Principal Cast
Bali
Bali is a researcher in his mid-twenties who lives in a basti named Kaula Bunder in Mumbai, India. Bali was born and raised in Kaula Bunder, but his family still maintains close ties to a village that is roughly 1,500 kilometers away in the state of Uttar Pradesh. When an NGO focused on training Mumbai’s marginalized youth named PUKAR started a project in his basti, Bali signed up to become one of the so-called “barefoot researchers” that do on the ground work for the organization. Bali is now a project coordinator for PUKAR and leads teams of other youth from Mumbai’s bastis that implement social projects, distribute food and other aid, and collaborate on research projects with leading universities from around the world.
Madhu
Madhu is a seamstress in her late-thirties who lives in a basti named Ashrayanagar in Bengaluru, India. Madhu was born in the city of Chikmagalur in Western Karnataka into a family that worked on coffee estates. At 16 years old, she moved 250 kilometers from her family to the state capital in search of better economic opportunities. Madhu went on to build a small house in Ashrayanaga, where she lives with her husband, mother, and two children. She began working as a seamstress because it allowed her to work from home so she could take care of her disabled daughter. As Madhu got more work, she was able to start a small business that does piecework sewing for the local garment industry.
Jyoti
Jyoti is a cook in her early-sixties who lives in a basti named Kusumpur Pahari in New Delhi, India. Jyoti was born in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu into a family of farmers. After droughts made farming impossible when Jyoti was 12, her parents decided to make the 2,500 kilometer migration north to Delhi. Jyoti initially worked cleaning people’s homes, but then her cooking skills earned her a job making food in people’s homes instead. After 25 years working as a cook and the death of her husband, Jyoti’s three adult children convinced her it was time to stop working. But Jyoti hated sitting idle, so she started cooking South Indian snacks to sell to the other residents of Kusumpur Pahari.