It’s so ironical that Delhi’s slums (like all over India) are the abode of lakhs of people whose work makes the lives of its better-off citizens easier and comfortable but they themselves are forced to live in worst of conditions. They don’t even have access to a basic need like functional toilets, breeding indignity and infections in their daily lives. As Katherine Boo unfolds the dark belly in “Behind the Beautiful Forevers”, life in an urban slum can be full of squalor and deprivations.
The life in Indian slums has not been hidden but Keep India Beautiful team wanted to have a first hand experience as to what real life is like in those hell kind of conditions and it chose to visit Lalbagh slum area near Azadpur which is just a few kilometres away from prestigious North Campus of Delhi University. Lalbagh is Delhi’s largest slum having a population of more than 3 lakhs and spread over an area of just one kilometer.
The world doesn’t look like what you think it looks like: It’s so strange that just a few kilometres can make a place so different from our normal world. As Keep India Beautiful (KIB) team got deep inside, it got to experience what HELL could be like. Dirty stagnant water, clogged drains, narrow lanes, cramped houses, heaps of garbage and strong stink welcomed us. This all was very overwhelming as we could feel thousands of eyes staring at us with suspicion as well as some hope. But soon we realised that all of them are very friendly as they gathered around us sharing their grievances and how each & every single day for them is filled with so much struggle for small and basic things.
Following problems are plaguing Lal Bagh Slum: