voir tant de misère, que de détails surprenant dans cette image, mais de beaux portraits d'enfants aux tenues colorées, belles versions en WS
Belle journée
cricri
dale54
(17768) 2018-03-07 11:13
paul hello and good evening..been enjoying your colorful shots from india!very pleasing and interesting scene,plus nice crop too! tfs dale
COSTANTINO
(116377) 2018-03-07 11:32
Hello dear Paul and have a nice time
and a happy new day
excellent capture perfectly executed
with many colors and interesting details
your useful notes help all of us to
understand better a photo
I cannot understand if those children
live in conditions worst or best
welldone
regards
Costantino
mesutilgim
(0) 2018-03-07 12:45
Hello Paul,
Another nice and perfect TE entry, taken with a perfect pov and layout, very good light management and many interesting and usefull notes.
TFS and best regards
MESUT ILGIM
danos
(110407) 2018-03-07 14:56
Hello paul,
nice the snapshot from the daily life of the town with the lot of the children to look to your lens so surprising.The narrow alley and the excellent lighting conditions make the image even more attractive.
Regards,Danos
Royaldevon
(85862) 2018-03-08 5:55
Hello Paul,
This is a very interesting photograph and set of notes.
The thought of washing in water used as a toilet is very worrying!
When you notice that some people have mobile phones, there is a real mismatch!
It would seem that some technological information has travelled quickly, whilst information on health issues is equivalent to standards more than a couple of centuries old!
I hate to think of the disease that these friendly, happy little children could suffer!
Your photographs reveal a very densely populated region, yet one that is sociable and friendly.
Thanks for the informative notes as well as the photographs, full of interesting images,
Bev :-)
carlo62
(81265) 2018-03-08 10:44
Ciao Paul
questo è un mondo molto diverso dal nostro, difficile per noi pensare a questa vita, anche se nel mondo è quella più diffusa.
Saluti
Carlo
macjake
(98402) 2018-03-13 6:11
Hi Paul
wonderful TE photo and note.
from my own personal experience in India, I found these photos to be the most rewarding.
sad reality here, and its true what you said about mobile phones yet basic needs are not being met. I guess because it costs A lot of money to do that, while selling phones even to poor people still make the company money.
tremendous photo with the people, the wires, the small cramped areas. I can only imagine what it would be like to have to use the bath room in nature like that. There doesn't seem to be any sense of privacy living here. Not only lack of privacy for bathroom use, but even such things as having sex, dating, socializing...just seems to be a very loud and noisy atmosphere.
keep these photos coming, they're great!
cheers
Craig
abmdsudi
(95869) 2018-03-14 22:43
Hi Paul
Poverty, shanty town and slum but life flows as usual in India, a sad reality as shown. A photo without needing much explanation - one look that speaks volumes! Excellent grab, Congrats.
Best regards
mkamionka
(74311) 2022-01-09 1:00
Hi Paul,
Yes I agree with your observation. One of the Indian TE members who I met on a TE meeing in Newcastle laughed at me that I refuse to own a smart phone because as he said even beggars in India have smart phones on which they accept money.
I don't have the answer to that.
Very interesting although somehow sad scene, Clothes give so much colorand people stare at you some of them with a smile but the alley becomes much darker furtjer in the distance.
Very well captured,
M
Photo Information
-
Copyright: Paul VDV (PaulVDV)
(62846)
- Genre: Pessoas
- Medium: Cor
- Date Taken: 2017-12-26
- Categories: Vida Diária
- Exposição: 30 segundos
- Versão da Foto: Versão Original, Workshop
- Date Submitted: 2018-03-05 23:07
Discussions
- To emka: not a closed area (1)
by PaulVDV, last updated 2018-03-06 05:06 - To ChrisJ: the flags (1)
by PaulVDV, last updated 2018-03-06 09:53