DHARAVI MUMBAI

NOVEMBER 2010 - Independent Journalism

THE SPRAWLING DHARAVI SLUM slum located in the heart of Mumbai, India, is staggeringly productive. It's approximated 15,000 one-room factories generate hundreds of millions in revenue each year, exporting tons of textiles, hand-crafts, and industrial products for the world.

Despite extreme poverty and cramped conditions, Dharavi's residents possess a quiet dignity and powerful work ethic. Attracting migrant workers from every corner of the country, the slums are teeming with commerce and life. Children play briskly in the streets, men converse over tea from local vendors, and women move in packs to and from their businesses.

Choking pollution, lack of clean drinking water, and risk of disease aside, residents here seek to carve out a living in India's city of gold and brave whatever challenges they must, often with a smile and a nod.