Visit to Ambedkae Slum

“It is mystic. It is wild. It is a sweltering inferno. It is the photographer’s paradise. A hunter’s valhalla, an escapist’s utopia. It is what you will, and it withstands all interpretations. It is the last vestige of a dead world or the cradle of a shinny new one. . . . it is just Home. It is all these things but one thing: it is never dull.” - West with the Wind

18 June 2010

13:50

I think it is safe to say that every country, every society, every city, every community, every neighborhood, every family, every team and every other kind of group of people possess their very own structure, style, attitude, and energy. This is no different within the slums of India.

Thus far, I have told only about the Dharavi slum of Bombay and the Leprosy Colony of Bangalore. I have described these places as clean and joyful, perhaps even with the connotation of optimism; however, I am beginning to develop a hunch that these are of a rare nature and do not contain qualities represented in the other 1000 slums that exist in the boundaries of Bangalore’s city limits.

Yesterday I went to the slum of Ambedkae. It took over an hour of foot and crowded bus transportation to arrive. It was late afternoon. Chores were underway.The children were returning from lessons.The vibe of the main alleyway was somber and tense.

The first noticeable attribute was the smell. It was the rank blend of abandoned livestock, decomposing garbage, and human bodily waste. There was no public toilet, and there was no waste collection management system underway.

The second attraction was the miserable state of the housing structures. They were mostly temporary structures made out of 2x4s and tin sheeting. They were beyond their useful life, rickety,

and incredibly small and crowded. The women sitting at their entrances either doing laundry, preparing the evening meal, or picking lice out of each other’s hair were grave and agitated.

There was also a cow in the middle of the lane, which added the sole stroke of levity to the scene. Children danced and sang around her as they headed home from the market and school. She was nuzzling doorways for scraps of food and pressing her wet nose at anyone who disturbed her. Even goats sprinted freely by, and chicks fluttered about.

The burdens that these individuals faced were unmasked on their faces, in their tones, and by their mannerisms. They were exhausted. They were reluctant to take time out of their afternoon to speak with us; however, children were still eager to have their photographs taken. Kids still ran and played in the streets, but often they were scolded and ordered to do chores.

We were there to collect monies from households that had some left after their daily expenditure as a sort of savings, loan, and credit operation, and we also were collecting data on their housing structures (for how much they were purchased, square footage, building materials, etc).

SPARC has no plan to do any infrastructure development in this area. The people are without immediate hope of a brighter tomorrow. The savings project will allow them to hopeully cope with unexpected crisis, unemployment,

and housing damage. Some are taking loans to put one of their several children through school.

This seemingly loose security is more than

most slum dwellers can expect, but it is yet another hardship and worry added to their already oppressed lives.