Dharavi
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Edited by Joseph Campana
HarperCollins India
304 pages, Rs 350
Mumbai’s Dharavi houses half a million people whose dreams, aspirations and anxieties come alive here in the hands of writers like Sonia Faleiro, Annie Zaidi, Jerry Pinto, S Hussain Zaidi and Dilip D’Souza. Meet characters such as Prema Salgaonkar, who knocks on 500 doors a day taking deposits for the Mahila Milan Bank to make sure her neighbours have money set aside for when trouble hits; Vadivel Thambi, who delivers milk and texts his poetry to hundreds of adoring fans; and Sayeed Khan Bucklewala, a brass foundry owner who makes millions selling belt buckles. Find out how Dharavi’s residents pay their bills, cope with shiftless and abusive spouses, educate their children, and protect their homes and livelihoods from those who would turn them out.
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