Hasmat Shaikh is a resident and business owner of Dharavi. In a small gully stemming from Dharavi Main Road lies her tool-house: shop in the front, house at the back, the two connected by a door. Hers is a family business, started by her parents 45 years ago. Today, it is managed by her and her entire family- her two brothers, their wives, and even their children, who help out.

Hasmat and her siblings were born and brought up in Dharavi. She studied at St. Anthony’s school till grade 4, after which she shifted to Canossa School in Mahim. She studied there till grade 6, after which her education ended and her journey to running a family business began. As a child, she started helping out in a small capacity. But as her parents grew older, they started facing certain health issues. So, over a period of time, she took over the majority of the work, so that her parents could take a back seat and rest in their old age.

“Sahavvi nantar mi aai vadilanna madat karayla aale. Tyanchi pan tabbet thik nhavti. Koni tari dukan chalavla pahije na.”

“I studied till the sixth standard. After that I started helping my parents in the shop. They were having health problems, and somebody had to step up. So, I did.”

In the story of Hasmat’s life, duty and responsibility came before everything else. She said, if she’d had a choice, she would’ve loved to continue her studies. She used to enjoy learning and studying and didn’t have any favourite subject; she liked them all. But she enjoyed math in particular, and she was quite good at it. There was a small smile on her face, and a kind of quite acceptance in her demeanour as she narrated her past. If she had gotten the opportunity to complete her studies, she says she would probably be a working woman, sitting in an office right now. Or perhaps she would’ve joined the post.

“Mala abhyas avdaycha, sagli subjects. Maths madhye mi azun hushar hote.”

“I liked studies, all the subjects. I was particularly good at maths.”

But that’s all in the past. Today she runs a successful shop, that is a one stop paradise for the women and girls of Dharavi. It has everything- bangles, bindis, nail polish, mehendi (henna), powder and more. Just in the short while of our conversation, 3 ladies and a man came and bought items. 2 came and enquired about the availability of certain items. Overall, it was a full house! She told me usually customers don’t prefer to step out of their homes in the daytime, since the Mumbai heat is terrible. So, her shop, and the streets in general, start crowding evening onwards. Hasmat has loyal customers who have been coming from the time her parents used to run the shop. The people that came in those times now send their sons, daughters, and daughters-in-law here, and sometimes accompany them too, for old times’ sake!

She goes on to tell me about the festivities in Dharavi. She says neighbours, friends and others come out to celebrate together. Since the number of Marathi people (Maharashtrians) are higher in number, Ganesh Chaturthi and Diwali are truly enjoyable and memorable, and act as moments of oneness among all the coexisting communities in Dharavi. She says even she enjoys them immensely. She prefers keeping her shop open even on festivals, where she sits and watches, while also tending to customers.

“Dukan ughadlach pahije…dukan ughadla tar khaayla milel.”

“I have to open the shop and keep the business running…only then will we have food on our plates.”

Her business takes her to various parts of Mumbai. To buy her products at a wholesale rate, especially bangles, she goes to Dadar, Kurla, or Masjid Bandar. She usually goes in the mornings or afternoons, and takes the local train, from either Sion or Mahim stations. The frequency of her visits depends on customers- sometimes her entire stock gets over in 2 to 3 days and she has to go more often. But other times, during the slow season, when customers go to their villages or due to other factors, items get sold out after 8 to 10 days, reducing her visits.

Even though she has a lot of known sellers in these markets, there is no guarantee of the availability of stock. These sellers buy all of these products in Aurangabad and Firozabad, and get them transported to Mumbai. Since they are in high demand, they get sold out quite fast. But she never has to worry, because stock keeps getting replenished. She has to scout the markets till she finds what she’s looking for, which usually takes about 20 to 30 minutes. When she finds a seller who has an impressive variety of bangles, comes her next task- sifting through the bangles to see which ones are good, and then separating them from the broken ones.

After this is the hardest task- bringing those heavy bangles along with other items on her back, to Dharavi. For her, these visits are quite strenuous and exhausting, due to her age and health problems. The repeated carrying of the bangles on her back has resulted in major spine issues. There is a nerve in her back, which has been pressed. They have worsened to the point where she can sit at the stall only for 15 to 20 minutes at a stretch, after which she has to lie down. Even in her free time, such as the afternoons when the shop is closed from 2-4 pm, she likes to rest. She takes her medicines after lunch, and takes a nap.

“Saaman khup zad aahe, maajhi kambar duktey…majhya paathitli nas dabli aahe, mhanun paath dukhtey.

Jevdha zamta tevdha bastey, mag thoda aaram kartey, mag parat dukanavar bastey.”

“The items I carry on my back are very heavy; that’s why my back hurts. Some nerve in my spine has been pressed, that is why it’s so bad.

I sit for as long as I can, then rest for a bit, then I come back.”

Despite all her spine issues and incomplete dreams of continuing her education, she truly enjoys running a business, and is grateful for it. She likes the fact that she does not have to wait each month for a salary. If she were working in an office, she would have had to depend on a pay check, but in a business, that is not the case. There is a daily inflow of income, which she uses for day-to-day needs. It is convenient and preferred for the family.

“Yevdhi varsha mi dhanda kela, aata mala dhanda aavadto. Office madhye mahinyala pagar milto, pan dhandhyat roz paise yetat. Mag roj cha khana and garzaa tyachatach houn zaatat.”

“I’ve been running this business for so many years, now I have a liking for it. In an office, there is a salary, but in a business, I earn money daily. Our daily food and other expenses get covered in that.”

Many small business owners of Dharavi prefer the independence that comes with having their own venture. In the unpredictable times these days, it's comforting for them to have something of their own, that provides their friends, neighbours, and other loyal customers with products and services, and them with stability and income.