The Children of Dharavi

Most of the kids come to school after they finish working in day-long 9 to 6 shifts at the plastic recycling units. Uttam Ghosh/Rediff.com captures the many moods of children in Mumbai's largest slum.

Children in Dharavi, Mumbai's largest slum, hardly stay indoors or maybe they just don't have enough time, the rooms are claustrophobic the lanes narrow, dark and are basically drains on which people walk.

Even daylight finds it difficult to enter the small two-storied houses. Space has always been a problem in Mumbai, space inside homes and outside.

An NGO working with children hires a school classroom for evening classes.

Most of the kids come to school after they finish working in day-long 9 to 6 shifts at the plastic recycling units.

It was the space that mattered here, a clean environment and a well-lit classroom that made the children happy.

But they were very careful, they said, "the school people do not like us to write anything on the green board or damage anything."

The computer class teacher had not come.

And they had someone with a camera around.

This portrait photography class was fun as they could pose for the camera and also scribble their names on the board.