The Indian release of Danny Boyle's film Slumdog Millionaire is today. Much has been written about the film, about the graphic depiction of poverty and of daily life in a Mumbai slum.
We came across a series of photos taken by Dai Sugano of the Mercury News in and around a Mumbai slum. Sugano is an Emmy award winning photojournalist and senior multimedia editor at the San Jose Mercury News.
This is what Sugano said about his experience in Mumbai:
"Mercury News Staff Writer John Boudreau and I spent nearly a month in India last year working on a series of articles about that country's economic boom and extensive ties to Silicon Valley.
About one-third of the world's poor people live in India. More than 450 million Indians exist on less than $1.25 a day, according to the World Bank.
More than 6 million of those desperately poor Indians live in Mumbai, representing about half the residents of the nation's financial hub. They dwell in gigantic slums and roadside shanties that press up against the shimmering high-rises that serve as the most conspicuous symbols of India's new affluence.
These photos show what that other Mumbai — the one still waiting for prosperity — looks like up close. Inside Dharavi, one of the city's mega-slums, I watched a child play with a kite on a windy day. The scene looked normal, except that his playground was an enormous pile of garbage.
At another slum, I watched mothers and children with grimy hands pick through wet mounds of rubbish. They fended off starvation by recycling scraps of metal and plastic, earning less than a dollar a day."
Here are just two of the amazing photos
Here are just two of the amazing photos
It is absolutely true that there is a horrid picture of want and povery behind the skyscrappers of India.Those who speak aloft that India is soon going to be a super power are either blind or pretend to be blind to the stark realities of life In India.By proclaiming 'India shining' a hundred times India will never shine. Let the Goverment first seek out ways to remove the evils of poverty and illiteracy from India. Well, food is more imporant to the hungry millions than computers and internet. A book titled Planet India by Meera Kamdar throws ample light on the contrasting aspects of life seen in this country.
Hi Joseph,
Yes, India has many contradictions. While the government has a responsibility so does each one of us -- to our little bit to make things better for those left behind.
Poor Indian people have really hard life. Thanks for this truthful movie. Then I watched I cried. U recommend download Slumdog Millionaire and watch.
Many people want to associate themselves with millionaire phobia. That's why such game shows are popular. They are satisfied to see what they could not achieve in real life. They see it as a great opportunity to become a millionaire.
Millionaire Matchmaker
Slumdog millionaire reflects the aspirations of many people including poor and middle class. The picture can't actually change the real situation. The millionaires, as in Europe should come forward to contribute more through tax.
Millionairemate