A REFLECTION ON NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC: THE REAL SLUMDOGS

Dolly Farha English 6 January 17, 2014

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Dharavi is Indias largest slum-over one million people live in a square mile area. A slum is a place where people in poverty can live. The conditions are horrificopen sewers, unreliable electricity, and very little water. Houses are literally stacked on top of each other. The people of Dharavi live in terrible conditions,
Google Images-Dharavi but

that does not stop them from trying to make their dreams come

true. Rodd Houston, narrator of National Geographic: The Real Slumdogs said, Dharavi is a city of dreamers. 1 Laxmi, a rag picker, Jigha, a twelve-year-old boy, and Shailesh, a rickshaw driver, are just a few of the dreamers in Dharavi. Laxmi, a ragpicker, dreams that her daughter, Sheetal, will succeed in life because of her education. Laxmi picks through the trash of Mumbai and sorts it for a living. This job sounds dirty enough without explaining the dangers- germs, needles, fumes, and chemicals. Even though ragpicking is a fulltime job, Laxmi still finds the time to help Sheetal, her daughter, study.
Google Images-Ragpicking

Laxmi is part

of the Acorn Foundation, a project that helps women and children in the slums prosper and succeed. Laxmi's dream is slowly but steadily coming true because of her hard work and determination. Another dreamer of Dharavi is Jigha, a twelve-year-old boy who dreams of becoming a scientist. Jigha's father is a tailor, a full time job. They live in a one-room house that serves as a bedroom, living room, dining room, kitchen, and as a tailor shop. Even though

Rodd Houston. National Geographic: The Real Slumdogs. CD ROM. Directed by Steve Baker. San Francisco, CA: Independent Television Service, 2010.

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his father works day and night as a tailor, he still helps Jigha study, so he will get good grades. He takes extra classes; and from the hard work he has done, he has learned to speak English and become familiar with computers. Jigha's dream is coming true because he gets good grades, he speaks English, and he studies hard. One man named Shailesh drives a rickshaw as his job; nevertheless, he dreams of becoming a Bollywood star. He earns sixty dollars a week, barely enough to feed his family of three. His dream of becoming an actor is very risky for himself and for his family. Becoming a star can earn him his big break or lose everything that he has earned. Even though his dreams are big, Shailesh has started taking acting classes to help him.
Google Images-Rickshaw His

dream could

come true because he is an amazing actor, he works hard, and he is great at singing and dancing. In conclusion, the people of Dharavi live in the worst conditions; however, that does not stop them from trying to make their dreams come true. Laxmi, Jigha, and Shailesh are just a few of the dreamers from Dharavi. In 2007, Mumbai proposed a plan bulldoze Dharavi- to level their houses and businesses.
Google Images-Dharavi This

slum is a piece of

prime real estate in Mumbai, but some people want Dharavi to stay. Luckily, the bulldozers are on hold because if Dharavi were leveled, the city would come to a grinding halt. Vinod Shetty,

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manager of The Dharavi Project, said, There is nothing that cant be made in Dharavi.2 Many of the products of Mumbai come from Dharavi, because Dharavi produces a million goods a day. The future for Dharavi is unclear, but they are working on a plan to make the wealthy happy, the officials happy, and the poor happy.

Vinod Shetty. Ibid.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

National Geographic: The Real Slumdogs. CD ROM. Directed by Steve Baker. San Francisco, CA: Independent Television Service, 2010.