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Dharavi was originally marshy terrain home to the Kolis, a traditional fishing community who lived at the edge of Mahim Creek. As the swamps separating the seven islands that formed Bombay were filled in, migrants from all over India settled in Dharavi. Potters from Gujarat, tanners from Tamil Nadu and embroidery workers from Uttar Pradesh were among those who put down roots in Dharavi beginning in the nineteenth century. For migrants, Dharavi offered work and affordable housing; for authorities, until recently, it was a place where illegal settlements could acceptably proliferate away from the central city. Today, Dharavi is composed of almost 100 distinct nagars, or neighborhoods, that form a mosaic of regional, linguistic, religious, caste and class identities. Its largest communities are Tamil and Maharashtrian, each comprising about a third of the population. However, virtually all regions of India are represented in Dharavi, with the newest wave of migrants coming from Bihar. Dharavi is home to Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Buddhists and others who with the notable exception of the 1992-93 communal riots have lived side by side largely in peace. The majority of Dharavis residents are Dalits (former Untouchables), but members of many other castes and tribes are present as well. Dharavi is home not only to the urban poor, but also to some
middle-class professionals unable to find affordable housing elsewhere