On a cloudy afternoon, Helena Schätzle strikes a pose. With rocks in the background at State Art Gallery, the German photographer is amazed at the Deccani landscape. While her photographs titled ‘Dharavi’ are being displayed at the gallery, Helena traces her connection with India which began in Malaysia! “Curiosity brought me to India,” she reveals. “I was in Malaysia and was really excited to see many Indians there. I enjoyed the culture, food and temple visits and decided to come to India,” she says and adds with a smile, “After discovering India, I never went anywhere else.”
In a span of 12 years, she has visited India 15 times. With most of the time in Mumbai, she has been all over the country — from Maharashtra, Punjab and Bihar to Jharkhand, Assam and Tamil Nadu. “I have been to rural areas in Telangana but this is my first visit to Hyderabad .”
High on entrepreneurship
Stepping into Dharavi, one of the largest slums was also a move out of curiosity. “After my first visit, I came back for a high profile German economic magazine to find out about the economy in Dharavi; Despite being a very big slum, it is also a huge industry on its own. Entrepreneurship is really high as people earn and give a good education to their children; it is the centre of Mumbai and the land is also worth a lot,” she points out.
Recycling industry
Armed with her camera, she visited different shops, working spaces, recycling and leather industries at Dharavi. “The recycling industry has many surprises,” she shares. “I met this group of women who came to Dharavi because there was no water in their village. They spend six months in Mumbai, earn enough for their children’s education and return to their village. These women collect the garbage and sell it to places where it is shredded, melted and made like balls. The women told me these balls are then exported to China to produce my clothes,” she states with a laugh. The exhibition brings to fore the skilled sector with photos of people doing different jobs along with comments by some Dharavi residents. “The power of people is incredible and I also appreciate the way they fight for their rights, the way they come together. I met so many smart young people including Ph.D holders,” she states. Each time she visits the place, a new facet of Dharavi is unveiled. “The place is expanding and families are growing. In small cubicle-like rooms, there are different levels and people have televisions and computers too. In some areas, high-rise buildings have come up where there used to be houses.”
She says the exhibition is not just an attempt to showcase a way of life but also their survival instinct. “You can look at the pictures from different angles. The focus is to show how people make ends meet, make the best use of what they have. Families which started with small businesses have grown bigger and bigger. I am showing the informal yet organised way of living.”
As a parting shot, she adds that Dharavi reflects the India’s growth story. “It shows what is happening all over India. The jobs people do are very creative and small time businesses are expanding into something much bigger; everyone wants to do something.”