A spirit called “Dharavi”

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There was nothing very fancy about this Sunday. No group outing, no late night party, no movies. Waking up early at 8, that too on a Sunday, is something I would consider abnormal by my standards. But this Sunday I managed to achieve this abnormality and ain’t I glad that I did it. Of course I am 😀

This was a Sunday that was special. It was a walk to remember. And it was a place to get inspired from.

Thanks to Rashmi Bansal and BlogAdda, I got an opportunity to step out of all my assignments, tasks and a normal Sunday routine to take a tour of Dharavi. It was indeed a walk to remember. Dharavi completely changed the perception that I had of a slum. It might be tagged as “Asia’s largest Slum” but little did we know that it’s one of the industrial vein of the country.

Our tour started with a refreshing South Indian breakfast, a nice little chat with Rashmi and a short intro with the fellow bloggers. Call it our luck, but we got the most awesome guides in the form of Fahim, Tauseef and Salman from Be the Local Tours. Born and brought up in Dharavi itself, we couldn’t have wished for better guides than them.

Dharavi – The Land of Opportunities and one thing that I could guarantee you if you ever happen to visit this place (which I strongly recommend that you do) is that YOU WILL BE INSPIRED. Every single place here is a small scale industry. Just spread around 1.75 sq km area, Dharavi is a home to around 1 million people. And to top all that, it boasts of an annual industrial output of 1 billion dollars. A lot to speak of the industrial atmosphere we have got here.

A land of budding entrepreneurs, no one is scared of trying out new things, a place marked by perfect communal harmony and an excellent community, the thing that struck me the most about the people here was there outlook towards life. We didn’t see even one gloomy face out there. Everyone was self sufficient, self employed, independent and most importantly, satisfied.

A perfect example of Supply Chain and Business concepts. A perfect example of “The Sky is the Limit”. A perfect example of a bunch of people from all across the nation knit together so beautifully. Dharavi reflects Hope. Dharavi reflects Inspiration. Dharavi reflects Ambition. And last but not the least, Dharavi reflects Life.

It was an experience of a lifetime for me and I am so glad I actually made to it. It’s not long since I make another visit to this place. But until then, I am sure you would not like to miss out on making your first visit there. I can assure you it will be an experience to cherish 🙂

 

Go through this link for a complete description about the Dharavi Walk >> http://blog.blogadda.com/2012/08/08/dharavi-walk-rashmi-bansal-indian-bloggers