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This video was first published on The Guardian
"We don't want to be just about Dharavi - we are about finding a unique hip-hop style," says Akash Dhangar, founder of the SlumGods crew. "You know [the rapper] KRS-One? He said you can't learn hip-hop. You have to become hip-hop."
In this 500 acres of land, you will find no cafes - at least, not ones with couches, air-conditioning, or a perplexing list of coffees. We are at the nearest relatively chic option to Dharavi, on the other side of the railway line.
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As he and his bros gulp down cappuccinos, Dhangar recalls feeling out of place at a trendy restaurant just a couple of years ago. "Looking at the other diners, we seemed shabbily dressed. From the moment we entered, everybody was staring at us. As I cut into my burger, the patty unfortunately slipped out, and it was obvious that people were judging us," he says.
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The SlumGods crew is ever-growing, with all the core elements of hip hop culture - graffiti artists and beatboxers, BBoys and BGirls, breakdancers and DJs. Their conscious rap, by MCs such as Vineet Nair (aka Poetik Justis) and Rohan Augustine (Supersonik) is part of a socially relevant hip-hop culture that is emerging in India, in line with the "reality rap" of Kashmiri rappers Shyn9 and EssXaar.
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SlumGods easily draws in local talent such as Rakesh Kunchikorve, aka Martin. The 23-year-old joined the crew in 2010 as a self-taught breakdancer. His greatest challenge prior to the SlumGods was finding a room spacious enough to train in. This is considered a luxury in Dharavi.
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The children wear baggy pants and fluorescent earrings, and have spiked haircuts. They headspin and breakdance, and stand in a Buffalo stance. Many of them do not attend regular school. Dhangar believes in preparing them for "a future of opportunities and recognition for hip-hop in India ... Some years ago, I did not even know how to speak English or use the internet. Hip-hop and rap taught me these things, and it can do the same for these children."
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Having rubbed shoulders with internationally-acclaimed artists such as Karsh Kale and B.L.O.T, the SlumGods are frequently invited to participate in competitions and festivals overseas. Unfortunately, none of them have passports. The reasons are trying: Dhangar's house has no electricity supply, and thus there is no electricity bill for address proof. Vatapu's family has lost his birth certificate.
But beyond the practicality of missing documents, their greatest hurdle is the perception that what is born in a slum is destined to stay in a slum. No amount of Slumdog Millionare-ing can change that.
Dhangar says their families and friends do not understand their talents, and simply label them as "painter" and "dancer" or as doing "time-pass". "But hip hop has brought us to the world," he adds, smiling quietly.
Benita Fernando blogs for the Dharavi Biennale
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