A Different Perspective

"It was hard for me to transition from seeing the poverty of the shanytowns and squatters outside to seeing the wealth of the fancy tea rooms and spas inside. "

By Caitlin Grey
May 25, 2007

Youth Radio's Caitlin Grey shares her experience of visiting Mumbai, India. The city has a population of over 16 million people, over 50% of which live in shantytowns or on the street. Caitlin explains the large gap between the rich and the poor, and her response to transitioning between what she saw as such extremes.

I’ve lived in the suburbs all my life, and I haven’t really been exposed to high concentrations of urban poverty. Of course, I’ve seen people who can’t afford the basic necessities – the homeless and the hungry, but I first became face to face with poverty when my dad decided to take my mom and me to Mumbai, India. The city has over 16 million people – over 50% of which live in shantytowns or on the streets.

At first I was shocked by all the shantytowns of makeshift shelters made from corrugated scrap metal and blue tarps. I just felt sorry for the squatters and the homeless, and I would stare sadly. Most of the poor lived with no electricity, plumbing, or good water. There were cattle and stray dogs roaming around, eating from mountainous piles of trash on the streets.

The most upscale place we visited was the Taj Mahal Hotel. I had never seen such an obviously large gap between the “rich” and the “poor.” Everything there was so glamorous – there was a mini-mall on the bottom floor and attendants everywhere to help hotel customers. It was hard for me to transition from seeing the poverty of the shanytowns and squatters outside to seeing the wealth of the fancy tea rooms and spas inside.

As we would walk down the streets outside, people stared at us and asked for money. Thinking back to being inside the Taj Mahal Hotel, the gap between poverty and wealth started to make me feel guilty. I started smiling and waving at people and giving away as much money as possible. What was the money to me? No drink at lunch? No souvenirs for my friends? I felt like I was helping out the squatters’ conditions at least a little bit, for the moment.

But I wanted to take my help beyond just some coins. I wanted education, food, water, electricity, plumbing, clothing, and real homes to be available to them. I have always been concerned about poverty and social justice, but being in Mumbai almost pushed me to be a better person...at least during my visit. There, it wasn’t so easy to ignore the poverty that exists in the world. I felt much more obliged to help out and to do something for the people around me.

Now, as time passes and my memories of Mumbai fade, I still feel somewhat of a duty to serve the impoverished international community. Since I’ve gotten back, I've seriously considered studying abroad in India during my college years, and majoring in International Relations. And in the meantime, before I have the opportunity to head back to India for a second time, I’ve been researching international poverty organizations to volunteer with during the summer.

Anyone who is able to should visit a place with extreme poverty in their lives - who knows what it could bring out in them?