Mumbai: City of Dreams for all??

Well, hello guys, I’m Naman Kasliwal, an IIT BOMBAY student. I’m in my first year and have recently moved to Powai. From my very first day in the so called “CITY OF DREAMS”, I observed a huge economic gap between the rich and the poor. It is not that slums aren't present is the backdrop of other Indian cities. But Mumbai holds special in the sense that slums are clearly visible amidst the luxury.

Dazzled by this, I thought of writing my first blog…

Mumbai is one of the most busiest and luxurious cities of India. Colossal apartments with numerous facilities, magnificent malls and of course beautiful beaches, it has them all. Abode of affluent celebrities and extravagant businessmen, Mumbai has always been fancied by the rich. On the other side of this ornate world, one can see uncountable slums, tent houses tightly packed with people in a primitive state. Think how these slum-dwellers manage a living with such a meagre income in India’s most expensive city??

Returning from my aunt’s house in Kandivali, I crossed by a subway. I was horrified seeing people sleeping on littered floors, no roof over their heads, lost malnourished children and rainwater aggregated  all around (it had rained then).

 Isn’t it a matter of concern??

Let me put up some facts.

1.   In India’s financial capital Mumbai, which boasts some of the country’s most expensive real estate, approximately eight to nine million people (or over 40% of its households) currently live in slums, which the Indian Census succinctly defines as “residential areas unfit for human habitation.”

2.    Tellingly, Mumbai’s slums are estimated to occupy only 6-8% of the city’s land mass. In some parts, 50,000 people are said to be crammed into each square kilometre.

3.   With an additional 80 million people  projected to move to Mumbai in the next two decades, the problems are supposed to be worsened.  The World Bank estimates that 22.5 million people will be living in slums in Mumbai by 2025.

Some links:

1.  http://infochangeindia.org/poverty/news/54-of-mumbai-lives-in-slums-world-bank.html

2.  http://www.rediff.com/money/slide-show/slide-show-1-rich-poor-divide-in-mumbai/20111019.htm

3.  http://borgenproject.org/10-facts-poverty-india/

The question arises… what can we do to provide a better living to these people. Can we get them out of this penury state?

Some noteworthy measures taken/being considered are:

1.   The Society for Nutrition, Education & Heath Action (SNEHA) in Mumbai, which is scaling a community-owned and -led resource center. It serves as a repository of child health and nutrition needs and public healthcare referrals.

2.   Subsidized grain is provided to 75% of the rural population and to 50% of the urban population considered “too poor to eat properly.”

3.   Gabriel Project Mumbai - Working for children living in Indian slums.  http://gabrielprojectmumbai.org/Poverty_in_India.html

An interesting TED TALK on poverty: http://www.ted.com/talks/sendhil_mullainathan

Certainly these are not enough.

Being at IIT BOMBAY, I have got an opportunity to bring a change. The NSS Buddy Program has been initiated to work towards the upliftment of IITs construction and maintenance workers. It aims at improving a poor family’s condition by mentoring their kid and indirectly the family.

Buddy Program YouTube Video:

Such steps need to be taken by up other colleges and institutes. More funding, proper policies and controlling inflation must be given priority. We got to provide them a just and equal lifestyle. Addressing this issue is one of the key steps in the regeneration of the India story and will have a highly positive impact on the success of the Modi’s government.

This economic gap must be abridged!!!

Please feel free to comment. Suggest some measures that can be taken up at individual or institute level so that we can contribute to bring a change.