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After overcoming the epidemic in India’s largest slum, some young residents took out their mobile phones to write, filmed and released a triumphant rap video.
“At first we were scared, what will happen to us? But we stand with the doctor… now it’s your turn,” the young man in the video said loudly.
“We did it”-“Kar Dikhaya” in Hindi-demonstrated new talents and won praise from celebrities, but the eternal goal of its creators is to fight the stigma that plagues this densely populated corner of Mumbai.
Dharavi slums are home to approximately 1 million people, many of whom live in single-room huts and share public toilets.
Although it has achieved remarkable success in the fight against COVID-19, its alleys have long been associated with filth and disease, and its residents have struggled with constant discrimination.
But Ayush Tega Renuka, one of the star students of the Dharavi Dream Project Hip Hop Academy, told AFP that he was “very proud” of belonging to this community.
“The Dharavi shown on the TV channel is very different from the real Dharavi,” said the 16-year-old.
Three years ago, Ayush started breakdancing, and although his widowed mother begged to give up her fear of going to the hospital, he persevered.
She is not alone. Many parents are initially reluctant to let their children participate in the school’s free classes, believing that hip-hop is dangerous, distracts from homework, or just wastes time.
Dolly Rateshwar, co-founder of the Dharavi Dream Project, is determined to change his mind.
As the daughter of a Hindu priest, Rateshwar was nervous about venturing into the neighborhood, but the teenagers she met resonated with her.
“I grew up in a very conservative family…I never knew there was a bigger world outside,” said the 38-year-old. “And I am worried that these children may lose their lives because they don’t know the possibility of being open to them.”
The school opened in 2015 and provided free classes in breakdancing, beats and rap for about 20 students. The digital media startup Qyuki (the employer of Rateshwar) and the American entertainment giant Universal Music Group paid for it.
As the project won praise from music icons such as Oscar-winning composer AR Rahman, it quickly expanded, and young students like Joshua Joseph (now better known as MC Josh) used hip-hop to tell their stories.
He reasoned that if black American rappers can expose racism, then hip-hop music can do the same for India’s apparent inequality and abuse of marginalized communities.
“Before I started rap, my confidence level was zero,” the 21-year-old told AFP. “School changed my life.”
When COVID-19 arrived, the rapper’s income plummeted overnight because Dharavi was placed under a strict lockdown that lasted several months.
Mumbai authorities quickly realized that slums are the key to defeating the pandemic and launched the “Dharavi Mission”-actively disinfecting public toilets, holding daily “fever camps” to check symptoms, and reusing the wedding hall as an isolation facility And asked residents to stay at home.
By the end of June 2020, Dharavi had recorded only 82 deaths, which is only a small part of the more than 4,500 deaths in Mumbai.
Like slums, school staff refused to be intimidated by the virus and switched to online courses shortly after the first wave of infections broke out last year.
As the pandemic spread, Rateshwar realized that the academy could further expand its reach and sent an invitation on Instagram to anyone from anywhere to join their course.
They received 800 responses in the first 24 hours.
One year later, the school welcomed 100 students to participate in each online course-half of which came from Dharavi itself-and 300 occasionally students, including students from overseas.
But Rateshwar’s focus remains firmly on the students in the Mumbai slums, ensuring their voices are heard and ensuring their future prospects.
“Obviously everyone wants to be a superstar, but… I also try to tell them about other careers in the music industry, such as artist manager or social media work,” she said.
“Most importantly, I want them to stand tall.”
For Vikram Gaja Godakiya, a 21-year-old teacher who learns breakdancing from YouTube videos, school means more than just a stable salary.
“People have always been unfair to Dharavi,” he told AFP, describing how the pandemic has made employers increasingly reluctant to hire slum dwellers.
When Godakiya started to break dancing in secret nine years ago, he never thought he could make a living from it.
“Breaking has given me a goal in life,” he said. “I want my students to know that as long as they give 100%, they can do anything.”
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