Chawls of Mumbai: Cradles of Community, Culture, and Urban Transformation

By Avani Sinkar, TYBA

 In 1661, Mumbai was given to the English crown by the Portuguese and in 1668, it was leased to the East India Company for the establishment of industries. In those times, Mumbai was the amalgamation of seven islands. In the 1850s, the city became a textile mill hub which consequently gave rise to chawls (low-cost worker housing) everywhere. Poverty caused many working and lower-middle-class people to live in slums rather than costly homes, closer to industrial areas and societal segregation came into being. Public transport, consisting of local railways, trams and buses was introduced by the British, which helped facilitate suburban expansion. But at first it was largely confined to better off sections of the society. Over time, industrialization and migration caused a population influx, increasing chawl and slum development in Mumbai and nearby areas.

Though they were initially meant for blue and white collared workers, chawls encouraged people of similar background to live in close proximity. Thereby, creating strong community bonding. Gradually these chawls became a locus for social interaction and cultural interchange. People from Rajasthan and Gujarat brought with them their craft of wall murals and hangings.Migrants from far off lands of the Konkan coast of Maharashtra,brought their expressive forms of folk and performing arts -theater, music and dance.They were also nodes for local political and social movements-mainly the freedom movement of India, movement against a separate Bombay state,the push for Maharashtra as a separate linguistic state, Dalit Panther's movement about caste discrimination. All these campaigns built a strong community with an element of activism. However with the increase in population, crowding worsened and slum settlements proliferated which only led to advanced segregation of the city and its problems. In the 20th century, chawls in Mumbai- constructed primarily as cheap housing for workers in the mills, emerged as a fulcrum of political activity.Political discussions and meetings often took place in shared spaces like corridors and verandahs, where ideas on workers' rights, social justice, and independence were exchanged.  This system of residence, whom thousands would call home, nourished a kinship between the workers facilitated further political and social changes.

Chawls are structures with four stories and around 10-12 rooms on each floor, each of which is occupied by a family of 4-5 members. To save space, many families make some modifications to their small kholis such as open kitchenettes, lofts and foldable furniture. Corridors are essentially an extension of the living space where housing benches and furniture is kept. Wadis are playgrounds where festival celebrations take place. There is effervescent communal life in the chawls with an unspoken rule that main doors are always open. If the door is closed it only means that the family is not at home.The mingling scents waft, from various kitchens and pique curiosity about the dishes being prepared and it is quite common for people to join in without any hesitation. As evening sets in, elderly residents gather around their porches engaging in debates spanning topics like politics, movies etc. The soft murmurs heard during these porch discussions are not considered disruptions but rather a part of the collective space, for community interaction. 

The chawls, in Mumbai have a bond with the culture of theater and drama prevalent in the city.The knit communities and shared living spaces provided a setting, for storytelling,folk performances and various forms of dramatic arts.Local performances often took place in the courtyards,giving residents a platform to showcase their creativity. Over time chawls evolved into a nurturing hub for theatre personalities and actors.In the Marathi theatre industry, the performances frequently mirrored the challenges and dreams of the common people- tackling themes ranging from financial struggles to societal frictions faced by the community members.The blending of life and artistic expression, in this community nurtured a culture where theatrical performances were not shows but portrayal of the chawl residents’ actual experiences and struggles.Through this environment some notable actors and playwrights rose to prominence taking the essence of chawl based theatre to the audiences. Marathi plays like ‘Wada Chirebandi’ and ‘Ek Shoonya Teen’ give a glimpse of how people in chawls managed their cramped spaces and lived life together. There also emerged films like ‘Dagdi Chawl’ and ‘Double Seat’ which explored the themes of chawl life, its hardships, exploring issues such as socio-economic challenges and the desire for a better life.Hindi films like ‘Slumdog Millionaire’, ‘Agneepath’, ‘Citylights’, ‘Munna bhai M.B.B.S.’ ‘Ghulam’ etc also seem to be inspired from the Chawl System and the living conditions of the middle class people. 

Additionally, festival celebrations are an important factor associated with the social life in the Chawls.During festivals such as Ganesh Chaturthi, Diwali, and Holi, Chawls are brightly decorated with lights and decorations along with lots of enthusiasm from the members. Neighbors help in arranging programs, setting up community idols and various performances. Members of the community exchange sweets and food, and often participate in processions. All these activities are all aimed at enhancing more friendly relations in the society. Today, the chawls in Mumbai may be in a degraded condition but for many generations, they have been a source of affordable housing for low-income workers and their families which flew to Mumbai.

The chawls are set to go under the knife and would be replaced by towering apartments as per the urban makeover plans. This redevelopment signals the end of such low-income housing practices in the central parts of Mumbai and the remarkable culture of both haves and have-nots sharing the same space  but also having their own distinct neighborhoods. Another reason linked to the decline of the chawls, was the 1947 Act on the Control of Rent Hotel and Lodging House Rates which sought to guarantee constant rents irrespective of inflation and rising property values. This drastically reduced investment in the upkeep of the chawls, causing many families to leave due to unsafe living conditions. 

Because of the prime locations of the luxuriant old Mumbai chawls,it is apparent that demolition and packing away of the residents is inescapable. The government’s development plan entails constructing high-rise buildings of forty floors, temporarily relocating the residents and developing subsidized housing to private investors on a section of the land while, on the other side luxury apartments would be built. 

Critics contend that the very new high-rise structures that are to replace the old decaying buildings might easily be overly crowded and unattractive as the old ones, if not worse, and may even be detrimental to the health of the people. Residents too voiced that they were worried about the building’s future upkeep, its cost and whether this will result in the eviction of low rent tenants. In addition, many of the housing lots designated for affordable homes in Mumbai have not seen much action, which has triggered other fears. 

While the city modernizes, it leaves behind its long entrenched policy of people living in close geographical proximity irrespective of their social or economic class contexts, where working class men and women living in chawls supported their families with low wages and professional practitioners working in affluent suburbs used to fit in this picture.