Experience New Delhi Beyond the Tourist’s Trail

By Chin Liang Teh
GoNOMAD Senior Writer

“Slum? Isn’t that the kind of place you should avoid?”

“’Are you sure it’s safe?”

“’Isn’t it a waste of time?”

Are these responses familiar to you when you mention visiting a slum? In the coming years, we might see a paradigm shift in how people think about slums. Slum tourism is a growing phenomenon.

The 2008 film Slumdog Millionaire brought global attention to life in the Dharavi slum of Mumbai. Some believe the film even sparked a new interest in slum tourism.

Visiting a Slum Goes Beyond Adventure

In the southeastern part of New Delhi, the capital of India, lies Sanjay Colony, a sprawling slum stretching across 25 acres.

It may seem like an area you might want to avoid, but with a walking tour, a guide can introduce you to the unseen facets of Delhi that you won’t find in travel brochures.

Best of all, the journey through these uncharted alleys, which most people find intimidating, could be the highlight of your trip to Delhi.

“We want to show people the blend of businesses in the colony (slum) and the strong sense of community in the colony,” Krishna Pujari says.

Krishna Pujari is a co-founder of Reality Tours & Travel, known for their slum tours that aim to challenge stereotypes and shed light on slum communities. The company conducts tours in both Dharavi in Mumbai and Sanjay Colony in New Delhi.

From a Forest to a Slum

Sanjay Colony is a slum complex with multiple blocks, alphabetized from A to I. Each block contains 600–700 dwellings and accommodates a total population of around 50,000 people. Krishna prefers to call it a “colony” rather than a “slum.”

The colony saw an influx of arrivals in the late 1960s, when it was still a swath of forest, and people started putting up their houses,” Krishna explains. The residents generally come from the states of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Haryana, and the neighboring country of Nepal.

“Sanjay Colony is a government-recognized slum,” says Krishna. “For an area to be recognized as a slum, a survey has to be conducted to estimate the number of residents and determine how many years they have lived there.”

Recognized Slums Receive Government Aid

Government-recognized slums are entitled to government aid. They receive basic utilities like water delivered through pipelines and tankers, electricity, waste collection, and public toilets.

“30–40% of residents have established a water connection from the government main pipeline on the main road to their homes,” Krishna adds. 

The water supply runs for 30 to 45 minutes every day, either in the morning or evening, for residents to collect and store in blue barrels for later use. Those without water pipes rely on barrels to collect water from tankers. An estimated 50 to 60 tankers roll into the colony each day.

The convenient access to metro stations and bustling commercial areas makes Sanjay Colony perfect for a tour. The tour starts at Rajiv Chowk Metro Station or Harkesh Nagar Okhla Metro Station and ends at Harkesh Nagar Okhla Metro Station.

A Productive Community Deeply Rooted in Religion

The first stop is the fabric sorting plant, where mountains of used clothing materials wait to be sorted. The sorted materials are then further processed to transform into stuffing for toys and components for carpets and rugs. In the plant, women work long hours separating, cutting, and sorting recycling materials, their hands moving in a relentless whirlwind of labor.

The work is grueling and repetitive, but they keep going, driven by their desire to provide their families with a better life, education, and a brighter future outside of the slum.

“The word ‘slum’ often conjures images of poverty and laziness, but the reality in these communities is far more diverse. Sanjay is home to people from all walks of life, including those with deep roots in the community and others working in various industries,” says Krishnan. “We want to show people the strong bonds and the productive lives that define this community.”

Religion is a pillar of the community. It influences the lives of residents and shapes the neighborhood’s character. Even with limited space, almost every house has a small Hindu shrine built into the walls. While Hinduism is the predominant religion, the area is also home to a diverse range of religions: Muslims, Sikhs, Buddhists, and Christians.

“Daily prayers to their gods offer them peace, guidance, and hope in the face of the harsh circumstances,” Krishnan mentions.

Sensory Overload from the Chaotic Charm

Visitors follow the guide through a maze of alleys filled with sights, sounds, and smells that encapsulate the spirit of the colony. A chaotic cacophony throws them into the heart of action: clinics, shops, and public spaces intermingle with overflowing vegetable markets. Cattle, stray dogs, honking motorbikes, and water trucks all jostle for space in the narrow confines of the neighborhood. 

“What often tugs at the heartstrings of visitors most are the children. Despite the challenges presented to them, the children always remain cheerful. The way their eyes light up with joy and curiosity when they see us is priceless. All they want is a friendly handshake—a gesture that bridges the gap between their world and ours,” Krishna says. 

At a clinic, visitors get to learn about the health challenges faced by the community. Dysentery is common in the colony due to a lack of clean water.

An English Learning Center for Local Children

The tour wraps up at the office of Reality Gives, a local NGO that collaborates with Reality Tours & Travel. There, visitors learn about the positive impact of their tour participation—80% of tour profits go towards English education for local children. While all children attend the government school, the NGO also runs a tuition center to help them improve their English skills.  

“The tour company was founded with the aim of raising funds for community projects. Eighty percent of all tour profits go to Reality Gives, supporting educational projects in Dharavi, Sanjay Colony, and a village in Uttar Pradesh called Naujheel. Reality Gives is our own NGO, registered in 2009.”

To get a sense of the scale and panorama of the slum, visitors climb a narrow staircase to the rooftop of the NGO building. From above, the vast expanse of the community stretches out in full view—flags fly haphazardly above the mismatched, colorful dwellings crisscrossed with a web of laundry lines.

Is Slum Tourism a Profit-Driven Voyeurism?

Slum tourism has sparked controversy due to ethical concerns surrounding the exploitation of poverty and the intrusion into privacy for profit. However, Krishna has a different view on this.

“Treating residents with dignity and respect is our primary concern,” Krishna emphasizes. “We constantly remind visitors not to take photos during the tour. We also cap our tours at six people, and we ask participants to dress modestly for cultural sensitivity.”

Another unique aspect of the tours is that many of the guides are local residents. Growing up there, their deep understanding provides visitors with an authentic picture of everyday life in the slum. At times, the tour feels less like a guided tour and more like the guide bringing friends home for a visit.

The guides move through the colony like celebrities, warmly welcomed and embraced by relatives and friends at every corner. They will lead visitors to a house where the aroma of curry and spices wafts from the kitchen. One by one, the host will bring out the dishes, inviting everyone to pull up a chair and share a simple lunch.

A typical lunch includes rice served alongside lentil/bean soup (with kidney beans, black lentils, and yellow lentils), seasonal vegetable curry, and a sweet rice and milk dessert. Bottled water is provided to visitors during the meal, and all food is prepared using distilled water.

Safety in Sanjay Colony

People often assume that slums are dangerous. In reality, slum communities are close-knit and work together to keep their neighborhoods safe.

“Most petty crimes, like pickpocketing, are committed by people outside of the colony. People in the colony know better than to make things harder on themselves,” Krishna says. “The pickpocket will face street justice when caught red-handed. Most of the time, they will be mobbed and beaten before being handed over to the police.”

An In-depth Scrutiny of New Delhi

The Sanjay Colony Tour not only offers a window into the hardships of the slum community but also peels back the complex layers of Delhi’s social fabric. It juxtaposes the stark contrast between the modernization in downtown and the overcrowded housing in the colony. One gets an in-depth glimpse of Delhi’s challenges in urban planning, housing shortages, and infrastructure development. 

Most conspicuous of all, it shows the remarkable resilience of the community. In the face of adversity, people here come together to support each other, drawing strength from one another for a better tomorrow.