An erstwhile spot for Mumbai’s mills and factories. Today, it’s mainly known for the century-old station on the Mumbai Suburban Rail network (famously known as Mumbai’s local trains). The Mumbai Port Trust hosts their godowns here but a community has settled here over the past three decades.
This is the story of women with aspirations
who call Reay Road their home.
Meet Jaidevi and her daughter Meenu.
16-year-old Meenu was diagnosed with cancer in August 2019. Her father has been a daily-wage laborer in Mumbai. They traveled all the way to the city of Mumbai as they couldn’t get effective treatment in their hometown. Meenu aspires to be a doctor or a teacher when she grows up.
Someone who grew up in the community here, Jasmine asserted herself with her actions. By defying socio-cultural conventions, she married outside her faith. Today as the pandemic rages on, she is about to start her new venture to support her family.
Born in Kolkata, Meena moved to Mumbai after her marriage. She moved to Reay Road after her husband’s death 7 years ago. She lives here with her son, daughter-in-law, and two grandchildren. Her major concern has been access to benefits that the government introduces.
Meena’s life is a testimony of a major ordeal that millions of Indians share. Government documentation is still a privilege. Many who have been living here for generations do not have all the required documents to prove their ancestry.
In a community of families, Hansaraj Bai stays alone. She is a cancer survivor who worked in menial jobs all her life. During the lockdown, she survived on the relief aid that she received in the form of groceries. She meets her regular needs by engaging in a profession popular among the women in the Reay Road community.
Kusum came to Mumbai to seek better treatment for her 5 year old son who is diagnosed with a liver ailment. Her experience is a testimony to the state of health infrastructure in India. It speaks to the urban-rural divide, access to quality healthcare and the importance of robust public-funded infrastructure in a city like Mumbai which caters to population across the nation.
The lives of women in the community revolves around their family, especially their children. Many of them have aligned their aspirations to their child. It would be incomplete to not include the children while devising an intervention for the women here.
What do they aspire for when we say "home"?
In our participatory intervention, the kids were also given disposable cameras to document their lives and be the photographers of their own reality. We wanted to know how they see life and what the community means to them.
Due to the current lockdown in Mumbai and the raging second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in India, we are struggling to develop the photographers. Looking forward to share them with you soon. Meanwhile, please scroll ahead as we have more stories to share!
Sangeeta, like millions of parents in India, strives to provide quality education to her children. She believes that her children should get all the opportunities that she missed. That conviction motivates her to strive for a better life. According to Sangeeta, that will be possible if she gets to earn independently by honing her skills.
Aastha and Jyoti like other young girls, have big aspirations. They want to pursue higher education and continue with their sports career. Aastha and Jyoti’s big dream is to one day represent india in their favorite sport. To hone their skills further, they are also looking to train with a coach regularly.
A seasoned grassroots organizer, Sujata has been an active force in mobilizing women. Through her efforts, she has managed to form an organization of approximately 3000 women from economically deprived communities. Her efforts have been recognized by the office of the Vice President of India. Our community at Reay Road is her latest set of members and her engagement with the local non-profit Khaana Chahiye Foundation will help in developing a sustainable livelihoods project.
This was our attempt to present the side of Mumbai which is often hidden by the glitz and glamour of the commercial and entertainment capital of India. Through this platform, we have highlighted some of the many narratives of resilient women in the secluded corners of the city.
Sign up to our mailing list to get updates on the community's progress.
An erstwhile spot for Mumbai’s mills and factories. Today, it’s mainly known for the century-old station on the Mumbai Suburban Rail network (famously known as Mumbai’s local trains). The Mumbai Port Trust hosts their godowns here but a community has settled here over the past three decades.
This is the story of women with aspirations
who call Reay Road their home.
Meet Jaidevi and her daughter Meenu.
16-year-old Meenu was diagnosed with cancer in August 2019. Her father has been a daily-wage laborer in Mumbai. They traveled all the way to the city of Mumbai as they couldn’t get effective treatment in their hometown. Meenu aspires to be a doctor or a teacher when she grows up.
Someone who grew up in the community here, Jasmine asserted herself with her actions. By defying socio-cultural conventions, she married outside her faith. Today as the pandemic rages on, she is about to start her new venture to support her family.
Born in Kolkata, Meena moved to Mumbai after her marriage. She moved to Reay Road after her husband’s death 7 years ago. She lives here with her son, daughter-in-law, and two grandchildren. Her major concern has been access to benefits that the government introduces.
Meena’s life is a testimony of a major ordeal that millions of Indians share. Government documentation is still a privilege. Many who have been living here for generations do not have all the required documents to prove their ancestry.
In a community of families, Hansaraj Bai stays alone. She is a cancer survivor who worked in menial jobs all her life. During the lockdown, she survived on the relief aid that she received in the form of groceries. She meets her regular needs by engaging in a profession popular among the women in the Reay Road community.
Kusum came to Mumbai to seek better treatment for her 5 year old son who is diagnosed with a liver ailment. Her experience is a testimony to the state of health infrastructure in India. It speaks to the urban-rural divide, access to quality healthcare and the importance of robust public-funded infrastructure in a city like Mumbai which caters to population across the nation.
The lives of women in the community revolves around their family, especially their children. Many of them have aligned their aspirations to their child. It would be incomplete to not include the children while devising an intervention for the women here.
What do they aspire for when we say "home"?
In our participatory intervention, the kids were also given disposable cameras to document their lives and be the photographers of their own reality. We wanted to know how they see life and what the community means to them.
Due to the current lockdown in Mumbai and the raging second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in India, we are struggling to develop the photographers. Looking forward to share them with you soon. Meanwhile, please scroll ahead as we have more stories to share!
Sangeeta, like millions of parents in India, strives to provide quality education to her children. She believes that her children should get all the opportunities that she missed. That conviction motivates her to strive for a better life. According to Sangeeta, that will be possible if she gets to earn independently by honing her skills.
Aastha and Jyoti like other young girls, have big aspirations. They want to pursue higher education and continue with their sports career. Aastha and Jyoti’s big dream is to one day represent india in their favorite sport. To hone their skills further, they are also looking to train with a coach regularly.
A seasoned grassroots organizer, Sujata has been an active force in mobilizing women. Through her efforts, she has managed to form an organization of approximately 3000 women from economically deprived communities. Her efforts have been recognized by the office of the Vice President of India. Our community at Reay Road is her latest set of members and her engagement with the local non-profit Khaana Chahiye Foundation will help in developing a sustainable livelihoods project.
This was our attempt to present the side of Mumbai which is often hidden by the glitz and glamour of the commercial and entertainment capital of India. Through this platform, we have highlighted some of the many narratives of resilient women in the secluded corners of the city.
Sign up to our mailing list to get updates on the community's progress.
