Located in the heart of Mumbai, Dharavi is estimated to be the largest slum in Asia. Often referred to as Little India, it has been home to thousands of migrants from across the country providing opportunities for work and livelihood. As such, Dharavi presents a fascinating paradox: the convergence of stereotypes associated with the slum poverty and misery and an effervescent economic vitality, impelled by globalisation and international capital flows.

Bringing together 20 years of painstaking fieldwork, this book reveals the social, economic, political, and urban complexities that...