http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=101487893
As usual this was a good show on NPR with Chitra Divakaruni really explaining the fact that ultimately Slumdog is a movie and yes it does portray horrible things about India, the absolute fact being that they do exist. There is enough research showing that there are 800 people to 1 bathroom in the slums. I remember travelling at 7 am and seeing people going on the tracks not in any bathrooms, so yes I’d say its much worse. And there are horrible people taking advantage of the orphans and women. Goa in certain ways is much worse almost like the Thailand of India. Sad that they had Priya Rajsekar who didnt have any real reason to oppose the movie. It would’ve been nice to get a more well read/lived view on it.
the answer is “Sulabh International”.. any VC listening? 😉
Upon hearing this program yesterday I couldn’t understand what qualified Priya Rajsekar as a commentator on portrayal of poverty in India. She doesn’t claim to be a slum dweller, a social worker, an artist or a cinema critique. Her only expertise is her 5 year experience as a commuter on local trains that went through these slums. I guess that qualifies most of us as experts on life in slums and poverty. Besides, as Purvi points out, her arguments didn’t have any merit. Chitra’s counter arguments (though, I think her novels suck) seemed logical and she managed to expose the thin ice Priya was treading on.
No matter what people think, one can’t just wish away what the reality is. Yes, the poor people have a lot of dignity. However, dignity does not equate to clean water, sanitation, and access to basic education. My recent experience in Mumbai, however short it may have been, tells me that the things that rule the city are big interests and anarchy. We sure don’t expect either of the two to help improve dismal sanitation and living conditions in the densely populated areas in the city. By showing these areas in the movie just for a few minutes, no matter how the portrayal was, Danny Boyle has sparked a lot of interest in the topic and people who care about the it should thank him. This attention is going to bring a lot of donations and social workers in the area. It may also pressure the govt to expedite on delivering part of the Shanghai promise that was kind of washed away in the heavy rains a week after it was made.