We came through the dark archway into the dazzling light, intense heat and spectacular view of the Taj Mahal. Spectacular is such an inadequate word, we should pen a new one. Twenty five people diverse in almost every way but united in our response to the sight. Many of us had spent the previous evening walking through the crowded alley like streets of old Delhi on our way to Karim’s a kebab restaurant in this primarily vegetarian country. We had not yet lost Josh, gotten on the wrong train, had our guide threatened by police, been felled one by one by the stomach warriors of India or fallen in love with the women and especially children of the villages, but we were already fascinated and ready to begin our tour of two countries with our fearless leaders Professor Kevin Kolben and Harsh Dutia. We thank them for sharing this country with us and leading us on this journey to which they dedicated their time and their hearts. - Professor Judy Iskovitz (2010 Course)

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Dharavi


After returning from our 10 day trek throughout India and friends and family are asking about out experience; our trip through Dharavi remains one of the most unique experiences. Although we had learned about Dharavi prior to departure (the vast size, redevelopment plans, and a revenue of of about $700M a year) our 2 hour tour with Reality Tours, questioned our prior perceptions.

Dharavi like most of India can be looked at from several perspectives. It is the largest " slum" in Asia, yet has highly developed and organized supply chains that feed into large MNE. Some of the major businesses we were invited to walk in were Plastics, Leather and Block printing.The slum itself is divided into a residential and business section by a bustling road. We learned that those who work in Dharavi are immigrants, and those who live there typically work within the surrounding city. Dharavi exuded a sense of community even stronger then some of the newer cities that we had visited earlier in the trip. This sense of community is also revealed through the dramatically low crime rates. It is a city within a city; hosting a marketplace, a variety of schools (public, ngo and private schools), health clinics, and even a gym. It was an amazing experience questioning our perceptions and seeing such a vibrant neighborhood firsthand.
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