Dharavi's Chauhan Potters Family shape new destinies-

 Dharavi, spread over 540 acres of land and around 70,000 households, is the biggest slum in Asia. The history of Dharavi dates back to the pre-independence period. As per the records, the earliest colony of fishermen in the area known as Dharavi today was set up way back in 1910.

Dharavi is located in Sion, also called as sheev. The literal translation of this Marathi word is ‘border’. Historically, the Dharavi slum was set up outside the city because as per the prevalent social norms of that time, people involved in occupations such as leather, pottery and fishing were considered of lower caste and their place was outside the village. Nathabhai Chauhan is a well-known potter from Kumbharwada. His pots, diyas and other decorative items are extremely popular amongst the upper-middle class and middle-class market. He also provides these items for Hindi serials and films. “Kumbharwada (potter’s land) is one of the oldest colonies in Mumbai, functioning since 1912. The potters in Dharavi are from Saurashtra, Gujarat,” he explained.
In 1912, Mumbai was developing, and a port and sea-route was the only convenient itinerary to reach Mumbai from Gujarat. Around 150-200 potter families used to come from Saurashtra via the sea route to Mumbai for eight months a year. The soil around the Dharavi area was perfect for their business. These families used to live in small huts made of coconut tree leaves. In 1932, all these huts were burned in an inferno, after which the trader community in Mumbai helped these potter families with money, food and shelter.
“Our great grand fathers then requested for land from the then British government, with the help of the Mumbai’s trader community. The British government approved our request and allotted 13.5 acres of land in Dharavi on a lease of 99 years,” informed Chauhan. After this, these 200 families were settled permanently in Dharavi and started their small-scale business of producing earthen pots, diyas, murals etc. Now, around 385 families work in Kumbharwada. Kumbharwada produces around 70% of the earthen pots and diyas sold in Mumbai. The 13 acres of land provide employment to 2,000 workers.
The age-old brick furnaces used to bake the pots require raw material such as cotton. “As the cotton-mills in Mumbai started closing down, the supply of cotton waste to Kumbharwada became scanty. Without proper raw material, the furnaces stopped functioning and without the furnace the soil items could not be baked; ultimately, the potter’s life became hellish,” said Raju Korde, of Dharavi Bachao Samiti. The potters have to import the waste-cotton from Gujarat, which increases the total cost of a product. Since the pollution caused by the old furnaces is also becoming an important issue, the potters are trying to set-up gas furnaces.
The younger generation of potters is not interested in this business; they have chosen different professions. “My children are not interested in pottery. One is in Australia and another is in America. And my daughter is doing her masters,” he says. Nathabhai believes pottery is an art. He goes to different places conducting workshops and was invited to Sir J.J School of Art for a special lecture on pottery

Source: Based on Interview of Nathalal Chauhan F/O Poonam Chauhan (BEYONDDHARAVI)
Interview by DNA Reporter Dated: 13 July 2010.

 DHARAVI- A SLUM BEYOND OUR IMAGINATION & COMPARISON

 

 

Dharavi,  an integral part of the city of Mumbai is the largest slum of Asia in terms of population density. It is spread over an area of 175 hectares (0.67 sq. miles) with an estimated population of 6 lac. The first settlers in Dharavi came over 300 years ago, and turned this marshland into liveable land; today Dharavi is home to over 500,000 people of all religions, castes and economic strata, not just the 'poor'.
An island in the 18th century, the present-day Dharavi was a mangrove swamp in the late 19th century and a home to the fisher community. It was the Hornby Vellard project started in 1782 that aimed to merge all the seven islands of Mumbai into a single amalgamated mass. Over time the fisher folk gave a way to migrants from Gujarat,U.P. Tamil Nadu to inhabit the area and in 1924, Dharavi’s first school and Mumbai's first Tamil School was established.
Dharavi has traditional textile and pottery industries, and a large recycling industry. With an estimated 15000 single-room factories, Dharavi exports goods around the world.Its total turnover is estimated to be 500-650 million US dollars annually. Residents of Dharavi suffer severe problems with public health,due to scarcity of water supply as well as toilets along with the problem of floods in the rains. Poor sanitary conditions and lack of hygiene are evident when Dharavi houses only one toilet per 1440 residents.
Dharavi bustles with economic and industrial activity with 4,902 production facilities- 1,036 in textiles, 932 in pottery, 567 in the leather, 722 in recycling and scrap metal, 498 in embroidery and 152 in food. Furthermore, there are 111 restaurants and several thousand boutiques in Dharavi.
Despite its dynamic industrial and economic activity, the work conditions in the informal sector of Dharavi are deplorable. Potters and their families live and work surrounded by heat and toxic smoke emanating from their ovens, while leather, textile and food workers spend up to 15 hours a day in dark rooms with insufficient ventilation. Salaries are very low and competition between old and new migrants is constantly driving the cost of labor down.
Poverty, crime and an industry proliferating in imitation goods are the mantra of dynamic slum industry and Dharavi is no exception.
Most residents of Dharavi do not own the land, but yet they have appropriated their homes and businesses. Many houses have neither electricity nor running water.
The infrastructure is poor, very few residents have toilets in their homes with open sewerage spreading disease and are a health hazard in the monsoon.
Home to thousands of industries, including leather, pottery, textiles, food production and now a major hub of recycling, unfortunately some of these industries pollute the environment and are unsafe for workers.
In need of a miraculous solution Dharavi still breathes life and industrial activity oblivious of a clean environment. The people inhabitant in Dharavi, & of origin beyond Dharavi, still the Dusty,noisy, unhealthy, crowded Dharavi fulfill their & family needs, with embracing their Dreams & Feelings.

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Dharavi a densely populated place in a densely populated city called Mumbai. In a Small area of 550 acres, Dharavi shelters almost a millon people in its land hood. Dharavi, once known for Crime & Politics is now emerging as a silent revolution of energy & enterprise, with its new generation of youngsters in last few years.
Dharavi resembles an incubator, a factory of dreams, creating wonders with its amazing lifestyle changing products.  “There are slums of despair, and there are slums of hope. Agents of hope are everywhere in Dharavi, planting seeds of change,”
The truth is that Dharavi is teeming with small businesses making everything from pots and pans to purses and papads. Sure, many of these businesses are illegal, operate without a license, and the workers work too long and too hard and safety norms are flouted…but they Do A Real HardWork and Do Not Steal.



They may be poor but they have pride. Certainly more pride than the Ramalinga Rajus and Harshad Mehtas of the world.
Following are the brief profile of the business and social entrepreneurs as well as activists and organisations that are changing the History of small place called Dharavi
Mushtaq Syed grew up in Dharavi, got into the leather business, and now runs INMA Enterprises, which exports shoes to the US.
Jameel Shah came to Dharavi from Bihar as a boy, and now makes dancing shoes for Bollywood stars; he has his own Facebook page also.
Mustaqeem Bhai came to Bombay from UP, slept on footpaths, learned sowing, and now runs a factory with 400 tailors.
Rani Nadar got an SBI micro-finance loan and now runs a tailoring shop, training and employing dozens of women.
Panju Swamy came from Tamil Nadu as a boy, and now runs the Ayyappan Idli Stall, making 20,000 idlis a day in 10ft X 10ft huts.
Praveen founded the Gurudutt Gymnasium, which has produced award-winning bodybuilders from Dharavi, and some students who now work at Gold’s Gym.
Soaib Grewal graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design, and runs Waterwalla in Dharavi, a social enterprise for clean-water technologies in urban slums.
Srini Swaminathan, a BITS Pilani engineer, now teaches in the slum as part of Teach for India; he has devised a ‘moving blackboard’ – an apron he wears, on which students can write.
Anita Patil-Deshmukh is with Pukar (Partners for Urban Knowledge and Research), which trains and involves slum dwellers as researchers in social science projects, such as analyzing the impact of globalization on slums.