Ethnography Report Phase I

Objective: Community Ethnography is an essential add-on to the context of

unique mentoring program Abhyudaya-SPJIMR. It helps in having an in-depth
understanding of the community in which the Sitara lives. Studying &
understanding the various aspects of urban poverty manifested in the Mumbai
Slums, helps us evolve framework with respect to the opportunities & challenges
offered.
My Sitara Family Background
Name: Sanjana Golkonde
Standard: X
My mentee Sanjana is the eldest child of her parents. She is a very happy to go
lucky girl yet firm in her thoughts. Her father works in the housekeeping
department of Panasonic while works as a chef for a juice centre in Lokhandwala.
The academic qualification of her parents are Class X pass. Sanjana has three
siblings, younger sister who studies in 8 th Standard, younger brother in 6 th
Standard & the youngest girl of the house in 3 rd Standard. Sanjan & her younger
sister study in a private school with an approx. monthly fees of Rs.250. While her
brother & youngest sister study in a public municipal school near to their house
wherein fees are exempted. Sanajanas parents are very particular about their
childrens education and co-operate in all means to provide them with the best
they can.
They stay in the 6th floor of a building under Bombay Slum Redevelopment Corp.
Ltd. Along with Sanjanas grandmother. It is a one room flat owned by Sanjanas
family. There are around 6 buildings in the locality with 16 flats per floor and a
total of 7 floors. The flats in their apartment are rented as well as owned by
people.

e.

Community Facilities in the Neighbourhood

The electricity connection is by Reliance and their monthly consumption is
around Rs.1000. Water is supplied by municipality every day in the morning for
two hours which is then stored in a overhead tank for usage throughout the day.
They pay a monthly maintenance charge of Rs.400 every month. The grocery
shopping is done from a nearby kirana store once in a month preferably.
Sanjanas father goes with the list to the store & pays in advance to get the
items delivered to their house. For any health related issues, the visit a nearby
clinic located next to their building & also has a medical store opposite to it. They
have three mobiles in the house and generally recharge them from a cyber caf
just next to their apartment. All day to day vegetables & other items are shopped
from the sabzi mandi next to their apartment. Even some vegetable thelawalas

also come near their building on a daily basis. Sanjana and her siblings play in a
cricket ground in front of their building. Community function like Ganesh Utsav,
Mahashivratri, Dahi Handi, Navratri are celebrated in this ground by collecting
chanda.

Sabzi Thelewala & Kirana Store

Cyber Cafe
Background of the Neighbourhood Families
Sanajans paternal & maternal cousins stay in the same building along with their
families. Just next to their apartment stays a family, wherein the husband works

with a decorator group while wife & mother run a kirana store in their house
itself. Another family in their family comprising father, mother & three children
earn their livelihood primarily through vegetable selling & a small grocery store.
The kids in the building are mostly of sanjans age and they share a very warm
relationship among themselves. Though their abode is small but the emotional
bonding is intact.