A brief encounter with history and politics...

Saturday last saw me trouping around 23 undergraduate students from the University of Chicago. I had been preparing for this day for the last month, reading up on the places and even visiting the areas. It was a journey of rediscovering the city and its magnificent history.

The places that the students would be visiting were Girangaon and Dharavi. So I started with the most basic of preparation steps… the Internet. It took me by surprise to find out how little information was available on Girangaon, the Village of Mills. If one reads about the history of Bombay, the textile industry was the corner stone of the city’s industrialization. And yet, after the longest mill workers strike and the vast contribution of the mill workers and their efforts to the city’s development, the recognition is almost negligible.

On the other hand, Dharavi- “Asia’s Largest Slum”… as most people know it, has no dearth of information available on the web. Go ahead and type the words Dharavi and Girangaon into the Google search engine… the results…

Dharavi- 176,000

Giranagon- 1550

The difference is huge! Why then does such a difference exist, when both areas have had a significant contribution to the city’s commerce? One major reason could be because of the fame Dharavi has received for being a “slum”. In reality, Dharavi is multifaceted industrial city within a city. It serves as a manufacturing unit and a habitat for people across India, who come to Bombay to earn a living. A living which is not necessarily available in other parts of the country. With the increase in real estate prices and Dharavi sitting on one of the most prime areas, politics has ensured that Dharavi now gets a “Redevelopment” package.

As diverse and heterogeneous as Dharavi maybe, it still bears a few similarities to Girangaon, which is principally Marathi.

One, most people came to find work. In Girangaon it was the workers coming from drought stricken areas across Maharashtra. In Dharavi, people came to find work from across the country; both starting with migrant workers. Secondly, both areas are now home to working class citizens, who work hard to stay afloat in this cut throat world.

What this essentially signifies is that Bombay is a symbol of relief from oppression, a chance for employment, a hope for survival.

It is through this search for survival, people come together, form communities and identities. Living together forges a bond, based on language, festivals and so on. In all of this, caste also plays a major factor. It determines one’s identity and even in the city, can decide one’s future.

The Giranagon area is now changing from mills and chawls to swanky offices and malls. The once quaint skyline is being overtaken by cosmopolitan structures. If the authorities have their way, this will also be Dharavi’s fate. The residents and people of the area are fighting hard against the plans. They aren’t fighting against redevelopment per se; they are fighting for the right to determine the development of their own homes and neighbourhood.

Is that asking for too much?

PUKAR in association with the Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Museum is hosting a special Multimedia Presentation on Girnagon from the 8^th of Nov to the 1^st of Dec ’08 at the Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Museum. The museum is in the same grounds as Rani Baug, also known as Victoria Gardens, Byculla…This exhibition is worth your time!

Above....Mirchi Gulli in Lalbaug

Above.. One of the students trying to get a look inside the gates of a mill.

The pictures up on this post were taken by my colleague Alexander Koecher. Thanks Alex for letting me use them! :)