Miracles of the New India
The residents of Annawadi flock to Mumbai in huge numbers, hearing about the incredible economic mobility prospects offered by the city. The growth of Mumbai is frequently cited as an economic miracle: a sleepy city by the sea transformed into the Indian financial capital over the hurried span of a century. An astonishing number of rags to riches stories emerge from Mumbai every year, and fuel the ambitions of millions across the country to arrive in Mumbai and seek out such a miracle for themselves. It is this mirage of a miracle that draws so many to Mumbai, and in pursuit of glittering economic prosperity, they settle for minuscule shacks in a slum. Those who have lived in Annawadi for long period of time are trapped in this paradoxical world. They witness the miracles of the new India everyday, but a glass ceiling stops them from being part of this miracle themselves.
Hierarchial Systems
Millions of Indians suffer daily because of caste discrimination. In the Hindu religion, castes are social groups into which one is born, and they are binding from birth to death. Historically, castes determined the occupation an individual was to perform, with the lowest castes assigned demeaning jobs that stripped them of all dignity, such as manual scavenging. With the growth of cities and economic opportunities, people began to abandon their traditional livelihoods and enter uncharted territory to make their fortunes. This resulted in the creation of several industrial cities, with Mumbai being the textbook success story. In these cities, profit was all that mattered. Individuals of all castes worked side by side and hard work became the discriminating factor between the successes and the failures. This reality became a magnetic path for all those suffering in regions that had strict caste boundaries. The influx of migrants into Mumbai created a huge supply of workers to construct the city of the future. However, India had its way of making a person know his place. The large population of migrants formed the unfortunate bottom rung of the society, living in slums in hope of a miracle. They abandoned the ancient hierarchy of caste, only to be caught in the modern hierarchy of class.
Corruption
Boo gives the reader a multifaceted perspective on corruption. Standard morality dictates that corruption is bad, and those engaging in it are rigging a fair system which is supposed to give all people an equal chance. Behind the Beautiful Forevers shatters Utopian standards of morality, and provides a gritty ground view of how corruption is an inescapable part of the lives of Indian citizens. In a country with over a billion citizens and enough resources to sustain only a fraction of them, cut throat competition becomes a day to day activity, and corruption, a meal ticket. Annawadi residents curse corruption everyday, as it bleeds them dry economically. They pay frequent bribes to the police so that they are not arrested, or evacuated from their homes. Zehrunisa finds herself paying thousands in bribes when her husband and daughter are arrested, just to keep them from physical harm. However, the cycle doesn't just stop at the poorest of the poor. The doctors in government hospitals demand hefty bribes, and it is impossible to remain upstanding and virtuous in the literal face of death. Police officials see bribes as a way to propel their families up the economic ladder. Asha herself uses corruption to buy herself a political future, and a better life for her children. Though each citizen is aware that corruption is morally incorrect, they cannot prevent themselves from being dragged into the vicious cycle.
The Location of Annawadi
Annawadi is located in the modest Western suburb of Andheri. With its centrality to most parts of the city, Andheri is known as being a hub for businesses and the booming economic activity Mumbai is reputed for. The result is a rapid rise in infrastructure to support the meteoric ambitions of the suburb. With the sleek, modern international airport and plush five star hotels, Andheri is a picture of prosperity, until Annawadi enters the picture. Most Annawadi residents see picking up the trash of the rich visitors to Mumbai as their ticket out of poverty. The five star hotels and airport are visible from Annawadi, exposing its people to a world that is so close, yet so unattainable. As the Husain family discovers very early on: "everything around us is roses. And we're the shit in between."
Convention Defying Women
The daily lives of Annawadi's women is the biggest irony. India's patriarchal system still exerts a firm hold over them, and they do not attempt to resist this hold. Zehrunisa fears for her daughter Kehkashan's reputation, as she has left her marriage and is no longer "pure" without the status of married woman. Asha sees her daughter's beauty as her prime asset, and as their family's chance to move into the middle class through Manju's marriage. These same women witness the 'modern Indian women' that the media propagates through their limited consumption of popular culture. They see advertisements, films and read books where they encounter strong female characters. In their own minds, they do not have the time or resources to be part of the "new India of feisty, convention defying women". However, their actions contradict this belief. Zehrunisa single handedly runs her home and handles her family's trial. Asha is the slum's first female slumlord, and her family's primary breadwinner, as her alcoholic husband is of no use. Fatima reclaims her sexuality as a disabled women. These women embody convention defiance in every way, they merely fail to recognize it.
