Poverty
A central thread in Behind the Beautiful Forevers is the idea that India's globalization and booming tech industry have left millions of its citizens in the dust, but because of a carefully crafted narrative and a misleadingly low poverty line, the majority of residents of slums like Annawadi are technically not even considered impoverished, despite the fact that nearly none of them have permanent work and many struggle to meet their most basic needs. Boo writes that "almost no one in this slum was considered poor by official Indian benchmarks. Rather, the Annawadians were among roughly one hundred million Indians freed from poverty since 1991, when, around the same moment as the small slum’s founding, the central government embraced economic liberalization. The Annawadians were thus part of one of the most stirring success narratives in the modern history of global market capitalism, a narrative still unfolding" (6). But this "success story" is just that, a story. A fairytale told to tourists and Westerners to recalibrate their preconceptions of India, when the fact is that poverty, malnourishment, and corruption that preys on the most vulnerable members of Indian society still run rampant.
In fact, poverty is so prevalent that anti-poverty initiatives provide ample opportunities for corrupt actors like Asha and the politicians and policymakers with whom she works to line their own pockets. The irony of their dog and pony show is that by taking advantage of anti-poverty initiatives for their own benefit, they are actively contributing to the sustained poverty of their neighbors.
Boo writes, "As every slumdweller knew, there were three main ways out of poverty: finding an entrepreneurial niche, as the Husains had found in garbage; politics and corruption, in which Asha placed her hopes; and education" (62). But even these routes offer no guarantees. As the book demonstrates, corruption and institutional prejudice can crush even the most promising of entrepreneurial ventures. The Husains think they are heading straight to a quiet plot of land in Vasai, but as soon as they become entangled in the criminal justice system and thus vulnerable to extortion by investigators and other bureaucrats, they are pulled right back into poverty.
Justice and Corruption
Boo writes, "In the West, and among some in the Indian elite, this word, corruption, had purely negative connotations; it was seen as blocking India’s modern, global ambitions. But for the poor of a country where corruption thieved a great deal of opportunity, corruption was one of the genuine opportunities that remained" (28). If there is one major takeaway from the trials of the Husain family, it is that authority derived from institutions is seen by many figures in Mumbai (and India at large) purely as an opportunity for personal financial gain. A police officer in Mumbai doesn't work to protect and serve, he waits for an opportunity to take advantage of someone who needs protection and service. A doctor in Mumbai will replace a heart valve for a dying patient, but only if the patient manages to conjure up 50,000 rupees to be paid directly to the doctor, off the books.
Boo's investigation demonstrates that there can be no justice where corruption reigns supreme. The Husains' case is a perfect example of how one family's misfortune fans out, in a society dominated by a known and accepted culture of blackmail and extortion, into countless opportunities for predation by figures of authority. When Fatima burned herself and blamed it on the Husains, the first person to see an opportunity is Asha. Asha offers her services of persuasion to the Husains; she will convince Fatima to tell the truth and exonerate the Husains of any wrongdoing, for a price. Then, the city investigator sees an opportunity. She will coach Fatima into giving a testimony that portrays the Husains as having driven her to a suicidal state. According to a British law instituted in India, driving a person to suicide is equally punishable to murder. If the investigator builds a strong enough case, she can sell it to the Husains. If they pay her the sum she wants, she'll make the case go away. Then, when three Husains are arrested and jailed, Zehrunisa finds herself at the mercy of a long list of other officials and bureaucrats with their hands held out, waiting for their cut. She has to pay school officials to prove Abdul is a minor, doctors to confirm he is a minor, police officers to prevent the beatings of her loved ones while in police custody—not to mention a litany of lawyers, witnesses, and judges. It seems that the only allegiance officials in Mumbai honor is their allegiance to cash; as long as this is true, the truth doesn't matter in matters of justice, and the poor will always lose out to the rich.
Old versus New
Of Asha, Boo writes, "she was a chit in a national game of make-believe, in which many of India’s old problems—poverty, disease, illiteracy, child labor—were being aggressively addressed. Meanwhile the other old problems, corruption and exploitation of the weak by the less weak, continued with minimal interference" (28). A problem arises in only partially addressing the "old" problems: corruption and exploitation prevent the other problems from being addressed. All the initiatives to to combat poverty, illiteracy, and disease are halted by the greed of a few corrupt individuals, as seen by way Asha diverts funds meant to provide educational opportunities for child laborers and handicapped children into private accounts for herself and her colleagues. Asha often refers to the "new" ways of thinking, championed by the upper classes. She advises Manju on how to appear modern and moneyed. She should wear denim jeans and walk a certain way, putting off airs of wealth and good breeding. However, when Manju points out that many upper-class people believe in marrying outside of their caste and marrying for love, Asha quickly shuts down those notions. There is a contradictory sense that one should be modern, but not too modern.
The Undercity and Overcity
Boo chooses to add "Life, Death & Hope in a Mumbai Undercity" to the title, displaying the significance of this idea of an "undercity" in the minds of Annawadi residents. In a literal sense, Annawadi lies under the city of prosperity, booming commerce and wealth, as symbolized by the glossy international airport and the surrounding five-star hotels. A deeper analogy present in this term hints at the sense of internalized inferiority experienced by residents of Annawadi. The glittering opportunities that the city of Mumbai offers to those with privilege do not extend to them. They remain in the lowest rungs of the ladder of social mobility, with no way to reach the overcity.
But the distinction between over- and undercity exists as a very real concept for Mumbai's residents, not just a figurative distinction in a book. Being a part of the overcity doesn't simply mean living in the literal downtown district of Mumbai, or even necessarily escaping one's hut in Annawadi. Boo describes this distinction in the mind of Asha towards the end of the book, after she resigns her responsibilities as slumlord in exchange for generous compensation scamming an education initiative:
Whether the Husains went to prison or an entire slumlane expired of TB or Fatima’s ghost got bored with her hauntings and took it upon herself to clean the toilets, which badly required it: not of interest. Asha might have to live in this slum, for the time being. But she was a member of the overcity now: the director of a charitable trust, a philanthropic organization with a city vendor number, and maybe, someday soon, foreign donors. She was a respectable woman in the land of make-believe, who also happened to be late for a date. (231-232)
The overcity is not just a physical location, it is a state of mind and a way of life. It is present in the way others regard you and the level of agency that your position affords you.
Aspiration and Ambition
A persistent aspirational capacity is displayed by many of the characters in the novel. Despite residing in a slum, in the worst conditions possible, they are driven by the hunger for a coveted spot in Mumbai's middle class. The ambitions are as diverse as the range of characters who contain them, but are characterized by a universal desire to move out of Annawadi, or at the very least upgrade their status of living within the slum. Boo exposes the reader to a nuanced set of subjective aspirations. For Asha, it is the desire to become the first female slum boss and win the elections to the City's administrative ward, putting her in a position of political power. Her own daughter Manju aspires to marry into the middle class and live a life of quiet dignity. For the Husain family, their short term ambition is to rid themselves of their criminal case and unite as a family. In the early stages of the book, Abdul dreams of moving to a home in Vasai where he can live amongst other Muslims and not fear being treated like 'trash' because of his profession. Even the youngest characters' aspirations are voiced; Sunil aims to feed himself and his sister, a task his alcoholic father has abandoned. The paths taken to fulfill these ambitions vary greatly. Some depend on corruption and theft, others on hard work and tenacity. This unique mosaic of dreams—both rapidly progressing and broken—reveals the major differences which exist in a social class falsely perceived as homogenous.
Religion
Despite the fact that none of the main subjects of the book focus on religion as one of their defining characteristics, religion nonetheless plays an important role in the stratification of Indian society. The partition of India still looms large in the collective memories of many Indian citizens, and Muslims and Northern migrants are still treated like second class citizens in majority Hindu areas. The political party for which Asha campaigns, Shiv Sena, operates on a platform of Hindu and Maharashtrian supremacy, ultimately hoping to rid India of Muslims entirely. Even if Asha does not, in practice, persecute her Muslim neighbors, she still upholds a party that would rather they be gone than given rights and opportunities as full Indian citizens. Boo draws attention to the fact that Muslim boys are vastly overrepresented in the Indian justice system, and that being a Muslim is an obstacle to even low-level temp jobs, the likes of which Mirchi hopes to find in the service industry. For these reasons, the Husains and Muslim families like them are compelled to go into business for themselves, because all too often, Hindu employers will turn them away or treat them differently because of their background.
Female Authority
A unique feature of the work is its documentation of the double marginalization of impoverished women, alongside the ironic fact that it is these women who hold most of the decision making power in their households. Zehrunisa Husain is the primary authority figure in her family. Her husband Karam is rendered unable to work by his chronic respiratory illness, so she takes it upon herself to ensure her sons work hard to earn a living, her other children stay in school, and her daughters are married. When her husband and daughter are put in jail, Zehrunisa navigates the complex world of red tape and cruel legal inefficiency on her own, without complaint. And it is no secret among family members that the real decision-making power lies with Zehrunisa. When Kehkashan gets into a pivotal argument with Fatima and Karam threatens to beat Fatima for calling her a prostitute, Kehkashan immediately suggests that instead of making any rash decisions, they should check with Zehrunisa because, Boo writes, "Kehkashan understood where the family authority resided in a crisis" (94).
Asha is another prime example of female household and community power. Her husband is described as a good-for-nothing drunkard, who shares none of her ambitious spirit or work ethic. Through means of corruption and sexual relations with several prominent officials, Asha manages to chart a better course for her children's lives. The women of Annawadi defy patriarchy in a quiet, understated manner. Their reason for exercising firm authority in their homes and community is not one of determination to ensure equality of the sexes, but instead one of necessity. If they do not take up the reins of power, their children will be doomed to live the same wretched existence.
