Dharavi: The City Within

by Joseph Campana (Editor)

Today Dharavi houses half-a-million people and has the most expensive real estate in Bombay. Behind its success are the efforts of hundreds of extraordinary people. In Dharavi, the dreams, aspirations and anxieties of this thriving community come alive in the hands of some of Indias best writers, like Sonia Faleiro, Annie Zaidi, Jerry Pinto, S. Hussain Zaidi and Dilip DSouza.

Meet Prema Salgaonkar, who knocks on 500 doors a day taking deposits for the Mahila Milan Bank to make sure her neighbours have money set aside for when trouble hits. Meet Vadivel Thambi, who delivers milk and texts his poetry to hundreds of adoring fans. Meet Sayeed Khan Bucklewala, a brass foundry owner who makes millions selling belt buckles. Find out how the people who live here pay their bills, cope with shiftless and abusive spouses, educate their children, and protect their homes and livelihoods from those who would turn them out.

Alongside is a larger overview of what living in such a city system is like. Dharavi, in the course of its evolution, has raised a number of issues pertaining to decent living standards, development and maintaining amity. These hold important lessons for India as a whole as it urbanizes at a rapid pace.

314 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2013