Book: 'Poor Little Rich Slum' by Rashmi Bansal & Deepak Gandhi

I read this book in Feb 2014 and remember thoroughly enjoying the insights shared by the authors.

Book: Poor Little Rich Slum: What We Saw in Dharavi and Why it Matters

Author: Rashmi Bansal is a writer and entrepreneur from Mumbai, India, who has written seven books about entrepreneurship in the Indian context.

My Observations:?This isn’t the first Rashmi Bansal book that I read. If I remember correctly, Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish was the first one.

Poor Little Rich Slum contains diverse stories about entrepreneurs and projects from Dharavi – a locality in Mumbai (India), spread over 1.7sqKms, that houses one of the largest slums in the world. Like all the other Rashmi Bansal books, this one is also an engaging book. It shows the positive side of an Indian ‘slum‘, and highlights the endurance of its inhabitants.

Layout: I like the layout of this book. The cover page draws you in. The blue-colored theme of the cover page is taken all through the book. Rounded fonts are easy on eyes and the font-sizes are suitable (not too small, as it happens with some paperbacks). The book is small enough to carry in one’s hand or handbag, and to hold while reading.

Organization: The book is divided into sections and chapters. Each chapter reads like a standalone story but is also connected to other stories creating a mosaic of stories – stories of human spirit, enterprise, and survival. These stories are different in one way but they also share some similarities – common challenges and successes. Photos by Dee Gandhi are used to the maximum effect. These photos, coupled with the words, take us into the very heart of Dharavi, to the people of Dharavi and their daily lives.

Content: The authors compare Dharavi with the elephant in John Godfrey Saxe‘s poem The Blind Men and the Elephant. i.e., how different observers have looked at the same entity and have arrived at different conclusions. These differing conclusions have resulted in differing approaches people and institutions have taken toward the development or redevelopment of Dharavi.

Rashmi and Deepak have done a good job of asking the right questions and sharing the honest answers of the entrepreneurs. They have included the hindi sentences or phrases used by the entrepreneurs. As someone who understands hindi, I liked reading these sentences; however, for those who do not understand the language, it could be frustrating.

The chapters that especially made me stop and think were Chapter 25 – Waiting for Godot, Chapter 26 – David vs. Goliath, and Chapter 28 – Final Thoughts. Chapter 26 contains some very useful insights from the exercise of treating Dharavi as a Special Economic Zone (SEZ). For example, the quote from Aneerudha Paul:

“It is proven historically that high-rise buildings do not work for low income people.”

Living in a concrete jungle with its own slums, I find this observation thought-provoking.

Paul, a Mumbai-based architect and urban designer, presented a redevelopment approach for Dharavi which was quite different from the one proposed by the Government. His approach focused on not looking at Dharavi as a monolith but as a collection of nagars, chawls, and housing societies, each with its own nuances. i.e., dozens of small pockets with their unique characteristics. He further proposed to develop each pocket according to its needs (e.g., industrial-cum-residential facility for potters’ colony). I was excited to read about his approach.

Another thing that I liked was how the authors have highlighted the role of women in Dharavi. Yes, the women also take an active part in the socioeconomic activities of Dharavi, and are equal partners in its development. I also loved the paragraph where the authors wrote:

“Economies are not built on capital alone. They are the products of human intent. Dharavi is what you get when a million people hold a common intention. To rise above their circumstances, and make the best life possible for themselves.”

How true!

Final Thoughts

I found this book worth reading as it presents Dharavi not just as a 'physical location' or a 'slum' but as a complex 'emotional entity'. A city within a city, with the soul of a village. Yes, there are emotional or sentimental parts in the book but then one cannot blame the authors for that as any such undertaking is bound to affect the researchers/authors. I finished this book with a sense of hope. All in all, a good read! If you're passionate about entrepreneurship, social impact, or the power of community, give this book a read.