Mumbai: Dharavi has for years been labelled Asia's largest slum, which may only have served to enforce an image of squalor. But look beyond the narrow lanes, the crowded houses, and, yes, the bad drainage, and it is bursting with commercial and social energy, a fertile ground for ideas and inspiration.
It is this spirit that TEDxDharavi, an independently organised, not-for-profit event, highlighted on Sunday. At the Maharashtra nature park, 13 eminent speakers, including both people working within Dharavi as well as others from elsewhere with ideas for the area’s development, shared their thoughts with an audience of about 300 people. The theme of the event was to reimagine and redefine Dharavi taking inspiration from the innovations and social work originating from the area.
The organiser, Raghuveer Surupa said, “TEDxDharavi took inspiration from the tiny lanes, to explore the thought of innovation under constraint. The idea was to highlight innovation and talent in Dharavi as well as showcase ideas from across India and around the world that could impact this community.”
Among the speakers was Jockin Arputham, President of the National Slum Dwellers Federation, who has played a huge role in organising the local community to be able to participate in plans for the redevelopment of the area and to articulate their vision for the kind of housing they need. Dr. R. Vasudevan from Madurai, also known as the Plastic Man of India, spoke about a revolutionary innovation that helps recycle waste plastic into material for laying roads; given that a huge proportion of the city's plastic waste is recycled in Dharavi, his technology could provide a crucial avenue for those involved in recycling to sell at a higher profit and for a good cause.
Other speakers included Akash Dhangar, founder of SlumGods, a Dharavi-based tour operator, and Nawneet Ranjan, a social entrepreneur who has started an initiative where young girls in Dharavi are taught to make mobile apps that can solve social and infrastructural problems that they see around them.
Speakers from outside Dharavi included Aabid Surti, a national award-winning author and founder of Drop Dead Foundation that works on saving water, Avi Malik, founder of Temple Pilots, and Akshai Abraham of Project Khel, which takes education beyond the classroom and teaches life lessons to adolescents through games.
Eashan Thakrar, founder of a global NGO, The Youth Project, spoke about the power of collective action by youth to effect social change, and Makarand Bhoot, a New York-based architect who works with the NSDF and Mahila Milan in Dharavi, spoke about the idea of communities deciding their own concepts of housings. Social activist Bhau Korde, founding member of an inspiring peace initiative, The Mohalla Committee, spoke about his experiences of bringing various migrant communities together and driving communal harmony in Dharavi.
"The event highlighted various innovations, enterprising communities, several small and medium industries, nurtured and grown despite all odds; and threw light on how they succeeded and have become role models for turning challenges into opportunities," the organisers said.
The occasion also saw performances from underprivileged children from various Teach for India projects and a performance by a group of dancers mentored by SlumGods.
Although the attendees for the event were from partner NGOs and other corporate organisation looking to do social work, the organisers hope to involve more of the local community in subsequent editions and to encourage more collaboration.
