A discarded blue plastic drum,a broken yellow bucket,a used oil can and other trashed items come to life in a classroom at Mahims Xavier Institute of Engineering in Mumbai. A discarded blue plastic drum,a broken yellow bucket,a used oil can and other trashed items come to life in a classroom at Mahims Xavier Institute of Engineering in Mumbai. Using sticks carved out of branches,a group of youngsters,between nine and 20,breaks into an orchestral performance,lending vocals to their own beats. They are practising for a song that will be part of their own music album in association with Blue Frog. Most of these youngsters are residents of Dharavi,so the album will be titled Dharavi Rocks, says their teacher,indie musician Abhijit Jejurikar,who is also training them for a performance at the upcoming Bandstand Revival project. Elsewhere,in Dharavi,Deepak Suresh Kunchekorve gathers a bunch of children from the neighbourhood in a barely furnished hall to train them in kung fu. During his three-hour sessions,he breaks off every now and then to lecture them on career options after schooling. At the same time,a batch of 15 young boys is headed for their Malakhamba class. A few others look forward to a photography workshop,planned by an NGO in the coming week. In Dharavi,one of the worlds largest slums,and what author Katherine Boo describes as Mumbais profound and juxtaposed inequality in her recent book Beyond the Beautiful Forevers,a parallel subculture is slowly coming into its own in an otherwise squalid story of poverty and missed opportunities. Youngsters,mostly in their teens,are getting lessons in life skills and learning to look beyond their disadvantaged start in society. Acorn Foundation India,which works to protect the interests of Dharavis informal recycling industry,is hoping to create a generation of literate and employed children. We teach them everyday English,music,dance,mathematics,football and things of practical use. It is informal,since we dont have the resources to set up a school, says Vinod Shetty,honorary director,Acorn. Artist Himanshu of Bombay Underground,a platform for art and creative social exchange,is training 14 Dharavi children in drawing,painting and photography. He recently hosted an exhibition of their works,in association with the NGO Reality Gives,at Bandras False Ceiling art gallery. "Art is an excuse to keep them occupied. We educate them informally and empower them through other parallel projects," says Summer Starr,executive director,Reality Gives. Urbanist Prasad Shetty,who did a research project on Dharavi a few years ago,fears that it is a fleeting phenomenon. There is little accountability without government involvement. Let us not be excited prematurely without seeing the results," he says. Rahul Srivastava and Matias Echanove,founding partners of URBZ,an organisation that works with people from ghettos and slums to improve urban practices,says the success of Danny Boyles film Slumdog Millionaire has much to do with it. We are capitalising on the interest to do something for these children, says Srivastava,You keep them away from the ways of the streets by engaging them creatively and also help nurture confidence and skill. The workshops inculcate social awareness. Art sessions often introduce the youth to concepts such as water recycling,ecology,waste management,hygiene and health. The extracurricular activities also require little financial investment. We host workshops conducted by international artistes and bands playing at Blue Frog. But on regular days,we train them in modifying junk into musical instruments so that they never feel that music is beyond their means," Jejurikar says. The motive,most say,is to make these youngsters independent. After working closely with children at Dharavi,URBZ has now distanced itself from their daily activities. "We trained the volunteers and helped them develop contacts with other NGOs and support groups. They dont need us anymore at a micro level," says Echanove. Research organisation PUKAR is planning a two-year programme to train some of these youngsters in multimedia so that they can tell their own stories and mentor others. The idea to nurture mentors from within the Dharavi community has already borne fruit. Kunchekorve,a Dharavi resident,runs free kung fu classes. I provide them with uniforms and help them audition for reality shows. I want to be to the children the guide I missed in my own life," says the 22-year-old. His student Rohit Pardeshi recently cleared the audition for an upcoming TV show and a film with Abhishek Bachchan in the lead. Like Pardeshi,several Dharavi youngsters are training in various forms of dance and martial arts,and finding employment with choreography troupes in and around Mumbai. Since the aim is to operate at a grassroot level,the results are slow,but unmistakable. Salman Mohammad laughs as he recollects his days as a tapori. I was a school dropout with a hot head and a knack for picking pockets. I would be out on the streets through the day with my friends,courting trouble for the heck of it. Four years ago,a friend introduced me to the daily dance workshops at Xavier and I became a regular, says Mohammad,who now works as an office boy at a local firm. Guddu,16,attended school at the local mosque till class five. I didnt understand what they taught and failed every year,but they kept promoting me to the next class, he says. When he eventually joined a municipality-run school,Guddu fell behind despite his willingness to learn. I stopped going to school and instead made money by stealing metal scraps," he says. Acorn put him in a workshop and now he is employed as a delivery boy with an export company. "I hate being at home. I love these workshops and office because people there are nice and they teach me how to operate the computer,read and write," says the young boy,who is also learning to play the drums. Working closely with these youth comes with its own problems. Dropout rates are high,owing to parental pressure and the necessity to earn. Getting girls to participate in these workshops is particularly difficult,as they are expected to do the housework. Frequent relocation ensures that many leave the workshops half way through. But those who stay on clearly benefit. They are toughened by their daily struggle to survive on the streets. When they join something,they give it their best shot, says actor Vidyut Jamwal. A trained martial artiste,he chanced upon Sunil Sawant,a broom seller by day and a shadow fighter by night. Impressed by his skill,Jamwal inducted him in his kalaripayattu troupe. Now,several youths from the neighbourhood work with him,doing martial art shows and helping out in film projects like the 2011 film,Force.
