Dharavi Slum Tour: The Real Slumdog Millionaire

When I was doing research for this trip, I came across a blog post listing Mumbai’s must-dos. Written by a well-known and respected American travel blogger, one thing about his list struck me.

He recommended that people NOT go on a Dharavi slum tour, because according to him, poverty shouldn’t be “exploited for your own entertainment”. It was well-meaning and insightful, and spoke of a tourist demographic that was perhaps misguided and coming from a place of privilege.

I grew up in Manila, an overcrowded city with a chasm-like gap between rich and poor, much like Mumbai. We have our share of slums which are populated mainly by people not from Manila. Work is sparse in the provinces so migrant workers flock to the city looking for employment. The standard of living in Manila is higher than what they can afford so most turn to the slums as a form of low-income housing.

Sure, there is much poverty in these slums but that’s not all you’ll find there. In many ways, they’re…