Women are as beautiful and glamorous as Hollywood stars; everyone who was born there dreams of living the Slumdog Millionaire rags to riches story; you’ll see women as skimpily dressed as Hollywood heroines, taking showers by the water pump…the list goes on. Hollywood Basti – officially Gulbhai Tekra – is a slum in Ahmedabad, the capital of Gujurat. It’s a place where women lounge on charpais and request photos of themselves and their husbands and their children to any foreigner who passes by. It’s a place where you will be asked by those same women to share the photos far and wide, in America preferably. Where one could start a family portrait business, as long as getting paid in chai and smiles is enough to live on. Where several theories about the origin of its nickname add to the mysterious appeal of the place.
With the exception of 3 months of the year, when the demand for gods is low, Hollywood Basti makes Ganpati murtis (Ganesh statues) out of “POP”. They will make any god for any occasion if you provide a photo, and they will also make giant bumblebees and “Chaina Army” men. And while doing so, their eyes will shine as bright as their nose rings. “Hum unpardai log hai lekin sapno me hero sochte hai” (We are illiterate but we dream of being stars). Click here for more photos.