To showcase the artists, traditions of the sprawling slum.
By Dileep Thekkethil
Dharavi, located in Mumbai and the biggest slum in Asia, is getting ready for a makeover as it will become host to the world’s first slum museum to showcase the hidden talents of the slum dwellers.
The artists who have teamed up for the “Design Museum Dharavi” aims at rewriting the apocalyptic imagery of Dharavi portrayed in blockbuster movies, best-selling books and tabloids. Other than what the world has seen of Dharavi, its homes are built by experienced government engineers and contractors in bricks, steel and cement, by experienced teams of contractors with the help of able plumbers, electricians and carpenters. Nonetheless, it is stereotyped as one of the worst places to live in India.
According to estimates, 1 million people live in Dharavi, and despite the tough conditions they live in, they are capable of creating, designing, manufacturing and commercializing all kinds of goods. The Design Museum Dharavi is an initiative by artists Jorge Mañes Rubio, Amanda Pinatih, Rahul Srivastava and Matias Echanove.
According to the official website of “Design Museum Dharavi” it “will be a place for contemplation- we make this city within a city more liveable. Our main intentions are to acknowledge the citizenship of these people, to recognize their equal rights compared to the rest of the city, and promoting a greater exchange between formal and informal economies.”
The mobile museum will be open to public in February for two months and the items on display will be everything that is made by the slum dwellers, including pottery, textiles and recycled items, popularly known as jugaad.
The depiction of Dharavi in the Oscar-winning movie ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ was criticized by some and many from Mumbai’s sprawling Dharavi area joined hands to demonstrate against the movie that failed to showcase anything good about the Dharavi area.
Spanish artist Jorge Rubio, who is behind the initiative, told AFP, “It will be the first museum ever created in a slum.”
In 2010, Britain’s Prince Charles cited Dharavi as a role model for sustainable living, praising its habit of recycling waste. Last year, the slum hosted its first art biennial.
According to the artists behind the Design Museum Dharavi, the museum will be a reflection of both the tradition and creativity in Dharavi.