World's Largest Slum: Dharavi, India | Stories from the Hidden Worlds: India | Free Documentary

foreign [Music] Skyward from the Indian Mega city of Mumbai a parallel world exists crammed into a tiny triangle of land duravi around 1 million people live in this labyrinthine slum one of the world's most recognizable ghettos [Music] de Ravi has become synonymous with human suffering it is also a bustling Cosmopolitan hub highlighting the multi-layered nuances of Indian society and culture [Music] into its sixty thousand shanties while workshops and rudimentary factories form the backbone of an underground economy worth up to a billion dollars each year to many it is a symbol of this country's harsh economic inequities and policymakers failures to manage rural migration [Music] but for the people who live here it represents a chance just maybe to improve their lot [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] [Music] thank you foreign [Music] foreign [Music] passageways where the shanties Loom above like a great Urban canopy the grinding sense of daily struggle is palpable [Music] the slums workers toil Without End amid squalor and detritus [Music] this is gudu a 27 year old who spends long days producing fragrant soaps [Music] yeah foreign [Music] foreign [Music] [Applause] [Music] whose migrant workers are renowned for their entrepreneurialism and its textiles industry provides work for many of those migrants scissors snipping away and sewing machines purring fabric is cut to length and seams are stitched hour after hour day after day [Music] um foreign [Music] [Music] foreign foreign [Music] stories swirl down these winding alleys [Music] stories about migrants from India's impoverished Northern regions who came here over the decades and made it big amassing fortunes while toiling in the shadows [Music] effectively [Music] leather leather making process is [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] [Music] India is one of the world's Rising economic Powers it is estimated that the underground economy provides some 90 of all employment here [Music] while operating far outside of government control the black market is also responsible for the vast majority of India's yearly economic growth the population of duravi began to swell in the 1850s as the East India Company and the British Raj encouraged Urban Development Tanners and leather workers professions associated with the lowest Hindu castes streamed into duravi that migration continues largely unabated to this day though the modes of Transport have changed post-independence in 1947 deravi grew to become one of the world's largest slums the streets reek of sewage there are not enough toilets clean drinking water is scarce and hygiene is virtually non-existent malaria is an ever-present threat yet the people here Forge ahead regardless [Music] foreign [Laughter] [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] The Taming streets of dharavi are additionally home to a diverse sectarian mix and while tensions occasionally flare the ghetto's Hindu majority generally coexists peacefully alongside its Christian and Muslim communities meet chandrappa a local Hindu leader yes foreign foreign gather to practice their faith which is thought to have arrived here in the 6th century foreign foreign [Music] [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] foreign [Music] Muslims make up around 30 of daravi's population practicing Sunni Islam the Noor al-islam mosque is a focal point for adherence to the faith foreign [Music] foreign [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] prepare for a famed ceremony for days the gathered wood and other materials to fuel bonfires which represent the slaying of a demon s called Holika by a deity known as Vishnu tail represents the Triumph of good over evil cheer these bonfires are lit to usher in Holly the ancient Hindu Festival of Colors the festival celebrates the end of winter and the blossoming of spring [Music] for the people here Holly offers an opportunity to gather with loved ones in communal celebration [Music] begin new friend boy Hill strained relationships beside luminous flame and to Rejoice through song and dance long into the night and tomorrow the Festival of Colors will really kick off [Music] [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] foreign [Music] [Applause] [Music] I am 22 years old [Music] graffiti is like a expression expressing your art foreign [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] other outward looking youth are also beginning to enjoy pastimes that come from afar notably rap music is one of the best place to get inspired from [Music] her physics foreign [Music] [Music] [Music] thank you because I believe okay you know if you're writing something and if someone is not learning from it then you are writing is waste [Music] foreign [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] so this is also like still known as the heart of city but beautiful [Music] artists [Music] I have some friends who have just been a part of a big Bollywood film I have some friends who have like an international collabs so a lot of things are going on they are very great de Ravi is best known as the setting of The acclaimed 2008 film Slumdog Millionaire and for three decades one man has been running acting classes amid the derelict chanties introducing youth to the acting profession Al s [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] thank you foreign foreign yeah yeah thank you [Music] foreign [Music] foreign [Applause] but for many youths here the dream of breaking big in a Bollywood production will likely remain just that a dream the threadbare cinemas here provide a unique insight into this world of impoverishment and how the odds are stacked against any would-be film star the closest many of babarau's pupils will get to fame is one of daravi's dilapidated theaters foreign foreign [Music] [Music] public space is dominated by men while the country's Constitution guarantees women equal rights the culturally sanctioned degradation of women is total domestic violence is as much a part of the environment here as the stink of sewage and the choking smoke that envelops the streets or the ever-present Flies and mosquitoes yet while gender stereotypes remain entrenched in daravi many women are both Homemakers and Breadwinners fulfilling dual roles in the Scramble for a better life [Music] cartoon um [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] this is 39 year old nandini Desai she explains more about life here [Music] we're usually posted [Music] foreign [Music] nandini's work producing women's wigs speaks to a broader pressure placed on Indian women Indians spend a reported 10 billion U.S dollars on wellness and Beauty each year the skin lightening industry is booming accompanied by a rise in eating disorders and Body Image issues fair skin big eyes and full lips are particularly sought after [Music] a confederation foreign [Music] [Music] [Music] foreign [Music] also plays importance on image the district is well known for its profusion of barber shops offering a range of hairstyles often based around the latest trends in Bollywood [Music] the stylists here deal with the daily flood of customers seeking Trims and tidy UPS or something more radical barber shops are but one part of dharavi's community-focused economy while many of the products produced here Ascend far and wide throughout India and around the world the area is also host to a bustling local economy geared towards sustaining the area's residents a microcosm of the country's languages dialects faiths and Foods [Music] the residents of this neighborhood have learned to make do with scant few ingredients seasonal produce and assorted spices form the base of most meals of course Masala tea a mix of aromatic herbs and spices is brewed on mass and guzzled throughout the day providing a break from De ravi's frantic streets sustenance taken care of residents are free to pursue a bit of fun and this being India that fun often revolves around the nation's National obsession cricket [Music] the national sport is followed with an almost religious fervor here children scary about channeling their favorite players dreaming of one day becoming cricket stars [Music] but Sports and the brawls that sometimes break out in the district means that Health Providers have a regular stream of patience to care for eign [Music] that again [Music] [Music] um [Music] foreign [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] foreign [Music] positive [Music] foreign ties daravi is an eyesore undermining India's image as an economic juggernaut [Music] assorted corporations have long lobbied for the area to be opened up to developers given its proximity to mumbai's Gaudi Financial District development would almost certainly see many of daravi's residents scattered to all corners of Mumbai or further afield such real estate projects symbolic of change in progress would likely signal the destruction of the community that has evolved here a microcosm of Indian complexity gone would be the entrepreneurial spirit that defines the neighborhood gone the narrow allies and ramshackle shanties that people call home foreign foreign [Music] yet daily life carries on at its own pace according to its own rules and logic for now the people here can do little more than wait to see what the future holds [Music] thank you [Music] thank you foreign [Music] foreign [Music] foreign [Music]

Channel: Free Documentary

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Keywords: Free Documentary, Documentaries, Full documentary, HD documentary, documentary - topic, documentary (tv genre)

Id: InlHyErPtls

Length: 41min 9sec (2469 seconds)

Published: Wed Jun 14 2023