Dharavi Kumbharwada: Community Occupation and Urban Development
Director: Richa Hushing; Cinematographer: Tapan Vyas
Duration: 00:16:26; Aspect Ratio: 1.333:1; Hue: 48.296; Saturation: 0.204; Lightness: 0.121; Volume: 0.140; Cuts per Minute: 2.371; Words per Minute: 71.620
Summary: Dharavi is popularly termed as the largest slum in Asia. Known to be one of the densest and most layered human settlements in the world, the origin of Dharavi can be traced back to early 20th Century, at the height of the industrialization in the region. Dharavi is an area, which was originally located at the northern periphery of Bombay, but with boundaries of this ever-growing city constantly extending on all sides it has come to occupy prime location today. Today, according to official records, Dharavi is marked as an area spread over 223 hectares, where as many as 18,000 people crowd into a single acre. But considering the large number of ‘unofficial/illegal’ migration influx, the real number of people living in Dharavi is likely to be much more. Home to approximately one million people, Dharavi populace includes diverse language groups, religious communities and economic units. Most of the citizens of Dharavi are urban artisans, functioning out of the outer space of their one-storey shanties. This seamlessness in working and living space, over the decades, has resulted not only in high number of female wage earners but also facilitated occupations to an entire family, making it some sort of a family business. Currently, Dharavi is in the eye of a storm as the prime land that it occupies needs to be ‘re-developed’ to keep in pace with the economic globalization that is sweeping the city. Bombay, the supposed trade capital of India and India, the media acclaimed neo-Asian tiger of the international market, needs to grab more land and the old fashioned settlement of Dharavi must go in order to facilitate that.
Following is the story of 12 year Akshay and his mother from the Wadi 3 in Kumbharwada (potters’ colony). The Kumbharwada is broadly divided in 4 wadis by the age of the settlement. The number of the wadis also loosely represent the economic status of the neighbourhood with Wadi 1 being the most prosporous.The traditional occupation Akshay’s family is to make clay pots. But pressure of earning more than what the traditional clay pots can generate Akshay’s father has gone to Qatar to work as a tailor. Yet the home based craft and trade had to be maintained. Specially this is the time for Diwali (the light festival) which is considered as the peak season for potters. So the woman alone handles wage labourers, productions and delivery along with the daily chores at home. Not only the private space, work space and public space collapse into one, even the working hours extend into nights. The family and the entire neighbourhood is geared to a frenzy of making diyas (earthen lamps used in large numbers in every Hindu household during diwali). We could have an easy access to the family due to our friendship with little Akshay. Though still a small boy, in the absence of the father he commands reasonable respect in the house as the next male member. Initially his mother was very happy about his association with the ‘outsiders’ 0 the shooting crew. But as the days passed she started getting worried and suspicious about the association. She communicated to us in no uncertain term that she does not want Akshay to ‘go away’ like his father. Though she aspires Akshay to grow up to be somebody more than a potter, she cannot overcome her apprehension about being deserted by the men in life. These conflicting thinking has had an impact on Akshay too. Though he loves to play with clay and proud of being the only male member among the female wage labourers and family members, he is also sure of showing contempt towards the vocation of pottery. This duality is symptomatic of the social stigma attached to skill based vocation and artisanship and also about living in the slum of Dharavi.
An evening at Kumbharwada. Shot by Tapan Vyas.
Night shot of a house in Kumbharwada. Lit frames of doors and windows. In long shot we see a potters' workshop – sacks of clay, potters' wheel and a few finished products are scattered around. Unlike many other places in Dharavi where people were hostile to the camera, we were given a hearty welcome here. They even made effort to talk to us in Hindi (they are much more comfortable speaking in Gujarati). It could be a certain confidence that this family have in themselves. Anyway it seems that Kumbhawada (Potters' colony) is the most organized and recognized settlement in the entire Dharavi. But it could also be the impending diwali (festival of lights) celebration in the air which makes people more accommodative and genial. It is an old house. Must have been made during the initial years of the settlement. Migrant artisans from Gujarat who made clay pots must have been a more than welcomed inclusion to the budding city in those days. The house has grown and constructed gradually according to the work and living requirements. Hence the house is full of levels and niches – scaffolds, vaults, ladders, bunks, covered courtyards, half windows, roof tops etc. The design of the space challenges our notion of demarcation according to function and purpose. All functions and purposes are overlapping and simultaneous. The floor space of the house will be more than 1000 square feet. The woman welcomes us while another man works of the wheel. Akshay and teen age sister hang around. It is almost an inevitability the sister will not interact with shooting crew. It must have been the upbringing. But by now it has been so ingrained in her that all our eforts to break the ice (inspite of the tacit endorsement from the mother) could not yield any result. The man makes diyas (small oil lamps) on the wheel and talks to us simultaneously.
Q: how do manage work and art both?Woman: these are items for diwali… the work for special diwali items are on. T his house belongs to my father in law's father's father… 3 generations. It's a small potters' wheel (not chakki but Chukna)… its an electric wheel… this is my parents house… he is my uncle. My husband has gone out of town… its 100 years old… we are old residents of this place. That's why we are refusing to new buildings… we do not want buildings.Q: how do you find Mumbai ?The man: We have been here for many years now … so far its been good.. Hence forth how it will be, what will happen to our lives… I have no idea. What I understand that many people like us prefer to stay in settlements like these. As the houses are big we can work here. We can also host a few guests…As long as the old people are there, this work will continue… as long as they are alive this clay work will survive. The young blood of today, does not take much interest in this work.
Kumbharwada, Dharavi, Mumbai
celebration
clay
dharavi
displacement
diwali
diya
earthen lamp
festival of light
housing
kumbharwada
livelihood
living space
migration
mumbai
potters' colony
potters' wheel
public space
redevelopment
relocation
resident
work space
workshop
Kumbharwada, sector 2, Dharavi, Mumbai
Q: so will you join this work when you grow up?Woman: no, he is perusing studies…Q: which class?The boy: eighthQ: so you will no continue in your father's occupation?Woman: no – no we won't put him in this profession. There is nothing much left in this work. The boy: Nothing is there in it…The woman: You only have to work hard whole day… no food, no recreation, nothing… from 4 o clock in the morning to 11 o clock in the nigh go on working - there's no rest.The man chips in: Many say many things… but you listen to me too. From this clay one can earn even in lakhs. Akshaye: Ma, come inside nowWoman: Coming, let the shooting get over.Q: so what is your plan when you grow up?Woman: he'll study well and join a decent line of work. It all depends on him… The boy: what is their to discuss… whateven to happen will happen…The woman: … if he studies well he'll get into a decent profession like yours, if he doesn't study well, he will have to get into this business only. Then tomorrow he will get no girl to marry him. Yes, amongst us, if you are into potters work no one marries you… if you join a ship or go to Dubai… then you get girls for marriage easily… see that boy, doing this work - so he's not getting a girl to get engaged. That's why I keep nagging him to study and become someone… but he doesn't study. See he stopped studying two hours back. He used to be scared of his father… since his father has gone away over 8 moths he is lagging behind in studies… Q: What does his father do:The woman: Same thing. Bur he was very strict with the boy. The man: He is all sweet and honey in front of you. But after you leave he will show his true colour… calls his mother by the name… Manju…The woman: He is very naughty. He troubles me a lot whole day. Wants to play all the time… just games, nothing else. His father used to sit with a stick to make his study… but now he does not care any more… he has abandoned fear…Q: What is your schoole timing?The boy: 10.30 to 4,30.
The contemporary urban life style has brought contempt for the family trade. On one hand the invasion of plastic has killed the traditional market. On the other hand pottery has become an elite trade with designers' inputs. The community of potters who live in Dharavi are desperately trying to get out of this trap by opting for the industrial labour market. But that is a hugely competitive area. Especially in the city of Bombay in the last few decades all industries dealing with textiles and chemicals have closed down creating a huge surplus of labour force. While the traditional labour force is out of work what jobs can these artisans get? Akshay's father has opted for a job as tailor in Qatar. A vocation that he is not trained for. Obviously as amateur tailor in Qatar he earns more than a traditional potter in Mumbai. The dream that Akshay's mother sees for him is to go to Dubai as a migrant (and most probably illegal) labour. Or in her wildest dream Akshay becomes a blue collar professional. This aspiration also works at another level. The boy, if ever joins the family occupation would consider that as a sign of failure. This would most probably stop him from attempting to bring in new energy into the business. It is a kind of suicidal contempt to one's own livelihood. The globalised market economy through satellite channels and 'redevelopment' policies have thoroughly confused the urban artisans. The uncertainty of the present and the unfamiliarity of the new aspirations make them more vulnerable. On one hand the woman argues that the conventional space is important for their work. On the other hand she wants her son to get out of the traditional occupation. This is a very common trend among the Dharavi residents at this moment. They resist the 'redevelopment' programme, but also hope that some miracle would alter their present life style and make them more mainstream and modern. In the family of mother, son and two daughters all discussions revolve around the boy only.
Dubai
Kumbharwada, Dharavi, Mumbai
Qatar
ambition
artisan
aspiration
children
community
dharavi
diwali
dubai
economy
education
festival of lights
future
housing
industry
kumbharwada
labour market
livelihood
mainstream
marriage alliance
migrant
migration
mumbai
next generation
potters
potters' colony
redevelopment
service
urbanity
Man: Now I am about 56… or maybe 55 years of age… I was born here… we are originally form Gujarat… ahead of Rajkot… we came here and started the pottery work. First constructed the dweeling and then started living and working from this place. We build this house and never returned back home… we didn't have any agricultural land back there… Here… in this profession… problem is one earns and four live of that. Now I am a wage labourer…. I work at her place… I earn as much as I work. It could be 100 Rs job a day or 150 Rs on another day or perhaps no job for days… If we don't work on this, from where will we earn money? Also it's a matter of art. Am I right? Like you people have come… you have certain queries, you want to know how it works, what happens etc…Q to another woman mixing the clay: do you like this job ?The other woman: yes!!! (little less enthusiastically) we have to do it… whether we like it or not… If you come in the morning, you will see this work happening through out Kumbharwada. People making Diyas with clay (saral matti).Q: You hand must be aching…The other woman: No… we are used to it.
The man working in the potters' wheel is in the foreground. All the potters' wheels in Dharavi are electric run. The electric wheels came in only 10 years back and it got picked up very fast. There are handful of potters in Dharavi who still use hand driven wheel. They are generally poor potters who cannot afford the electricity. In the development scheme this expense of electricity also needs to be considered. The woman and her daughter stand behind him. Interview of the man as he continues to work on the potters' wheel. He has become a wage worker in the house of his relatives. He explains the economics of his labour and that is strikingly similar to any contemporary sweat shop – earn by the pieces that you produce. Unlike the woman of the house he is not contemptuous of the work. It could be because he is old fashioned and not bitten by the urban ambitions. Besides the gradation in their social status (he being wage labourer and she being the employer) might also have contributed into the difference of views. For him working as potters is the only way of living. For her it is the means to reach to a better future. Another woman beats the clay, in preparation to put it on the wheel. She beats the soil with great force. The simple concerns of the middle class interviewer seems almost ridiculous in front of this working class artisan and her heavy chores.
Kumbharwada, Dharavi, Mumbai
Rajkot, Gujarat
craft
dharavi
economy
employer
housing
kumbharwada
labourer
livelihood
migration
mumbai
piecemeal
potters' colony
settler
sweat shop
traditional occupation
urban artisan
wage
Q: Where all do these item go? The man: these items go to several places, outside India also. I guess to London. It has market in abroad also… Its called fancy designer diyas… You must have seen them. Even if you make them throughout the year, it easily gets all sold out in a month…Q: have you ever been abroad?Yes. To Dubai, Abu dhabi, Sharjah, Kuwait. Its good there… the salaries are good…
Top angle shot of the male potter. Clay diyas (oil lamp) are kept for baking. Sacks of clay around him. He continues the work which is traditionally associated with daylight and outdoor, under the dim tube light. He is part of the large number of casual labours in the Kumbharwada. They belong to the same community as their employers. But there were also a large number of casual labours who are migrant from UP and not from the traditional artisan community. As the tread is under threat from modernization many home outlets are ran by the women with the help of casual labours. While the men try to find other employments in the labour market. This phenomena has given a rise to the number of professional potter women. Though they are not allowed to sit on the potters' wheel they can do all the other works and also run the transaction. But atleast in this case the woman employer had to sustain with the production of low level wares such as diyas (oil lamps) and small pots. The paraphernalia associated with high end production is beyond her.With the large number of Hindu non residential Indians (NRIs) all over the world and with Indian artifacts finding a space in international fashion, an export market for these kinds of craft has developed. Yet the export market cannot compensate for the decline of the local market due to steel and plastic invasion. The export market is mediated through many agents and the artisans rarely get benefited by that. The few attempts to make co-operatives of the artisans to get rid of the middlemen too did not make any substantial dent into the system. At another part of the house some washes the vessels.
Abudhabi
Dubai
Kumbharwada, Dharavi, Mumbai
Kuwait
London
Sharjah
Uttar Pradesh
business
business season
commodity
craft
designers' item
dharavi
diwali
diya
earthen lamp
economy
export
fancy craft
festival
housing
kumbharwada
labourer
livelihood
migrant labour
migration
mumbai
potters' colony
trade
urban artisan
Akshay's silent sister stands in front of the wall full of torn calendars, religious icons and old photographs. Shy of the camera she runs away and climbs a few steps to a bunk which seems to be the living quarter. Inspite of lot cajoling she refused to come in front of the camera. As a result the conversation too always moved around the boy and the girls are relegated to the shadow. Chatter of the busy household, somebody hums a tune… The woman is in upbeat mood. She invites her next door neighbour to come and join the shoot. Somehow shooting has become part of the additional elements which are expected in the diwali season. Akhsay who has so far not talked in front of the camera, watches the whole process of shooting with wide curiosity. He talks about his contempt for the artisan's life. A salaried job would solve all the problem for him. Naked wiring and open socket hang loosely over the boy's head. What would 're-development' mean to him? Anyway he does not want to join the family occupation. Would re-development and re-location make it easy for him to opt for other kind of livelihood and a mainstream life style? Or would the loss of family business make him more vulnerable in the labour market? The father has already started working as migrant labour in a foreign country while the family keep the potters' wheel running in the house. As these question loom large in the horizon the family gears up to meet the demands of the Diwali season.He climbs a scaffold where two femal wage workers are gathering unbaked diyas in steel and iron vessels. Another set of women carry the vessels on their heads and take it out for baking. The gender and class difference between them and Akshay are too obvious.
Kumbharwada, Dharavi, Mumbai
Qatar
The woman (to somebody off camera): Hey… come over. Come here if you want to join the shooting. Q: so you help your mother, why?The boy: When my father was leaving to go for work, he asked me to help mother. That's why I'm helping her. Q: so you miss your father ?The boy: Yes. Very much.Q: what has happened to your forehead ? The boy: nothing much… if you scratch 100 times with your nail this mark comes up. A boy forcibly made me do it, he is my friend. Q: what will you become when you grow up?The boy: I will become whatever god makes of me. Q: what will god make of you ?The boy : whatever…Q: A potter ? The boy: no. my parents are potters that's enough. When I grow up I'll get into a job and then I'll leave this business… (people around try to prompt him from outside the frame)…Because when I see my parents into this I feel….say, pity… The boy in Gujarati to other women: Auntie, please start filling up…
aspiration
camera
childhood
children
clay
contempt
craft
dharavi
electric socket
family trade
housing
inheritance
kumbharwada
ladder
livelihood
living space
migrant labour
migration
mumbai
potters' colony
potters' wheel
prank
sacks
scaffold
urban artisan
weighing machine
wiring
workshop
It is peak business season. But it is also the festive season. Diwali means both work and celebration for the potters. There is an air of anticipation in the enviornment. The presence of the camera enhances that spirit. People work in relay and high speed. This is also the Navratri season and the women are hurrying up to finish the work to join the midnight celebration of garba dancing. A group of women gather the dried diyas kept on a scaffold. Another set of women pick them up on their heads from the lower level and carry them to outside. Their incessant chatter makes the work appear more fun. Akshay, lends them a hand. Maybe out of habit or maybe for the camera. At this moment it is not work for him, but participation in a community celebration. The wheel goes on moving, the furnace goes on baking and the children grow up in the middle of sacks of clay, weighing machines, scraps and all other paraphernalia of pottery. The same rhythm has continued for almost hundred years. It is going to change now. But how? Who would negotiate the change? And who would pay a price for it?
Kumbharwada, Dharavi, Mumbai
The boy to the crew: Antie, please shut the switch and take out the plug… here, this one. That's it.(The women workers – relatives and employees chatter in Gujarati while working)Q to the boy: Do your mother scold you a lot?The boy: She scolds my sister, not me?Q: Why so?The boy: Just like that… I don't know. When she gets angry she beats us.Q: come on, tell us… what prank do you play in the school?The boy: Lot of things. If somebody teases me I also tease them back. When they play they don't take me in. So when I play I too don't take him in. It is like that. (an old woman passes the camera) … (in English) This is my grandmother… grandmother.
anticipation
baking clay
basket
bhatti
camera
children
craft
dharavi
family
furnace
growing up
housing
kumbharwada
labourer
livelihood
living space
mumbai
potters' colony
potters' wheel
relay system
urban artisan
work space
Pad.ma requires JavaScript.
