- A Mumbai resident's viral post revealed harsh living conditions in city chawls
- Chawls serve as affordable housing but have cramped rooms and shared toilets
- Residents often queue for communal toilets, facing long waits and lack of privacy
A viral social media post by a Mumbai resident has triggered a discussion about the wealth divide in the country's financial capital. After spending a night in a relative's chawl, the resident revealed that the experience completely changed their worldview. Facing cramped, single-room living conditions and hours-long queues for communal toilets, the resident said they would 'never complain' about their life.
For a long time, land has come at a premium in Mumbai. Since the majority cannot afford to own apartments, these chawls or large tenement complexes built during Mumbai's industrial boom have continued to act as the city's most important forms of affordable housing. However, the quality of living in these chawls has always been challenging, as highlighted by the resident.
"I had visited a distant relative who stays in chawl. As it was already late at night, they insisted me to stay and I agreed. I was shocked to see how people even stay there. 5-6 people sleep in one small room, no privacy, lots of noise around," the Mumbai local said.
"Worst part of it all was when I woke up in the morning and had to stand in line for the toilet. There were 10 people ahead of me, each carrying their own bucket. I couldn't gather the courage to stand in line and go to the toilet, so I just skipped it."
Despite living in dire conditions, the resident said they were surprised by the reaction of inhabitants who seemed completely at ease with the situation.
"Most interesting part is that people in the chawl are very happy staying there and they always boast that we are family and help each other, unlike people in flats."
Check The Viral Post Here:
I stayed in a chawl for 1 night and now i will never complain about my life
by u/That-Replacement-232 in mumbai
'Would Never Go Back'
As the post went viral, people who had previously lived in chawls said they would also never return as the conditions were far too shabby.
"People who grew up poor in a chawl and later moved to a better, middle-class lifestyle will tell you that life is far more comfortable in a society than in a chawl," said one user, while another added: "Lived in a chawl in South Mumbai for 30 years. Now shifted to an apartment. Trust me, no one has the ambition to stay in a chawl. It's the condition that one has to adapt."
A third commented: "I have stayed in a chawl for my entire life, and I would say these chawl people are nothing but crabs in a bucket. They think that their chawl is the only world. And everyone being like family in a chawl is just BS."
A fourth said: "I lived in a chawl for a large part of my life, had a slow start to my career, and had to stabilise financially. Took me a while to get out of that life. Didn't have a toilet at home, no AC, no privacy. Things are significantly better now, and I would never ever go back to that life again."
