It started with one man..he had just come to rest at the foot path at the end of the lane. He stretched and leaned against the wall. The woman on the other side of wall gave him a glass of water and some stale bread. He was happy that people cared. The word spread..soon it became an everyday affair. sometimes alone and sometimes with his family and friends, who realised this was a friendly neighbourhood. Mats, utensils made their appearance and the comfort zone became so popular that the people increased. Over the period of five years..there are now around twenty people on this footpath..they cook, sleep and even sell drugs to young people. Police have no power to vacate them...they disappear for few days but are back again..neighbours continue to give them blankets, water and food...soon...there will be sheltered tin houses.....the environment is filthy and unpleasant. There is nothing anybody can do..neither the people who live in this street nor the police...
In India, people are very sentimental. Even if they see something wrong they will not say anything if they cannot help. 'Let it be, live and let live" is the attitude. If they see people occupying space on the footpaths, they will not complain. their reason being that where will they go? They don't have any other place to go, poor things! Even the hawkers are encouraged. the end result is that slums keep mushrooming every where.
I have travelled to different parts of the world and even in most polished and successful cities, there is at least one lane hidden some where where you might find cluster of slums.
Slums prosper when government loosen their grip, when police look away. This is the place where crime rate is high and illegal activities flourish fearlessly. Slums is not the the sign of poverty, in fact there is hidden money there. lots of it, so much that they can buy people to help them in their wrong things. It is the place where people live fearless and know that they are more powerful people in society.
Your thoughts??
Launch of Cadbury Dairy Milk Spready
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Interesting afternoon at Courtyard by Marriot Mumbai hosted by The FBAI,
Mondelez India and Zeba Kohli..
There was a dramatic launch of Cadbury Cookboo...
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