The Pulitzer Prize winning tale of 'life, death and hope in a Mumbai slum' has been sitting on my bedside table for a number of months. A cliche perhaps, but I'm reading it now and I'm totally hooked. 
The author Katherine Boo worked relentlessly to write the book in such a way that not only is the story compelling, it gives a really good insight into how one of 20 odd different slums, inhabited by 55% of Mumbai's population, work. The book is based on life in Annawadi, a slum on the airport boundary.
Today I visited Dharavi. Flanked by the railway line Asia's biggest slum is in South Mumbai. I've been to Rio and some of its favelas and at the time found it was one of the best experiences I've ever had travelling. So I was curious about the Indian slums in my book and what they were like 'in real life'.
One thing I now know is that Dharavi is unique in the sense that is turns over millions of dollars a year for the Indian economy. There was phenomenal amounts of recycling going on (mainly plastic) out of rubbish not only from the rag pickers and businesses of Mumbai, but that sent to India from China and USA.
There was pottery making, leather tanning, dying, baking, machine making, garment making, soap making, and recycling of every last thing recyclable on the planet. The slum was so big, one end sorted the plastic, melted, dyed it and the other end bought it and sold it on. Hundreds of businesses exist and it was mind blowing to see. It was like a town all of its own within the city.
The guide was part of a small business itself called Mystical Mumbai Tours, it cost 650 rupees (approx £7) with about half going back into small projects within Dharavi. It was well worth having a guide, I listened carefully to what he said,and silently questioned his bias and positionality (both as a tour guide and a resident of Dhavari himself) when it came to the way he described life and progress in Indian slum life. There was only 2 others with us, some numb nut Aussies asking daft questions like 'how hygienic are these to eat' about kiln baked pastries and 'is this where Slumdog Millionaire was filmed..' But I wasn't at my most tolerant today. Which isn't very, anyway!
The first and last meal of the day was dhal and roti in preparation for the night train. Dear God
Oh, my tip would be spend at least 4 days in Mumbai, in hindsight I would have.
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