Back in October of 2017, I was fortunate to meet Santan, a passionate young man with his heart seemingly in the right place.
I met Santan with the view of returning in 2018 to volunteer my services, teaching in a slum school and helping out within the slum community as much as possible.
After receiving instructions, I travelled by metro to Shadipur station, wanting to find and wander around the slum alone. Impossible! I called Santan and we met thereafter.
Santan took me to the Kathputli Colony slum, where he was welcomed and well known. We visited the one-room school, which was jam-packed with slum kids of varying ages. Amazing faces.
Afterwards I found myself sitting on the floor of a one room home, containing a family of nine, all of whom sleep sardine-like on the concrete floor. Apart from sarong-style sheets, I saw no other bedding. Cooking was done outside, electricity existed - somehow stolen from the grid. Toilets were non-existent.
Speaking Hindi to Santan, I was asked if I would like a cup of tea. OMG - with putrid open drains situated just outside, "where will the water come from?" I was thinking. Santan assured me that it would be safe. And so it was!
Within a matter of weeks of my visit, in the name of redevelopment, Government sponsored demolition teams arrived to flatten Kathputli colony. The one-room school survived the first round of the bulldozers, my tea-offering family's home did not.
In attempt to paint a past - present - future picture, I will attach some links here. Many families moved to transit camps, many still live in the rubble, many have moved to another slum.
Regardless of what happens, my plan is to join forces with Santan later this year:
http://www.kathputlicolonydda.com/
These photos were taken by Santan. On my one and only visit to Kathputli Colony, I deemed it inappropriate to take photos. A gesture appreciated by Santan.
