A slum with a thousand smiles

I was much like an eager beaver as i happily strolled into the slum, amidst the urban Shadipur setting, but i walked out speechless and in awe at what i just witnessed. Hundreds, or maybe thousands, of (young children) roaming around naked, or with torn-and-tattered dribs and drabs of cloth, barefooted, limping, with bloated tummies, hair bleached to an unhealthy light brown due to malnutrition and bowed legs due to Rickets (Vit. D deficiency), some are relaxing - stretched across the muddy ground, and some fiddling with their prosthetic legs due to Leprosy and sensory loss. I visited a school that was built by a Belgian NGO to educate slum children. They welcomed me with a garland and a sprinkling of flower petals and an applause that still rings in my ear. I was moved. I was enthusiastically greeted by a "Namaste! Welcome to India, Didi (sister)!" They will then voluntarily begin introducing themselves in English. "Hello, what is your name? My name is so-and-so." They all wanted a piece of me like I was a rare slice of meat up for grabs. They all wanted to be in my pictures. But more importantly, I only saw them smiling, from ear to ear - since i arrived, till the minute i left. As i took a tour around the slum, my eyes met with those of the wide-eyed, full of curiosity and full of spark. I was stunned to see the living conditions. A small shabby hut, some made of only straw, only 1 room, with 2-7 people living in it, a wooden bed, and that's where they sleep/cook/eat/study/and everything else in between. The stench from the choked streams left me slightly woozy. The garbage dump was never cleared that it turned into a massive landfill.

One girl remarked, "We live in fear of the house collapsing in the rain." Others said, "I want to be Miss India." "I want to be a lawyer." and "I want to be a teacher." I don't think I am capable of translating my experience accurately but these quotes are the exact sentiment i took away with me. The juxtaposition of fear and hope - Living in so much fear, yet, equally as much hope.

Take a look at how a room looks like:

This is how part of the slum looks like: