A small gully, adjacent to Dharavi Main Road, takes you to Hasmat’s tool-house. She is a friendly businesswoman, with inspiring resolve accompanied by a small smile.

An old building in Dharavi Koliwada stands at the threshold of change. Through conversations with the residents of Jantu Bai Niwas, this story explores the hopes, concerns, and everyday realities shaping the future of a community in transition.

Anil Chawda, owner of Khushi Tailor, is a friendly, multilingual man, who enjoys his work-life balance, cricket, and the occasional beer!

On a scorching summer afternoon, when the weather greeted us so badly, this sweet family welcomed us, distracting us from the heat with their warmth! That, and the wonderful smell of vadas too...

In a lane off the bustling 90 Feet Road in Dharavi, there is a tiny studio dedicated to all types of screen printing. Laxmi and Mani are an unlikely duo that expertly handle the screenprinting needs of customers across the city. They talk to us about a lifetime spent in the industry. 

Abdul is a sofa maker who has spent decades cultivating a network of friends and work associates in Dharavi. Open to new challenges and willing to experiment with his craft, his perspective suggests an acknowledgement of his current social standing and external constraints, balanced by a focus on moving forward and maintaining a pragmatic approach to his future.

Kamlesh is an itinerant welder who has lived and worked in different parts of the country. Kamlesh represents the skilled workforce that quietly underpins the city’s built environment. This is his story...

As the title suggests, Life Got Better with Coconuts for Kausar Shaikh. He came to Mumbai 15 years ago, leaving his family farm in Jharkhand, because he was not keen on agriculture and was seeking a different path. Seeing other migrants from his region successfully start small businesses gave him the confidence to leave years of unstable work in Mumbai behind and become a thriving coconut vendor

A new book by urbz co-founders, Matias Echanove and Rahul Srivastava, drawing on their learning from Mumbai, Tokyo and other cities where they have been active for over 15 years. 

Satish Dalvi, a second-generation Dharavi resident whose journey from sanitation work to caregiving exposes the layered realities of caste, labor, and survival in Mumbai. As an outspoken activist and rationalist, his quiet rebellion against exploitation and superstition carves space for dignity and resistance in the city.