Boo p 25-50

            This section of ‘Behind the Beautiful Forevers’ describes rituals and systems in place in the slum of Annawadi. This is a culture of extreme poverty and extreme circumstances. The people of Annawadi are resilient and have a very strong will to live. They have found ingenious ways to survive in a broken system. According to Boo, Mumbai’s urban improvement and beautification programs appear to work from the outside, but in reality they do not help people the way they are intended to; Boo says on page 28 that “for the poor of a country where corruption thieved a great deal of opportunity, corruption was one of the genuine opportunities that remained.” With their government failing them, Annawadi’s residents have created intricate systems to help themselves survive.

            It is funny how oblivious Western people seem to be about conditions in Annawadi. There is definitely a global sense of superiority that the West has over less economically developed countries. The United States and Europe have put development initiatives in place in Mumbai and according to Boo they are ineffective. The situation becomes darkly comedic when Boo states that Annawadi’s residents know that the Western initiatives are not working; they are also aware of the West’s picture of itself as Mumbai’s savior. Annawadi’s residents know that Western philanthropists get a sense of self-satisfaction from their image of themselves as all-knowing and generous, giving precious resources to poor Indians. In the book, Asha tells her daughter, “they think we are stupid because we are poor.” Annawadi’s residents are far from stupid; on the contrary, Boo describes them as brighter and more resourceful than many people living in more developed countries. Residents of Annawadi perpetuate the stereotype that they are poor and stupid so that Western people will leave them alone and they can go on living their lives. The situation is unfair, and sad, but also darkly funny.