As India’s economy grew at the start of the twenty-first century, many opportunities opened for its growing middle class. But at the same time, there remained poverty ridden citizens who saw little chance for economic growth. One such case occurs in the Mumbai undercity portrayed by Kathrine Boo in her book “Behind the Beautiful Forevers." In a place where there is no help from government support and no ways for individuals to spring out of such harsh conditions, “corruption was one of the genuine opportunities that remained” (Boo 28). Annawadi slum-dwellers were aware of the reality of corruption in law and the possibilities of unlawful actions the government were capable of using against helpless individuals. The people of Annawadi lived
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Water was distributed from public faucets with usage fees put in place by Shiva Sena. Education was free, but highly irrelevant to most slum residents, up until the ninth grade. For further education costly private schools were set up. Even public hospitals nickel and dimmed impoverished people, for instance, Mr. Kamble who was unable to afford the sixty thousand rupees for a heart valve replacement. Corruption ran wild in the under the table free market system that existed in Mumbai.
In the context of such a corrupt state of affairs low caste certificates, with a flase birthplace and ancestry, were made for high caste individuals who wanted to take part in low caste candidate elections. The political and judicial system were much more corrupt than the petty types of crimes and thievery that was committed by Annawadians.
The most personified form of corruption in the book is seen in Asha, the unofficial slumlord of Annawadi. “As every slum dweller knew, there were three main ways out of poverty: finding an entrepreneurial niche, as the Husain’s had found in garbage; politics and corruption, in which Asha placed her hopes; and education” (Boo 62). Education was barely an option. Asha ran a government funded bridge school in Annawadi, but mostly for the small stipend she received from doing so. She had become far too busy with Shiv Sena and had her daughter, Manju, run the
Water was distributed from public faucets with usage fees put in place by Shiva Sena. Education was free, but highly irrelevant to most slum residents, up until the ninth grade. For further education costly private schools were set up. Even public hospitals nickel and dimmed impoverished people, for instance, Mr. Kamble who was unable to afford the sixty thousand rupees for a heart valve replacement. Corruption ran wild in the under the table free market system that existed in Mumbai.
In the context of such a corrupt state of affairs low caste certificates, with a flase birthplace and ancestry, were made for high caste individuals who wanted to take part in low caste candidate elections. The political and judicial system were much more corrupt than the petty types of crimes and thievery that was committed by Annawadians.
The most personified form of corruption in the book is seen in Asha, the unofficial slumlord of Annawadi. “As every slum dweller knew, there were three main ways out of poverty: finding an entrepreneurial niche, as the Husain’s had found in garbage; politics and corruption, in which Asha placed her hopes; and education” (Boo 62). Education was barely an option. Asha ran a government funded bridge school in Annawadi, but mostly for the small stipend she received from doing so. She had become far too busy with Shiv Sena and had her daughter, Manju, run the