‘Your heart has to be big’: Content creator gives a tour of home in one of the world’s largest slums — Mumbai’s Dharavi

American Youtuber Drew Binsky was left speechless on his visit to a home in Dharavi; here's why

American YouTuber Drew Binsky in Dharavi (Photo: Drew Binsky/Facebook)

Have you ever imagined what it would be like to live in a slum? While most people assume slum dwellers are impoverished and poor, a notion popularised by the Oscar-winning film Slumdog Millionaire (2008), this does not seem to be the case in one of the world’s largest slums, Dharavi. An American content creator, Drew Binsky, with 60.3 Lakh followers on YouTube, who claims to have been to “all 197 countries in the world”, recently gave a sneak peek inside a home in Mumbai’s Dharavi equipped with modern appliances.

House occupant Divya, a cheerful personality, gave him a glimpse into her “tiny” but “happy” home, where they do “everything together”. “Over a million people live within one square mile, and Divya is taking us on a tour of her house,” said Binsky at the start of the video, which shows Divya taking him inside the house.

“There is the kitchen, TV, and fridge. A blue toilet,” she said. “Blue toilet. That’s cool. I have never seen a blue toilet before,” said Binsky, clearly surprised.

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She then showed him the air conditioner and a washing machine. “We have a room up there where one person can sleep. Our clothes are up there,” said Divya as she climbed up using a wall-mounted ladder to show a small closet, pillows, a gas cylinder and a water tank.

A cheerful Divya gives a tour of her home (Photo: Drew Binsky/Facebook)

“We keep our clothes here. Pillows are here. There’s a water tank. We store water,” shared Divya.

Notably, Dharavi has a vast network of small-scale industries, including textiles, pottery, recycling, and leather, which is why it is a prominent economic hub of Mumbai.

When Binsky asked her what it’s like to live in such a tiny place, seemingly a 4×4 meter room, Divya responded without a pause, “Your heart has to be big. That’s it. We are small, but we are happy. We are with the family. We eat together, we sleep together. Everything is together.”

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Left speechless, Binsky shared, “I love that”, as he asked her if she had any message to share. “Be happy. Be yourself and love yourself first,” a confident Divya said.

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