"Slumdog" Kid Gets New Digs
The makers of the hit movie "Slumdog Millionaire" have bought a new home for one of the two child stars discovered in Mumbai's slums.
The purchase of a 250-square-foot one-bedroom apartment for the family of Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail, 10, was completed Monday, said Nirja Mattoo, who helps oversee a trust set up by the filmmakers to help Azharuddin and his 9-year-old co-star Rubina Ali.
"They can move in," Mattoo told The Associated Press Wednesday, adding that the trust plans to deliver the keys Thursday.
Both children lost their homes last month when authorities demolished parts of their slum.
Mattoo said the trust is actively looking for a new home for Rubina.
Ownership of the first apartment, which cost about 2.5 million rupees ($50,000) will be transferred from the trust to Azharuddin when he turns 18, provided he completes school, Mattoo said.
"He has to complete an education. We are very clear about that," she said. She declined to say what would happen to the property if he does not finish school.
The apartment is located in Santa Cruz West, a suburb of Mumbai just north of the slum where the two children now live.
The government has promised to give both of them new apartments, but the families have resisted, saying the government flats are too far away from their neighbors and school.
AP The purchase of a 250-square-foot one-bedroom apartment for the family of Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail, 10, was completed Monday, said Nirja Mattoo, who helps oversee a trust set up by the filmmakers to help Azharuddin and his 9-year-old co-star Rubina Ali.
"They can move in," Mattoo told The Associated Press Wednesday, adding that the trust plans to deliver the keys Thursday.
Both children lost their homes last month when authorities demolished parts of their slum.
Mattoo said the trust is actively looking for a new home for Rubina.
Ownership of the first apartment, which cost about 2.5 million rupees ($50,000) will be transferred from the trust to Azharuddin when he turns 18, provided he completes school, Mattoo said.
"He has to complete an education. We are very clear about that," she said. She declined to say what would happen to the property if he does not finish school.
The apartment is located in Santa Cruz West, a suburb of Mumbai just north of the slum where the two children now live.
The government has promised to give both of them new apartments, but the families have resisted, saying the government flats are too far away from their neighbors and school.
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Documentary's I've seen show there's really not a whole lot of housing available in the specific areas they build their "shelters". Property is owned and controlled by government entities or private citizens that may pass property down to heirs never selling. Since the kids families insist on staying put...there may not be a whole lot of reasonable choices that don't come with "consequences". Here in the US...someone could GIVE you a 2 million dollar house but you have to pay property tax, insurance, utilities...etc...those expenses could be WAY out of your income range. The movie may have made a lot of money but they can't expect to afford a LIFETIME of expenses for the actors. You can only help so much. Even though it's rough...some of these people may be overstepping their bounds where they choose to build their shelters. I know as a property owner I wouldn't be too keen if an uninvited family chose to set up housekeeping on my front lawn. I certianly couldn't afford to shower them with money either.
The kids are getting their schooling taken care of, they've kept a lot of their clothes given to them. I'm certian several other unadvertised expenses have been taken care of and they have a "trust fund" set up for them when they turn 18. They can use this to "change their stars".
This whole thing can be related to poverty in america. The conservatives want to turn their backs on it, like it's not their problem. The liberals want to throw boatloads of money at it in hopes it will go away. The answer is going to be studying the situation, and applying real help in not only money, but resources in the form of time and labor. That's where things fall through the cracks everytime.
But we are not talking about America. It appears that housing in major cities even in India is very expensive. $200 per square foot is expensive in America, too, unless a person looks for a home away from metropolitan areas. The parents turned down apartments from the government because the apartments are too far from neighbors and their schools. As in America, people must be flexible enough to move where things are cheaper. It is like an unwillingness to move from Detroit for more plentiful jobs.
Posted by slantedview at 7:38 AM : Jun 10, 2009
You have absolutely NO IDEA what you are yammering about. IN India, the caste system and village system is still very strong. If the people are moved into a neighborhood that they do not fit in or belong, they will be harassed, beaten, shunned. In communities in India and the Middle East, most people survive by developing a generational network of family and neighbors. These people help to watch each others children, help to birth and care for children and the elderly, provide food, shelter and even have their own watch dog system against outsiders and robbers who may victimize them.
If they are removed from this network, they will be preyed upon by persons and criminal elements in other areas. If they sell food or other goods at market--no one will buy theirs no matter how low their prices are. If they have a skill, no one will use their services no matter how talented. These types of networks do not allow people to diversify, mix or 'move up' If they try to marry upwardly, their potential mate is either killed, exiled and disowned or if a woman, the in laws treat her like a servant for life and she is NEVER allowed to be considered family, though they may dote on her offspring by their son.
When the families refuse the housing, they do so, not because they are picky or cheap, but because removal to an unknown area where they will NOT be embraced by the locals who will be jealous or covetous of the new space or resent having strangers thrust among them--they KNOW that if they accepted a move, they would go from bad to worse--their kids would be picked on or perhaps even kidnapped and sold--certainly they would be beaten and their home would be robbed.
The problem with Americans and much of the West--is that many think the way things are done over here and how people react is the way it is done everywhere else. Take a little anthropology. When you learn exactly how a country like India and much of the Middle EAst operates--you would quickly come to understand why our way of doing things or imposing government or comingling would NEVER work in a society where to step out of one's place or enter another community and be of a different social strata is invite personal destruction.