Pages

▼

Nov 20, 2013

Travel Talk- Slum Tourism or Glorification of Poverty?



Couple of months ago I visited Mumbai for only two days with family and friends. It was my first ever visit to this entertainment capital of India. Well, as a child I have visited Mumbai it seems but I don't remember even one thing. When we were moving around in a rented Toyota Innova, our driver spoke out, That is Dharavi Slum. Do you want to see it? Well, no one in the car wanted to. I know Dharavi Slum is a popular tourist destination on the world tourism map but, I was wondering why visit a slum?


I have a dilemma ... paying tour fees to see poor people? Am I humiliating the poor by visiting them as some zoo exhibits to satisfy my curiosity or amusement? Born and brought up in India I have seen poor people all the time but, have never visited an area designated as "slum". This picture was taken in Dakor, Gujarat. These two kids were playing near the temple with the puppies and they were curious to see their picture. After looking at their picture they asked me if I had any chocolates. But, their mother- a flower vendor, was not happy about the kids asking for candies and she complained- by giving chocolates to the kids I was encouraging them to beg. She was poor but, had dignity. 

I am sometimes surprised that how could poverty turn into entertainment? Visiting slums to feel better about ourselves? To get photos of poverty and dirt? How do the people live in slums feel when tourists visit them out of curiosity? How many of the tourists really visit the slums for educational purpose? Handful of people getting jobs as guides- is that helping to develop slums? In one of the articles on internet I read- Dharavi slum in Mumbai is a 5-star slum! People who live here are rupee-milionaires and the total revenue here is 30-milion rupees. Then why is it a slum? Why tourism is required to develop it? Is tourism helping the 'real' poor? Isn't it demeaning than development?

What do you think?
---

Leave a comment to share your beautiful thoughts and constructive feedback. If you have enjoyed this article then connect with Google+, Twitter, Facebook or subscribe through email for more exciting updates! I publish similar articles every week!

More Articles on Travel Talk-
What is wrong with visiting touristy places?
Why eat street food?
How to be a responsible Traveler?
You are an 'Aunty' or 'Uncle' here!
Have you considered sleeping in the airports?

If you want pictures please ask me :)
---
Creative Commons License
Scrapbook- A Travel Blog by Kusum Sanu is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

13 comments:

  1. R Niranjan DasNovember 20, 2013 at 11:19 AM

    Thought provoking article. Nice one, Kusum.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. KusumNovember 20, 2013 at 6:59 PM

      Thanks Niranjan! Have you ever been to Kalasipalyam?

      Delete
  2. AndreaNovember 20, 2013 at 12:40 PM

    Yes Kusum, i share your thoughts. We can relate with you too well. I don't know how to say it, but i can feel the pain!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. KusumNovember 20, 2013 at 7:06 PM

      Thanks, But, I have never visited one till today. I am not comfortable with the idea itself.

      Delete
  3. Stewart MNovember 20, 2013 at 4:11 PM

    This is good post - Would I visit such a place? possibly. Would I do it as tour - no. But whats the difference? I need to think.

    Cheers - Stewart M - Melbourne

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. KusumNovember 20, 2013 at 7:05 PM

      Thank you Stewart. Well, there is a difference, on lighter side. If you go with a paid tour you have a guide and a group. If you go by yourself, you may possibly get robbed :)

      Delete
  4. RaviNovember 21, 2013 at 2:30 AM

    Dharavi may be a slum, but not every one there is poor. Yes, there are poor people there but there is also a parallel economy running there. The annual turnover of business here is estimated to be more than $650m (£350m) a year.

    http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/hi/world/06/dharavi_slum/html/dharavi_slum_intro.stm

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. KusumNovember 22, 2013 at 9:47 PM

      That is what surprises me. Rich there can definitely develop the area. Why tourism?

      Delete
  5. Photo CacheNovember 21, 2013 at 11:21 PM

    was this the site of slumdog millionaire perhaps? who thought about putting the slum in the must-see destinations anyway?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. KusumNovember 22, 2013 at 9:50 PM

      Well, there are many westerners possibly who want to see. I don't know if I have not understood the concept properly, I just wonder!

      Delete
  6. Rambling WoodsNovember 22, 2013 at 12:04 AM

    Oh no... Tours... I agree with you... I don't think that this is right... I admire the flower vendor Mom... Michelle

    ReplyDelete
  7. UnknownJanuary 4, 2014 at 9:52 AM

    Hey, i totally get how you feel and why you wrote this article. I have visited mumbai as well as many other cities. It brings me lot of pain when I see little kids begging. We can give them money, we can give them food but will it help. It’s a very SAD situation out there. Often as bloggers, i do thinking of writing about such stuff. Kusum, Thank you for sharing your thought and keep writing.

    ReplyDelete

I would appreciate to have your precious thoughts, suggestions and kind encouraging words in comments. Please do not include self-promotional links.I am encountering some problems because of these links and hence I may not publish them.