Dharavi is a place where human spirit radiates and triumphs over all. There is a shared sense of hardship and the struggle of a single individual is the struggle of many. If a person’s wealth was attributed to kindness and hard work, then the residents of Dharavi would all be rich.
Before I left for my first visit to India I met a stranger in a post office in London. An elderly immigrant man from India whom I told about my upcoming trip to India. With a sweet smile on his face he told me that he wanted me to do something for him. Dubiously, I asked him what this was. In a voice so warm he replied, ‘find out why they still smile’. I didn’t quite understand what this man was talking about at the time, but standing amongst the squalor of Dharavi, the heart of Mumbai, I think that I’m starting to get it….
Satish Naidu
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satishnaidu76.sn@gmail.com