India is a land of contrasts.
Within the walls of the vibrant city is the hustle and bustle of high dollar business rubbing shoulders with incomprehensible poverty. Busy streets lined with taxis, and an occasional cow. Exotic sights, sounds and smells abound at every turn. Beautiful saris and beggars with leprosy engage and revolt the senses.
Shops and high rises line one street, and just around the corner, hiding in the shadow is a city within the city, a slum of mindboggling proportions.In Bombay it is reported that “some 40 percent of Mumbai’s 18 million people live in the slums or some degraded housing, and 5 to 10 percent live on the pavement, with no housing at all. ” (Sheehan) These are staggering numbers. The problem becomes even more horrific when we look at it with a broader scope. It’s estimated that by 2010 half of the world’s population will reside in cities, and of that half most of that growth will be concentrated in the most poverty stricken areas.
So big cities like Bombay that are already struggling with the enormous problem of almost half of their cities population living in the sickening squalor of slums are facing an even bigger problem for the future. “Poverty creates slums, and slums breed hopelessness and crime. ” (Sud) The problem is not being ignored. India, and the world, is desperate to help India overcome its incredible poverty issue.
But how were the slums created in the first place? India is a relatively new country, winning its independence from Great Britain only just over 50 years ago. While under British rule, India was a country molested.Money was taken out and never replaced. The people had no option for improvement and left the cities decayed.
Two hundred years of starving the people has left its mark. The problem had compounded as migration was encouraged to help solve the need for workers. (Sud) As people from rural India began to flood big cities, finding no place to live and wanting to be close to work, sprawling slums emerged almost overnight. “From 1950 to today, cities lacked funds to renew themselves and help build additional housing. People lacked adequate jobs hence are caught in the poverty cycle.
(Sud)The downward spiral effect of poverty has left many with no other choice than trying to survive the harsh reality of slum life. “One out of every seven people now lives in a slum – or at least that’s the UN’s best estimate. ” (Sheehan) And slum life is all encompassing. Government does not aid the people, so even basic necessities like clean water, toilets and trash become huge obstacles. Often one makeshift toilet is shared by 1000 families. Crowded conditions and filthy living conditions breed diseases like AIDS and tuberculosis.
Lack of essentials, like shoes for children and education of any kind are scarce at best.Children run barefoot over toxic trash and human waste. Mounds of refuse dot the landscape. “Mortality rates of children under the age of five are 151 per 1000 births.
” (Sheehan) Other factors also contribute to the cycle of poverty that makes the daily struggle to survive near impossible. Money is scarce, and without money there is no water, food, or heat to cook. Loans for self improvement are out of the question. Homes are another problem.
Even the makeshift shanty’s are not their own. The government can swoop down and bulldoze the entire slum at any time, so incentive to improve surroundings is low. Cooking is difficult.Most cooking is done over coals or scraps of wood, because electricity and propane is too costly.
Moreover, the never ending issue of trash is a constant problem. The only method of keeping levels of trash at a minimum is burning the waste, and creating toxic fumes in the process. Education is nonexistent. (Sheehan) Some of the biggest problems, like lack of sufficient water, are just made worse by people feeding off the desperation of the poor. In the case of drinking water, the only companies that will pipe in water demand premium prices.
That means slum dwellers are paying more than the people living in the wealthiest neighborhoods.The direct result is lack of water, which compounds health issues, and anger and distrust, which aggravates the crime problems. Another interesting trend in taking advantage of the disadvantaged is the slum landlords. “Four out of five slum dwellers are renters. ” (Sheehan) The leasing of shacks is big business for landlords, who can gain a return on their investment in less than two years, never have to spend money on upkeep, and cannot be held accountable by their tenants. Slum life is all encompassing.
These issues don’t even begin to reflect the violence and crime that seem to be a natural byproduct of poor living conditions.Tensions create hostile environments where domestic violence becomes a major issue. Crime escalates and becomes a “breeding ground for disease, crime and terrorism. ” (Sheehan) Bad situations trigger more problems, and the poor are most often the victims. However, as one New York Times columnist wrote,” As our world becomes increasingly interconnected, it will become impossible to ignore the problems of people living in desperate situations, at home or abroad; if you don’t visit a bad neighborhood, a bad neighborhood will visit you.
” (Sheehan) It’s obvious that India is not alone in looking for ways to alleviate the slum problem.However, several things make the resolving these issues difficult. One major obstacle is the slum lifestyle itself. It’s surprising to learn that some slum dwellers are actually educated people that choose to live in the slums. Some give reasons like no taxes and slum community ties. The contrast of filth and starvation next door to shacks with TV’s and refrigerators tells its own story.
Jockin Arputhuam is an excellent example of just such a person. In the early 1970’s he organized a grassroots organization, Slum Dwellers International, representing slum rights in India.In an interesting interview by UN HABITAT, the perspective of slums and slum dwellers becomes clearer. He has lived in the slum for more than 35 years.
He came from an upper middle class family that lost everything and found themselves in the slums of Mumbai. In his first organized outcry for improvement in slum living he invited officers of the Municipality to visit the slum. He then locked the officer in the toilet for eight hours. His purpose was to shed some light on the issues of toilets in the slums.
After 8 hours in the filth, the Municipality made some changes.The project for a block of 2,200 toilets in one year has made a significant impact on hygiene. However, the aim of Slum Dwellers International was not just to hand the problem over to the government. He states that the slum dweller must be involved or the projects are just wasted. He expresses outrage that getting aid from governments or institutions like World Bank are ludicrous wastes of time.
(Sheehan) “For instance, the World bank once took seven years to build one toilet in a slum in Mumbai. Seven years! Why? Because they spent much of the time “studying” Indian culture, Indian values, even Indian ways of using the toilet.Tell me, how can a consultant from London know these things? ” (Sheehan) Jockin has played a huge roll in changing the lives of slum dwellers in India, and other countries as well. When asked why he still lives in the slum, although his economic status has improved he answers that could not turn his back on the place that made him who he is.
(Sheehan) These strong ties to family and community keep people like Jockin in the slums, although he is working to make it a better place. But this is not the experience of most. Many are merely stuck and starving.Although many see need for change, it is slow coming and although slum lifestyle is one obstacle, the other is more deeply rooted in the Indian belief of the caste system.
Many are cast off and seen as undeserving because of their heredity. Caste determines a person’s place in their community, work and even marriage. “In Hinduism, all men are born unequal: cast is predetermined and unchangeable. ” (Cherry) This mindset perpetuates the problem. One stark and disturbing tradition that brings the problem to light is the practice of religious prostitution.Poor parents sell their daughters to a local god.
The girls are then ritually raped by the village chief, and thereafter cannot deny sexual services to any higher-caste man in the village. (Cherry) The religious prostitutes, called jogini, are treated “with contempt by villagers and often die young after giving birth to many children. ” (Cherry) Humanist groups in India work hard to help improve development of society recognizing dignity of all people, while at the same time trying to be sensitive to the social and cultural issues of caste.Obviously the problems in India are not going by unnoticed. Countless humanitarian groups, local governments, and even other nation are stepping in to help India back on its feet. Because poverty plays such a dynamic role in the economic growth of a nation, the problem is being handled as part of economic development.
“Poverty is a major shame in India’s otherwise decent, scientifically advanced, peace loving and at times turbulent image. ” (Sud) But how to go about making such radical changes when the obstacles are so big and so many? Time is the answer.Even with all that is being done today, it is estimated that real changes for the poor will really begin to emerge about 20 to 25 years from now. These numbers are estimates based on the continual economic growth of India over the next several years. With increased prosperity for the country as a whole, it will eventually trickle down into programs for the poor.
Much of what can be done to help India’s future can be learned from the past. Slums have existed in all times and all countries and “no single policy has ever brought an end to slums completely.That includes the richest nation in the world –USA. ” (Sud) Many countries have tackled the problem of slums and much can be gained from what did and did not work.
In the case of the United States the turn of the twentieth century saw major immigration, including blacks from the south. This rush of people to the big cities of the north resulted in the creation of slums, or “ghettos” as they were called. The US tackled the problem with the aid of the Industrial Revolution. More jobs and free land offers in the west help with expansion and self-sufficiency.
Within 50 years the terrible conditions of Ghettos was tremendously minimized, but not eradicated. Although they still exist today, it is on a much different scale. (Sud) Great Britain also struggled with slums. As a matter of fact, “Great Britain was a great big slum before they became a colonial power in the nineteenth century. ” (Sud) At that time the majority lived in great squalor while only a relative few lived well as lords over the people. Over time the economy grew which led to jobs and expansion.
Although it took a great deal of time, “the reduction of poverty and slums follow closely with economic development.Faster the economic development sooner will the poverty vanish, and with it, the slums. ” (Sud) An interesting contrast to this is China’s handling of the slum problem. Although there was not much economic growth, China enforced a permit system method that required people to have jobs and a place to live in order to migrate to the city.
All others were expelled and sent back to their rural neighborhoods. This method is still enforced today, and although was not sparked by economic growth, it has helped to control slums in big cities.Today in India all these options are being taken into consideration. With the economy growing and the nation watching closely India believes its poverty and big city slums will be a thing of the past. Already India, for the first time, is experiencing opportunities to strengthen itself as a world power. Leaders of India believe in the “greatness of their civilization, strategic location and distinctive view of the world.
” (Cohen) The people of India believe that they have a destiny and an obligation to play a bigger role on the international stage. The shame of India will end.
