So I'm not quite adjusted to the time difference. It's 1:30am here but 4:00pm in New York.
So here was today's itinerary. The morning was spent in Dahravi. Dahravi is famous as the worlds largest slum. Around 1,000,000 live in it. The thing is it's been around a while and is really it's own city. It has many businesses that have been passed down. And it has all it's own services. I wandered through a small part of it and yes it looks and feels poor, but it also feels vibrant and active. As much so as any the part of the city I've been in. The city actually wants to raze it and put up new buildings but the problem of course is what do you do with the people living there. If you tear down their buildings they won't have anyplace to work. And maybe you could supply low income housing but without jobs how could they afford anything. They should have better living conditions but how do you change the lives of 1,000,000 people with out destroying those very lives.
One quick fact, for the first time in human history more then 50% of the worlds population is living in urban areas. And that number is going to increase.
After Dahravi I went to a very nice place, two actually. The Hanging Gardens which are a renowned tourist attraction. They are very pretty and peaceful with many Mumbai-ites walking around admiring the grounds. Not very much is actually hanging as far as I could tell but the plants and trees are beautiful. It also overlooks the bay on one side and the ocean on the other.
Then came the Gandhi Museum. It's the house where he lived from 1917 - 1932 and from which many of his most famous actions were launched. It's a beautiful place. Very informative and inspiring. And in a beautiful part of town. Pictures of all three places should be posted.
Tomorrow a train ride to Ankleschwar for two days. I'm not sure about connectivity up there, it's a little more remote, but I'll be
in touch as soon as possible.
Benjamin Solotaire
Gooch Senior Foreign Correspondent
2 comments:
I thought everyone loved cricket!
What did you eat on the train???
I am now a believer in Cricket! And I ate some kind of veggie turnover on the train. I bought them at 8am and the guy heated them up but I didn't eat them until later in the day. I think they were responsible for doing things to my gastrointestinal system that you wouldn't want to read about.
Post a Comment