2018

Dharavi slum in Mumbai houses an estimated one million people – their dwellings and shops stacked on top of and pressed next to each other in a jumbled warren of less than one square mile. A former resident took me though the shantytown, and what astounded me about this city within a city was how clean the narrow pathways were, how industrious the residents were, but mostly how beautiful and exquisitely presented the women were. Bejeweled, perfectly groomed with shiny black hair, wearing freshly washed saris and wraps with glorious colors, textures and patterns, the women go about their daily tasks. Such a paradox to this western observer!