The Chawls of Mumbai were not just homes to the migrant labourers who flocked to the city to work in the textile mills, they brought with them a way of life and cultural forms—folk theatre, music and dance—which were recreated by different communities that inhabited the chawls. This excerpt from a documentary made by Partners of Urban Knowledge, Action and Research (PUKAR), ‘Girangaon - Out of Focus’, portrays a slice of the diverse cultural forms, many of which were influenced by the Bhakti traditions and in response to the migrants’ experiences in the city, such as Bhajan, Naman, Bharud, Dashavatara and so on.
Video Credits: Vikrant Deshmukh (Documentary Director), Aditi Dey (Editor)
Aditi Dey
Aditi Dey is a qualitative researcher and ethnographer based out of Mumbai. She has a background in history, having done her MA from JNU and BA from St. Stephen's College, Delhi.
