Lucknow Super Giants coach Justin Langer had a life-changing experience after visiting the famous Dharavi slum in Mumbai recently while he was plying his trade for the franchise in the ongoing Indian Premier League 2024.
Dharavi, Asia's largest slum located in Mumbai, India, is a vibrant microcosm of life. Home to over a million people, it's a bustling maze of narrow lanes, small-scale industries, and tight-knit communities.
Despite challenges, Dharavi exudes resilience, with its entrepreneurial spirit evident in its thriving informal economy and diverse cultural tapestry.
Langer was invited to LSG massage therapist Rajesh Chandrashekhar's home where he visited with his brother on the last day of his stay in India.
Coach's Eye-Opening Encounter
The former Australia opener met with RC's family, including his parents, and was shown around the small house which is about the same size as the coach's hotel room bathroom.
supplied
"My brother was in India watching the last two games of the IPL, and he was as fascinated as I was as to see a world which is so removed from our reality that we would have to see it to believe it.
"When we jumped out of the car, we were greeted by RC’s brother and friends, who were excited at the prospect of showing off their house. When we reached the door of RC’s house, we removed our shoes and walked into the humblest abode imaginable," Langer wrote for The Nightly.
Inside Dharavi & RC's Humble Abode
"Four by five metres in diameter, the first thing I saw was a single mattress on legs, not unlike a makeshift massage table. In one corner was a tiny kitchenette, with a stove and small fridge. Bundles of onions and cloves of garlic lay in bags under the miniature kitchen bench. A ladder was attached to a mezzanine floor that was about two by four metres wide. When I climbed up to have a look, there were a few clothes strewn around the floor with the oldest-looking box television that I had ever seen. This was where RC’s newly-wed sister and husband slept.
supplied
"Next to the stove, two steps away, was a curtain which covered the trickling shower and toilet. A wooden cupboard and two plastic chairs, that my brother and I sat on, finished off the house’s furnishings. The six family members had one shelf each for their clothes. When I asked RC where they all slept, he simply said, 'Dad sleeps there”, pointing to the bed, “my sister and her husband sleep up there, and my brother, Mum and I sleep here on the floor'.
"So small was the area, that they must literally sleep shoulder-to-shoulder on the tiles beneath our feet," Langer revealed.
supplied
Discovering Happiness in Simplicity
The family then prepared breakfast for Langer and his brother which they thoroughly enjoyed after being a little apprehensive about getting the infamous 'Delhi Belly'.
The brothers then said their goodbyes to RC and his family before heading back home.
"After a life of living what I would now define as extreme luxury, I was humbled like never before seeing how other human beings live their day-to-day lives. What struck me about our visit to RC’s house was that while they seemed to have nothing, they also had everything they really needed to be happy," Langer wrote.
