Slum Dog Millionaire

By now you know that this is a movie by Danny Boyle and Loveleen Tandan. This film got nomination for Oscars. And many people accused the crew for selling India’s poverty. Of course most of them are Indians. The film showed some parts from the Dharavi area which is sometimes referred as Asia’s biggest slum area. I happenned to visit Dharavi in early 2008 for one of my own projects. It is indeed a huge slum area with lots of different activities that you can see on each and every turns. Mind that, the people there are not sitting idle, working hard to survive happily everyday. Well, they are not making guns.

Herbert Wright wrote a book called Instant Cities where he talks about Dharavi. Eventually some of my photographs are there in the book. This is a very interesting place where you can get to see thousands of small industries.Workers are busy working from dawn to day’s end to meet regular demands of body.

Slums are very common and can be seen in all the metros in India for the reason obvious. Indian is still developing and it will take years. There is a major portion of the whole population living under poverty line. These all are fact. But the debate is not about that.

One of my friends told, “We are having poverty for sure. But this is the reason why this film got nomination for oscar. Otherwise it is good movie. But the key why they liked it is because of the raw poverty. Now why should someone get the fame and profit selling these?” Now this has got some points. As you know, whenever I get some time to relax I take my camera and start walking on the streets. I find many foreigners (this is a general statement, I meant the majority) clicking snaps of the open drainage systems and children sleeping on roads. Now I think they like to photograph something thet do not get to see on the streets of their country. But is it true that they do not shoot the Victoria Memorial of Kolkata or the Gateway of India in Mumbai? I am not sure, I have not followed anyone. Probably some of my friends in other countries who visited India can confirm.

Now, do you really think the people of Dharavi are concerned? Do they think and debate on this? No, I do not believe so. While they struggle everyday with everything including sanitation and daily water, they really do not bother to join this hue and cry. After a day’s heavy toil, probably one man will take his wife and children from Dharavi to a movie hall in Sion and watch Slum Dog Millionaire. He probably will be happy to see the big drain pipe shown in the film, and relate to the alleyways.

While he becomes happy when his wife kisses him good night, some intellectuals and critics will continue to write letter to the Oscar committee for withdrawing the nomination. In reality, most of these critics/ whoever doing campaigning against the film did/ will do very less when someone from Dharavi will go to him for some help.

About the criminal activities, which is of course there in a place like Mumbai. But that is there, like all the countries of the world. Mumbai is country’s Finance Capital. So we can not avoid it. Is there any single place where you do not get a lane where you can buy a revolver without license/ take a pack of brown sugar? I feel, the film needed to portray these, which are a pathetic case for street children. This is also a painful fact in all the poor countries where children do not have a place but the streets. Even the most most developed nations have these problems. You can read an interesting book called Freakonomics to know more.

Did you watch the movie? If not, please watch and let me know what do you think. I will be waiting to know your views. But apart from all these, please do not litter outside. Eventually a beautiful place will become slum. Please do not run away from a child crying on streets to avoid the noise; buy him a biscuit packet. You will find most of the time, he is crying out of hunger. Not like you who cried the other day for not getting a promotion in office (well, not meant everyone of course).