“We painted the roofs in beautiful colours to show the world how beautiful the inside is,” explains Dedeepya Reddy, co-founder of the incredible Mumbai-based not-for-profit Chal Rang De that's on a mission to bring some colour in the shanty towns of Mumbai's suburbs. Their first project, which saw them joining hands with local volunteers, saw them take over the Asalpha slums (some 5-odd kilometres from the city's international airport) to paint the walls and roofs of the houses. Starting from renovating their exteriors to making the slums self-sustainable through slum tourism, Chal Rang De aims to empower the slum villagers.
The Khar slum beautification project is only the second time that Chal Rang De — along with a thousand other volunteers — painted a slum red, green, blue, and yellow with fevered passion. Asalpha, now standing bright in Mumbai's Ghatkopar, was the young team's first slum beautification project. “The sweet residents of Asalpha have kept the walls and streets clean after we completed the project, and we realized the campaign established cleanliness as well”, she confides.
The Khar Beautification Project
Whilst the sun shone bright in the month of May, flooding onto the 7,000 rooftops in Khar's mammoth slum, the team of Chal Rang De took to the streets to begin their work. To begin with, they set about painting the roofs of 300 homes. “We received funding for 300, but will roll out to the remaining homes in the coming months as well” reveals Dedeepya. They wrapped up the project in three days. Why Khar, in particular? The Khar slum closely borders the airport, and consequently, has high visibility from the airports flying in and out of Mumbai. In simple terms, the aerial message sent from the Khar slum has the potential to resonate far and wide. From the pictures, it becomes pretty evident that these colourful, sustainable roofs will grab—and hold—the attention of every passenger.
Small, Steady Steps in Khar
These colourful roofs are miles ahead in sustainability and temperature control—particularly when compared to the temporary sheet roofing that residents employ during the monsoons. Firstly, they reduce the indoor temperatures by 4 degrees. Secondly, they are durable and can last through the many harsh, varying seasons of the tropical city.
Initially, the beautification project aimed at tuning up the spirit and pride of the residents living in the slums. Now, it's become a drive for cleanliness, inclusion and team work. “We set up colourful trash bins in the Khar project, in addition to painting the roofs and walls. The residents in both Asalpha and Khar are amazing, supportive people who joined the volunteers while they painted the houses and walls” says Dedeepya.
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