Interesting Facts about Dharavi Slum in Mumbai

As per the report, Mumbai’s Dharavi (the largest slum in Asia) has made into the “Travellers’ Choice Experiences 2019- India"

Dharavi has succeeded to grab the topmost position, followed by the 'bike tour of Old Delhi' and a 'private day tour of Taj Mahal and Agra Fort by a superfast train' on the second and third position respectively. However, Dharavi also made it to the '10 Travellers’ Choice Experiences 2019 in Asia' list.

To know what makes it what it is, we bring to you some of the interesting facts about Dharavi that you must know.

An Island in the 18th Century

When this uncultivated land got filled with water, fishing stopped and Dharavi gradually changed into the huge urban space called the village of Koliwada.

The Ever-so Increasing Population

The land of Dharavi has a population more than Bahrain, Bahamas, Green land and Fiji. Here about 30% of the population is Muslim, 6% to be Christian and the rest 63% of Hindus along with some Buddhists and other minority religions.

Some 13-14-year-old girls have developed three android apps

In 2016, some genius girls of the regions have created Paani Hai Jeevan which actually sends an alert to the registered users about their turn to fetch water from the neighborhood. There is Women Fight Back app for the women’s security and Padahi Hai Mera Haq, which helps in learning the basics of Hindi, Maths and English.

Dharavi is said to be one the ‘most educated’ slums in India

With Dharavi spread over 200 hectares (500 acres), It is estimated that one million people live in Dharavi with a literacy rate of 69%.

The total revenue generated is more than $650 million dollars to $1 billion dollars

Leather, textiles and pottery products are among the goods made inside Dharavi by the slum residents. These small-scale factories generate products that are globally sold through e-commercial websites.

After the slums of Mexico’s Neza-Chalco-Itza and Karachi’s Orangi, Dharavi is the third largest slum area in the world

Dharavi has an area of just over 2.1 square km (0.81 sq mi; 520 acres) and a population of about 700,000. The land is owned by the government whereas the buildings are of people

A perfect host for a special contemporary art festival

It is a 3-week art fest titled ‘Dharavi Biennale’ which is organised every year by Sneha, a Mumbai based non-profit organization. The festival celebrates the creativity of local residents and artists.

Do you know about their own hip-hop crew called the SlumGods?

Founded by the Akash Dhangar, this crew is world famous and has collaborated with renowned hip-hop artists such as Tokyo-based DJ Sarasa, AKA Silverboombox, dancer-choreographer Prosenjit Guy Kundu, and the California-based MC Mandeep Sethi among others.

Recycling is the major industry

Apart Employing 250,000 people, the recycling industry at Dharavi dispose of waste from all around the country and generates a huge amount of money from it.

Many popular movies were shot here

Apart from Slumdog Millionaire, movies like Deewar, Salaam Bombay, Parinda, Bhootnath Returns, Kaminey, Amir and Gully Boy were shot in this area.

Guided tours are specially organized for tourists

Dharavi has become quite a rage worldwide, which is why guided tours are offered to people who want to see and witness what life in Dharavi feels like.

The region has an estimated 5000 businesses and 15,000 single-room factories

Dharavi exports goods like leather products, jewelry, various accessories, and textiles around the world. Also, a lot of workshop owners use Whatsapp to conduct their business successfully.

The only problem we think it is and needs introspection is the preference of tourists wanting to see the cramped and underdeveloped parts of India over any beautiful heritage monuments, which is clearly not the true essence of our nation.

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