Seventy-three-year-old Vasu Girdharlal Nathwani has lived in Dharavi for 60 years. He comes from a small village called Panili Moti in Rajkot, Gujarat. His family moved to Dharavi when he was 12 years old, renting a room in Kumbharwada for Rs 35 per month. It was purely by chance and affordability that they ended up in Kumbharwada, becoming one of the few families in the settlement that didn’t practice pottery.

Kumbharwada in Dharavi is not just a physical locality, it is like a social ecosystem. It consists of a series of tool-houses that open into a shared space or kiln area, where one kiln might be shared between two to three households. These multifunctional spaces foster vibrant social interactions, everyday chance encounters, and unexpected friendships. It is rather unusual to find families in Kumbharwada who are not involved in the artisanal practice of pottery, giving Vasu Mama a unique perspective on life in the urban village.

Over time, Vasu Mama became close to the Galwani family, a family of traditional potters in Dharavi, Kumbharwada. They embraced him as a brother and an uncle and treated him like one of their own. Through this deep bond, Vasu became fondly known as “Mama” (maternal uncle), gradually becoming an inseparable part of the community.

This speaks volumes about the spatial and social fabric of Kumbharwada, which blurs the boundaries between households, neighbours, and families. It feels as though all of Kumbharwada is one big family. Unlike high-rise condominiums, this village-like cluster enables communities to grow and thrive together, with mutual understanding and friendship, and the occasional heated arguments. 

Vasu Mama's presence is now a familiar part of life in Kumbharwada. “Mama,” as he is affectionately known, truly embodies the role of a maternal uncle in his interactions, filled with mirth, humour, cheerful sarcasm, and warmth.

It’s almost guaranteed that you’ll meet Vasu Mama every time you visit the Galwani Brothers' pottery studio in Kumbharwada. You’ll find him either chatting idly with people while sitting on an old chair, taunting young potters, loitering around, or taking an afternoon siesta on a stone platform, soaking in the cool breeze.

Vasu Mama left school in the 9th grade and got his first job making incense sticks through his mother, who worked in that factory. His early youth was shaped by politically active friends, but over time, he drifted away from politics to focus on work and survival. His life has been a tapestry of small jobs. At one point, he worked as a marketing professional, sourcing work from artists, photographers, and designers for digitisation.

So deeply woven is he into the everyday fabric of Kumbharwada that he proudly recalls hosting his daughter’s wedding in the compound itself, an event he declares was the best wedding ceremony ever held there. His bold and cheeky nature comes through as he proclaims how he outdid the Kumbhars on their turf.

Mama speaks of Dharavi not just with familiarity, but with fierce affection. He has lived through 60 years of change, witnessed riots, and survived curfews. During tense times, he would tiptoe to the station or stay indoors for days. Even amidst the chaos, he remembers the neighbourhood’s unity: “Kumbharwada stood together, no matter what religion.”

His philosophy is simple: “If you behave well with people, they will behave well with you.” Being an ‘outsider’ who was welcomed into the Kumbhar community without discrimination, he strongly believes that one must not discriminate based on religion or caste. 

He is wary of modern redevelopment plans and critiques the disparity in compensation. He fears that the essence of Dharavi, the open doors, shared lives, and rich diversity, will be lost to closed-off apartment buildings and condo-type housing. What he values most are the baithi chawls (ground structure buildings), where living together means sitting together and being part of a community.

When asked, “What is your favourite thing about Dharavi?” he replies, “Idli-dosa, because you get the best idli-dosa at the lowest price only in Dharavi. It’s the same with all kinds of food.” That’s because Dharavi is home to communities from all over India. Each group cooks its traditional food, and that's what makes it authentic and affordable. To him, Dharavi is a “Mini-India.”

Though he says he wanders about 95% less than he used to, his stories remain sharp and his memory vivid. Vasu Mama is more than just a character; he is a living, walking and talking archive of Dharavi.