Summary
Highlights
Mumbai, with 22 million inhabitants, faces crippling traffic. Eight million people rely on its four-line railway network daily, leading to extreme overcrowding and dangerous conditions. In 2019, 2,691 people died on Mumbai's railways, a tragic average of seven deaths per day. Samir Tari, who lost his legs in a railway accident 30 years ago, advocates for improved safety measures like closed doors and emergency medical services.
Mumbai's population has ballooned from 3 million in 1951 to 22 million today, projected to reach 30 million by 2035. To address the lack of space, luxury apartments are being built, often at the expense of demolishing slums that house 50% of the city's population. This aggressive expansion also encroaches on the Sanjay Gandhi National Park, leading to increased leopard attacks.
Dharavi, Asia's largest slum, houses one million people in just under one square mile. Despite poverty, it's a hub of enterprise with thousands of businesses specializing in recycling, auto repair, and textiles. Mahesh, a 27-year-old plastic recycling entrepreneur, earns $600 a month, ten times the average for the rest of India, and owns property within the slum, demonstrating Dharavi's 800 million dollar informal economy.
Imran, a 29-year-old leather goods entrepreneur from Dharavi, showcases the upward mobility possible within the slum's industrious environment. His family, led by his father Wahaz, who started with nothing, now owns a luxurious apartment in a high-rise building, representing a dream come true for many in Mumbai.
In Mumbai, wealth often equates to living higher above the city's chaos. Babulal Larma, a successful real estate broker, embodies this, building high-rise luxury apartments. His company, Omar, specializes in slum rehabilitation, often involving the demolition of slums to create new housing. While some slum dwellers receive free apartments, others are displaced to the city's outskirts, often into substandard conditions.
The slum rehabilitation policy often leads to displacement. Residents who don't meet strict criteria for new housing are moved to peripheral towns like Ulhasnagar, where 50,000 people live in dilapidated apartment blocks. Former Dharavi residents, like Abdul, experience a significant decrease in income and quality of life after relocation, highlighting the policy's failure to truly uplift those it aims to help.
Mumbai's chaotic streets are home to an array of informal workers, including the Dabbawalas, a 130-year-old lunch delivery system. Shankar, a 23-year-old Dabbawala, is part of a 5,000-strong network that delivers 73 million meals annually with remarkable precision, despite illiteracy, using a complex coding system.
Bandra, a trendy neighborhood, showcases Mumbai's modern side, attracting Bollywood actors and artists. Janita, a model and businesswoman with a vegan fashion brand, represents Mumbai's high society and entrepreneurial spirit. Her success reflects a growing number of corporate and Westernized women in India, challenging traditional norms.
Antonia, Jeremy, and Pierre, three French entrepreneurs, have found success in Mumbai's dynamic market with their organic restaurant chain and new bakery. Their concept, popular in Europe, is a novelty in India, appealing to Mumbai's growing middle class and executives who frequent areas like Bandra Kurla Complex, a new business hub.
Mumbai's relentless expansion into the Sanjay Gandhi National Park has intensified conflict between humans and leopards. Wildlife photographer Ranit Jadhav notes that leopards are losing their fear of humans, leading to increased attacks. The tragic death of a four-year-old girl, Dasani, highlights the severe consequences of this urban encroachment and the community's demand for greater protection.
At the Leopard Rescue Center, Mukesh Moore cares for captured leopards, emphasizing that their behavior is a direct consequence of urbanization. The leopards are adapting to cohabitation with humans, and their numbers have increased by 30% in five years. As Mumbai is projected to become the world's most populated city by 2050 with 42 million inhabitants, the conflict between man and nature is likely to worsen.