Slumdog millionaire won the academy award for best picture. However, the slum
(Dharavi) the movie was directed in is far from the best. I remember entering the Dharavi and
seeing dirt roads bustling with street merchants selling items that ranged from fresh fruit to
knock off Louis Vuitton purses. The streets were littered with trash and most of the people here
had no idea where their next meal was coming from that day. This didn’t stop the people from
enjoying life and carrying on. Many times, I stumbled onto children giggling and playing games
with one another.
I was visiting Dharavi to see the children who Oasis of Life International provides school
supplies to each year. As I walked through the claustrophobic alleyways, there was one thing
that was certain. Though the slum may be impoverished, the people in it were some of the
kindest I’ve ever met. The children in the one, classroom school sang us songs, and the people
constantly invited us into their homes to eat with them. It was beautiful to see that even
though Dharavi is so different than the everyday life I see in the United States, kindness is universal.
-Fatima