Six new facts or issues: A. Stereotypes (page 107)- assumptions of what people are like, whether true or false a. This definition fits perfectly with how the outside communities, business, tourist, and governments view the little “town” of Dharvi. To the outside world Dharvi is a despicable place. Its filled with one million poor individuals. These individuals live in illegal shacks and often are victim of work abuse, like sweat shops. Dharvi is the “recycling center of Mumbai” so one would assume it is a massive waste deposit. Many make out this entire area to be a slum. Now when thinking of slum you would think the worst of the worst. But there and entire society and underlying life style that most do not care to look deeper into. Yes Dharvi is practically a landfill, but without those who work doing all of the recycling Mumbai would have a major problem. Families in Dharvi have been working for this recycling business for generations and generations. It has become, for most, their way of life. They wake up and work until they fall asleep. Do the people of Dharvi lose hope? No. Most of the people who work for this business are doing so to provide food for their families, help out with charities, send their children to school, or even to make something of themselves. Dharvi, on the surface, is looked at as a slum; it’s beneath the surface that counts the most. Dharvi is made up of individuals who have a dream to become something. They want to make a lot of money, provide for their families, make it into show business, or even own businesses. They are just like us. Striving to do what’s best for themselves and their families. Even though they get little to nothing there are some who go out of their way to help with charities or other families in their community. They are good hearted people who, because of certain circumstances, are portrayed as “scum of the earth” and remain that way because individuals outside of Dharvi will not bother to look underneath. (345 words)

B. Norms (page 45)-expectations of “right” behavior b. Personally I felt the term norms were a substantial part of this video. The people of Dharvi have a norm of working as hard as they can. When they wake up they head off to work. In some sections of town they can be anything from teachers, “rag-pickers”, bakers, or even potters. Though they are limited to what they can actually do they all work extremely hard. Many in this community had to work from the time they were little to adulthood because their families could not afford to send them to school. When they started having families they worked even harder so they could send their kids to school to have a chance that they did not get. They want the next generation to do better for themselves and make something of their selves. If this means they have to work extremely long shifts in terrible conditions most will do it. It is a norm in this community to want to succeed. In all reality that is a norm that is noticed universally. Some who have worked extremely hard have made realized and reached their success. They own their own businesses, are able to send their children to school and have even helped in the community. The part that stuck out the most to me was the fact that even though some have reached their success (those who became Slumdog millionaires) have continued living in Dharvi to remind themselves of where they came from. The video allowed us a behind the scenes look into Dharvi’s heart (its people). In America we view a norm as having a roof over our head, food on the table, and for most our basic needs are taken care of. In Dharvi they eat one meal a day, typically don’t have their own room, they have dirt floors, and some/most cannot go to school. They scrape by and are happy and content with what they have. In some cases I wish I grew up in Dharvi , so I knew what it was like to struggle (though I grew up somewhat similar) but I had my basic needs taken care of. (367 words)

C. Cultural Relativism (page 38) – not judging a culture but trying to understand it on its own terms c. The video “The Dharvi Project” was created to help those of Mumbai understand the cultural relativism of Dharvi. Though the video tried its best to show everyone the good aspects of Dharvi there are some bad aspects as well. Many of the people in Mumbai see and know Dharvi for its bad aspects. That is why the Acorn Foundation made this video. It wanted to provide everyone with the knowledge that Dharvi is actually good. Dharvi originated from a swamp that was filled in and is located between two railways. In Dharvi alone (only one square mile) there are one million people, which is 5% of Mumbai’s entire population. In this small area homes and businesses are stack on top of each other and right against each other, it is a “densely packed mini city”. Regardless of how packed and close everything is, it is very different from the city of Mumbai. Residents of Dharvi struggle daily to become something, stay alive and healthy along with providing for their families. This is a burden that few know the hard truth about it. In America many struggle to do the same thing but can easily come by handout or someone willing to help. That is a large difference between Dharvi and Mumbai. Those of Mumbai live a privileged life compared to those of Dharvi and view Dharvi residents as poor and scum. This is where cultural relativism comes into play. I believe this was a main reason for the creation of “The Dharvi Project”. The producers wanted to open the eyes of the public to realize they should not destroy Dharvi to develop it and to show that Dharvi really isn’t that much of a slum but more of a place to grow. (313 words)

D. Counterculture (page 48) – a group whose values, beliefs, norms and related behaviors place its members in opposition to the broader culture d. When one group of people have to struggle every day for the most simple things compared to another group receiving them easily it can create a counterculture. The differences between these two cultures vary greatly. Though in the back of their mind they have the same goals, such as becoming rich, they vary on the micro level. For those of Mumbai their micro level is more of a sale at a store, what to have for breakfast, or what clothes to wear. They are like us Americans. They have so many options yet take it for granted. When it comes to Dharvi their micro level deals more with is my house stable, can I afford my child going to school, are they going to get a disease by trash picking, or can I put food on the table tonight? It is a massive eye opening situation. We take the simplest things for granted. We go to school; we have a family, food, and so many opportunities. They don’t. When watching this video I actually felt fairly guilty. I can get annoyed by not getting a close enough parking space yet they have so little and can be happy. The culture in Dharvi is absolutely remarkable. Regardless of all the hazardous situations (diseases, exposed needles, chemicals, heat exhaustion and so much more) they still work as hard as they can for as long as they can. Even though they receive very little (roughly five dollars a day) they are extremely hard workers. They stay dedicated to whatever they set their mind to. It’s this hard work and dedication that allows them the opportunity to succeed. If by chance they do succeed they will most likely stay living in Dharvi for two reasons. The first is to stay close to their business and the second is to remind them daily where they came from and to help other around them realize and achieve their dreams. (348 words)

E. Core Values (page 49) – the values that are a central of a group, those around which it builds a common identity. e. When faced with a problem what is your natural reaction? Would you face it head on or run away? The residents of Dharvi bravely face every obstacle head on because they have no other option. Though most of them would face a problem head on anyways, others would probably like to run away. Dharvi is called the heart of the city. This shines through in so many different ways. I’ve talked previously about their dedication and good work ethic but what I haven’t touched on is their heart and passion. Some of them are able to send their children to school. For a parent to be able to do that is substantial and deserves a round of applause. Instead of saving for a rainy day (when they only earn five dollars a day which accumulates to be roughly one hundred to one hundred and fifty a month) they invest their money in their children. In the video we observed a mother and daughters relationship. To be able to watch how passionate the mother was with helping her daughter study and get good marks was remarkable. Another part with passion and heart is when they are completely dedicated to what they do. Instead of just going through the day doing their job they will work as hard as they can and as passionately so they do a good job (this was shown in the potters’ scene). Even though trash picking or recycling seems simple to us, those in Dharvi take it one step further. In Dharvi they will separate the different types of plastic but then they move on and separate the different colors along with other types of material that can be recycled. This business alone produces over one million dollars’ worth of goods each day. (319 words)

F. Gemeinschaft (page 101) – a type of society in which life is intimate; a community in which everyone knows everyone else and people share a sense of togetherness. f. I fully understand that everyone know one another in a community of one million is a bit outrageous but the part of the definition that stuck out to me was “people share a sense of togetherness”. What else could bring people closer together than growing up with the same background, working in the same fields, and having the same ambitions and goals? I would say any other choices would have a lower level of togetherness. In this community they have to overcome many burdens and hardships in order to live an everyday life. Since Mumbai wants to level Dharvi many have to worry about where they will live or what will they do if Mumbai chooses to follow through. Due to their economic standing most will end up having nowhere to turn. In Dharvi there is very poor plumbing. For every fourteen hundred residents there is only one toilet. With only one toilet many go outside which leads to the wide spread of diseases and increases the chance of getting these diseases. When it comes to running water one tap is shared between fifteen different families. The tap is only on for two hours a day so while it is your turn for the tap you need to collect enough water to last you the entire day. Electricity varies greatly or is considered illegal at times. Even though these are major hardship for the resident of Dharvi they still work hard to try and fit in with the Mumbai society. Dharvi has twelve schools (which are run by the state, charities, and the community); eleven mosques, twenty-eight temples, and six churches. Regardless of situations they still are close and maintain close relationship either within their little area or with those they work. The closest relationship of those of family. Generation after generation have held the same job and passed down secrets to one another. All of these things have one thing in common… and that would be the residents of Dharvi. They all live through the same situations and work as hard as they can to get as much as they do. (383 words)

Three New vocabulary terms: a. Slumdog Millionaire- one who grew up in the slums but against all odds and by working extremely hard has become a millionaire. b. Rag Pickers- individuals who work in the recycling business and sort all of the trash c. Cumbo Wartro- potters

Multiple Choice Questions:
1.) The term “slums” is used to describe those living in Dharvi. This is called a ________? A. Generalization B. Cultural relativism C. Positivism D. Sociological perspective
*The answer is A. It is a generalization because it is applied to the entire group living in Dharvi (page 8)
2.) Some of the workers in Dharvi would be considered a __________? A. worker B. bourgeoisie C. proletariat D. slave
*The answer is C. Proletariats are defined as the exploited class (the mass of workers who do not own the means of production) (page 11) 3.) The reason why everyone work so hard in Dharvi could be defined by __________?
A. values
B. social facts
C. subjective meanings
D. objectivity
*The answer is B. Although many of these could work social facts is defined as “Durkheims term for a groups patterns of behavior” (page 15)
4.) The community of Dharvi has what type of culture? A. intermittent B. material C. diverse D. nonmaterial
*the answer is D. Dharvi is a very poor community and nonmaterial culture is based more on how the group thinks and what they do (page 36)