YASMIN ROAD, searching for structures

On Monday evening our walk through started by witnessing a suicide, working became a difficult task, I was very sad… On Tuesday it was a bit better, in the morning and in a less aggressive context, happiness and optimism grew as we worked on. We focussed our attention in the entrances along the road, in the different activities and urban typologies, always following the longitudinal direction of the road.

Mr. MUKESH MEHTA

Tergiversated intentions, calculated speeches

Mr. Mukesh Mehta is the architect in charge of the redevelopment in Dharavi.

“My aim is to make the Mumbai airport slum free.”

After his power point presentation we all felt frustrated, confused and impotent.

STOP, LOOK AND LISTEN

Remarks, sensations and perspectives that were noted, located and shared by all the class.
Divided in six different groups, we started from the corners and followed opposite directions walking around Dharavi and the next day we entered the limit and moving across trying to find our way through unpredictable alleys.
Sometimes unconsciously, we searched for the emptiness of the space. The visual, sonorous, odorous and touch compositions are so extremely dense and multilayered that the activity turns tiring, distracting and difficult to comprehend. We all needed spatial silence to rest our intoxicated of information senses.

• SMELLS
  It gets intensified by the heat, and influenced by the effects of sun or shadow.
  The people’s occupations can be smelt.
  It increases in narrow streets.
  The water smelt bad.
  The breeze and the wind helped to give a rest to or overwhelmed noses.
  The fish markets, public toilets, sewage conducts, kilns for pottery and the kitchens were easy to recognize by their smell.
  The stench could be so bad that it even hurted.
• SOUNDS
  The traffic sound dominated all the contour of Dharavi. Inside, the sounds turned human, musical and concrete; the tumult of the cars was relegated to a second level, it became a background, not a totality anymore.
  The few silent places found, usually located in more peaceful residential areas, where interrupted by the sudden noise of the train or the constant murmur of the factories.
  Sound would continuously distract our attention.
  We were surprised to hear so many televisions and radios.
  The feet of the people produced different rhythms and effects, and bare feet were silent.
  Dogs barking and birds singing, animals contributed to the surprising concert of Dharavi.
  Diverse religious prayers are sang everywhere, the diversity and freedom of beliefs are happily evident.
• TOUCH
  Walking sem to be a dance: the body movement, in order to adapt to the busy context, was continuous and undulating. Sometimes it became stressing and aggressive, as people would push and cars rub against us.
  It felt safer to move inside the area. In the narrow and solitary streets it was easier to march straight.
  Coolness usually meant privacy.
  Interruption was a constant.
  Our presence provoked the movement of the people, some came to us and some hidded in their houses. We interfered in the surroundings.
• SIGHT
  Visual continuity and rhythm distinguished the border and the interior.
  Light and darkness were consequences of the different urban typologies.
  Flags and symbols expressed people’s identities.
  The nature was much more predominant in the inside than in the limit of Dharavi.
  Opened doors confirmed the communing and welcoming attitude of people.
  The panoramic silhouette of Dharavi was in huge contrast with its city background.
  The poor infrastructure, the lack of sanitation and the immediateness of solutions was visually recognizable.
  Care and cleanness are promptly found when observing individual behaviours and contexts. When observing around without concreting the point of view disorder and dirtiness govern the scene.

Mr. BHAU KORDE

He considers himself as a person who knows the streets, the streets of Dharavi. He helps the people yheir, aiming the people for dialogue and for an organization from within, influencing for the peace and unity of this multicultural society. He is not a politician, nor either a social worker, and he is sceptical about them, and cosiders the media as an often bad influence for the people, as it creates insecuriries and confrontations.

About the redevelopment plan, he says it will detroy Dharavi. The goverment, he says, will redevelop the land, but not the human beings.

“High buildings, 'boxes', destroy the community. In multi storey buildings they can not do their businesses.”

“If they are moved poverty will start. They are not poor now, they are not hanging around; they are busy.”
About their meeting place, where they talk and try to solve problems:

“When we started there were no chairs, but we just wanted to meet.”

“People in Dharavi are honest, but most of them are uneducated...”

This man gave me hopes... he thinks that we should help to solve the problems we observe, he is very sincere and has good intentions.

WHAT I SAW AND INTERPRETATED

Here we started our walk around Dharavi, it was promising...

People is recolecting rubish that will be recicled near by.

There was no water in this river, only garbage and rats in a puddle...

Everything is usefull, energy and materials do not disapear, they get transformed.

Beautifull: the tree is integrated in the building, why to cut it. Informality gives good chances.He looked more angry that this drawing shows. I was impressed on how reality shows itself, transparent... activities and workare seen, doors opened.
Bare feet recycling shoes.

Shiny happy people. In search for clients?
Gathering in the pavement... is this their habitual commun space?, I guess the answer is yes. The women and the children were talking and eating, feeling safe because they were together. Looking to the street, building with panoramic view to the road.Drawing became imposible, the crowd was oppresive. I stoped when the touching went too far...

TRAVELING TO MUMBAI

The waiting room in the Milan airport was occupied by a multicultural international crowd; the people filled the space eating, juggling, reading or looking around. I felt living a hidden moment in a terminal, submerged in a concentration of reasons, paths and destinies. In a few hours we all would be reaching Mumbai.

TOURISTIC GUIDE TO KOLKATA

Reality tours, anxious and worried tourists that need to understand the real world: Go to Kolkata, see the way they live, talk to the people and feel the immeasurable differences and resemblances, see what disorder means and forget about accurate calculations… try then to come back.

When you look at yourself from a universal standpoint, something inside always reminds or informs you that there are bigger and better things to worry about. Albert Einstein (1879 - 1955),