Behind the Beautiful Forevers

The wall that separates Mumbai’s international airport from the Annawadi slum is plastered with an advertisement from an Italian company claiming its tiles will be beautiful forever. The wall physically separates a modern, affluent space and a primitive, impoverished area, and serves as a symbolic distinction between the two places. The airport and surrounding hotels represent everything that Annawadians hope to achieve, and everything that is also out of their reach. The prosperity of the modernizing Mumbai stands in stark contrast to the 34 slums (of which Annawadi is only one) surrounding the airport, all filled with people striving to make a living off the waste and cast-offs of the prosperous class.

The brick wall that separates the Husains’ living quarters from Fatima’s is a symbol of the level of prosperity the Husains have achieved. It is a physical measure of Abdul’s hard work; before the brick wall, the 11 Husains were separated from Fatima’s family and her string of lovers by only a sheet. The brick wall provides status for the Husains, especially since other Annawadians notice the improvements to the Husains’ hut. Yet it is also a source of resentment for Fatima, as the improvements to the Husains’ hut are a reminder of the problems in her own life.