Remember the famous scene from Munnabhai MBBS where a Chinese tourist asks Circuit to show him the ‘real India, poor India’? He insisted on visiting the dhobi ghat and slums in Mumbai. Cut to 2019, when Asia’s largest slum Dharavi is featured on the list of Top 10 Travellers’ Choice Experiences In Asia.
The Chinese tourist’s notion about ‘real India’ made Circuit furious and this list has a similar effect on us! Moreover, much to our surprise, the iconic monument of love, Taj Mahal, which is boastfully a part of the seven wonders of the world consistently since years lands nowhere on the list.
The list issued by Trip Advisor, called Top 10 Travellers’ Choice Experiences 2019 (Asia category) had Dharavi slums from Mumbai on No. 10. Delhi’s popular heritage walk, old Delhi bazaar tour, half-day Bollywood tour too did not find any place on the list, reports Financial Express.
Here’s the complete list in the Asia category-
- Best of Ubud Tour with Jungle Swing – Ubud, Indonesia
- Xi’an Evening Food Tour by TukTuk – Xi’an, China
- Beijing Hutong Food and Beer Tour by Tuk Tuk – Beijing, China
- Thai and Akha Cooking Class in Chiang Mai – Chiang Mai, Thailand
- Small-Group Hanoi Street Food Tour with a Real Foodie – Hanoi, Vietnam
- Small-Group Tokyo Biking Tour – Roppongi, Japan
- History of Cu Chi Tunnels by Luxury Speedboat – Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
- Full-day Small-Group Angkor Wat Tour from Siem Reap – Siem Reap, Cambodia
- Krabi Sunset Cruises – Ao Nang, Thailand
- Dharavi Slum Small-Group Tour in Mumbai – Mumbai, India
Dharavi slum is characterized as a hub for millions of people coexisting amidst half-assed infrastructure mostly under extreme financial crisis. The narrow alleyways of the slum flaunt authentic pottery and leather shops that are some major ‘tourist attractions’.
Dharavi is also home to several supremely talented kids who are budding artists. They greet the tourists with their B-boying and hip-hop moves, songs and rap.
Films like Slumdog Millionaire and most recently Gully Boy have boosted the tourism in Dharavi slums. Though it is a must-visit place owing to all the above-mentioned things, the slums ranking No. 10 on the charts of tourist attractions in India has got us worried. Is this what foreigners think about our country? Is inquisitively touring the life of those less fortunate for fun, ethical?
Tourists preferring a whiff of the cramped and underdeveloped parts of India over heritage monuments like Taj Mahal may be just because that’s what their idea of the ‘real India’ truly is. It begs a compelling question about what the world wrongly presumes is the true charm of our nation. What do you think is the true essence of India?