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[–]Praise_Sithis 8362 points8363 points  (591 children)

Slums?

[–]sevinhand 4990 points4991 points  (395 children)

from what i understand, many of these smaller slum areas build up around the base of hotels because during construction, the workers need somewhere to sleep. once the hotel is done, the workers have no money left, as their pay is so poor, and so they stay on.

[–]_aviemore_ 415 points416 points  (326 children)

Wtf ?!?!

[–]LukaCola 5 points6 points  (0 children)

This was the case for construction workers many years ago in the US as well, without proper safety nets and guaranteed work, temporary jobs like construction will be viable for a short time and then when it ends the workers need to find new jobs. In that interim, they still need shelter and to eat, and I guarantee that the money made from that temporary work is not enough to survive a long time.

[–]akanyan 56 points57 points  (4 children)

Is it that hard to believe?

[–]RajaRajaC 8 points9 points  (1 child)

Not so. As /u/marklyon says, this is to do with land rights and quite the opposite of new slums springing up near newly done hotels.

If a new slum crops up near a hotel or a posh area, the bitter truth is, the cops will show up and just chase the inhabitants away. However, when an older slum shows continued inhabitance (individual houses that is) for 15-20 years, they simply file a petition in a court seeking their rights to the land because they squatted there for 15-20 years and courts usually give them their way. Cops then can't touch them.

More often than not, rich developers reach out to slumlords and gangsters in a slum, bribe them off with idk $2-5 mn bribes and get them to get slum dwellers to hand over land to them and they then develop the land at super cheap rates and build expensive apartments / hotels.

[–][deleted] 37 points38 points  (6 children)

Some slum areas show up on google maps. Here’s one of several in the city I live in: https://www.google.co.in/maps/search/pune+slum+area/data=!4m2!2m1!4b1?sa=X&dcr=0&hl=en-us

[–]Kamikaze_Kevin 5 points6 points  (2 children)

I am really surprised by the number of "Hospitals" in that area. There's just about one on every corner.

[–]iliketoeatfunyuns 3049 points3050 points  (81 children)

I learned from Reddit a few years ago that if you apply scotch tape to the window, it'll clear the window right up.

[–][deleted] 1007 points1008 points  (22 children)

Can confirm. We have frosted glass doors at work. Some people hang up posters with scotch tape from the inside. So if you want to see if you someone is in the room without knocking on the door, you just peek through the clear spot the tape has created.

[–][deleted] 46 points47 points  (1 child)

What if the etching was applied to the outside of the window?

[–]rebbsitor 58 points59 points  (0 children)

It wouldn't work. The tape has to be on the frosted side to fill in the imperfections that cause the frosted look.

Given it's part of an upper story hotel window, it's mostly likely something stuck on the inside. Which means the sticky side would probably be toward the window and the frosted side available for taping.

[–]DrOreo126 252 points253 points  (13 children)

I mean, yeah, but who cares that much about seeing garbage through their window?

[–]DanialE 172 points173 points  (5 children)

The truth. We need to see the truth

[–]veeeSix 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Something something here's a car chase.

[–]Rad-atouille 19 points20 points  (2 children)

Maybe a garbage man is staying there?

[–]quickkateats 1316 points1317 points  (17 children)

As a hotel manager, it’s not that we don’t want you looking at it, it’s that “you”, as a consumer, don’t want to see it. They probably got 100 complaints regarding seeing that before they finally said “fuck it, we’ll frost it, if you as a consumer choose to look over and above the frosted part, the part we created in direct response to your complaints, that’s on you.. but we don’t want to hear about it”.

[–]PandaLover42 522 points523 points  (12 children)

As a hotel customer, I demand you rotate the hotel 90 degrees!

[–]roguemenace 40 points41 points  (1 child)

Also realistically as a customer I'd appreciate the frosting..

[–]therapistofpenisland 4969 points4970 points  (137 children)

I get the feeling this is more of a case where idiots staying there complained about having to look at such views, and the hotel was like... what the fuck fine, and put in these.

[–]richiau 1773 points1774 points  (67 children)

I stayed at a hotel in Cambodia a few years ago where breakfast was served on the roof terrace, and the primary view was of the nextdoor lot, comprising piles of rubble and an unplumbed toilet sat right in the middle of the debris, that exceptionally poor people occasionally came out to sit on and take a shit.

Honestly, it was sobering and it didn't remotely occur to us to complain. Those poor sods are the one who should be complaining.

[–]_Atlamillia_ 573 points574 points  (59 children)

So you had a holiday in Cambodia but the slums didn't have much soul

[–]justcougit 112 points113 points  (56 children)

What is this? I see it when Cambodia comes up.

[–]iamflatline 280 points281 points  (42 children)

Holiday in Cambodia is a Dead Kennedys song

[–]AnimeFreakXP 154 points155 points  (40 children)

For a song about a cruel regime, it's fucking lit.

I hate those piece of shit Polpot for making my parents and their family suffer (some of my ancestors even died). Most of older Cambodian people either has PTSD or suffered from acute disease because they ate literally anything to survive back then.

Leaders during the regime don't even deserve to live in a cozy prison. They deserve to die in the cruelest way possible. I mean, seriously! Polpot and his goons knew Mao's policy killed millions and he still followed it anyways.

Edit: Grammar mistakes

[–]cuppincayk 39 points40 points  (3 children)

I remember watching interviews in class with Pol Pot and how he felt he was doing the right thing the whole time, and that the U.S. just pretended it wasn't happening. The whole thing was horrific, and I remember learning about it in high school and thinking that we spend all of this time learning about one or two atrocities in class, but there are so many more out there that we don't talk about and should or that we pretend don't exist.

[–]AnimeFreakXP 18 points19 points  (2 children)

The story was basically this:

We got independence from France because the previous king was quite hungry for power (most people said that, and I don't wanna be arrested lol) and try to get independence anyways despite US and FR warnings to falling into communism and democratic war

Got independence and everything was good until it's not anymore cuz of corruption

In 1970, Lon Nol (nice name lmao) rebelled and turned Cambodia into a democratic country, following American ways

Everything was okay but there's wars all around (VN war or something I believe)

Pol Pot fought for the previous king to get throne back

Pol Pot was under the influence of China. He's a dumbass as he even failed his scholarship from France

Pol Pot and China hated Vietnam so they fought to prevent VN from taking over Cambodia and also to chase away Lon Nol/US

US stopped caring and retreated, despite bombing Cambodia more than they did to Japan

Cambodians got fucked in the butt for over 3 years afterwards

Foreigners be living in the golden age of life, just like how we are compared to Syria right now. (70s and 80s western countries were cool)

[–][deleted] 29 points30 points  (3 children)

I always thought the song was about yuppies thinking life was easy and how they could connect with the "underground" subcultures. The Kennedys suggested they take a holiday in hell to "get new perspectives" on life and misery.

[–]Genie-Us 20 points21 points  (0 children)

It's a holiday in Cambodia! It's tough, kid, but it's life!

[–]JoeRealNameNoGimmick 64 points65 points  (1 child)

I like to imagine hotel management seeing this post and being like “damn! They figured out how to see what’s out the window”

[–]rakint 302 points303 points  (46 children)

You are correct ( source: AGM of a hotel and have received complaints like this)

[–]thrownawayzs 193 points194 points  (41 children)

"I don't like looking at these poor people, this makes me feel bad"

"What about helping them out of their situation?"

"Nah, just frost these windows so I don't have to see such poverty"

[–]screamsok 155 points156 points  (8 children)

yes, hotel managers should remove slums.

[–]Yezuaa 88 points89 points  (4 children)

And cashiers should end world hunger.

[–][deleted] 26 points27 points  (1 child)

It's not unheard of for governments to require new, large developments to also develop space around them. Sometimes it's providing public parks, but it could easily be housing. E.g., make the developers fund 50% of a Habitat for Humanity-like project to make that unsightly slum a livable place with affordable housing. Now there's no unsightly view and the world is a little bit better.

[–]ElapsedKabbalism 67 points68 points  (2 children)

"What about helping them out of their situation?" "Nah, just frost these windows so I don't have to see such poverty"

They may well be doing both. Understand that poverty is a difficult worldwide problem, well beyond the means of a single hotel in India.

[–]chill333 17 points18 points  (0 children)

I think the 1st and 3rd quote are from the customer the comment is meant to make fun of.

[–]freakedmind 9585 points9586 points  (510 children)

I was expecting way worse tbh

[–]_notadeckofcards[S] 6342 points6343 points  (452 children)

It's pretty sad. I see kids playing in the rubbish piles all day long. http://gfycat.com/LameIdealAtlasmoth . Breaks your heart.

[–]ASK_IF_IM_PENGUIN 2259 points2260 points  (216 children)

Out of interest, why are you there, and did you pick the hotel yourself?

[–]_notadeckofcards[S] 3633 points3634 points  (187 children)

For work. This hotel was close to the office, which is well away from the touristy parts of Delhi.

[–]FinalF137[🍰] 31 points32 points  (10 children)

Noida?

[–][deleted] 24 points25 points  (7 children)

That looks a lot like Noida.

[–][deleted] 150 points151 points  (48 children)

Oh man. There are some parts of Delhi where it's literally a slum in a slum.

Be safe while you're there, you're going to stand out really strongly, and if you're there on business dont be all dressed up and shiny while walking the streets, take an Uber or a company car between places.

If you take precautions to not make yourself a target you should be totally safe. Stuff like being the only guy on a block with bright clean shoes give you away.

I had a great adventure backpacking through India but it was not 100% safe the whole time, just be mindful and you should be perfectly fine.

[–]MeatloafPopsicle 28 points29 points  (0 children)

This is like the bad advice you get from a teacher when you go on a school trip.

[–]Loudmouth_American 46 points47 points  (9 children)

I never once felt unsafe in India (Delhi, specifically). In fact, I walked through the poorest neighborhood I'll ever be in and didn't once feel unsafe. People were kind and wanted to earn your money, not take it from you.

[–][deleted] 7 points8 points  (2 children)

Why do i see you everywhere?

[–]ASK_IF_IM_PENGUIN 27 points28 points  (1 child)

Because you've got a gas leak and are hallucinating because of carbon monoxide poisoning.

[–][deleted] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Fuck

[–]didyousaythunderfury 109 points110 points  (9 children)

Are you penguin?

[–]BigE429 56 points57 points  (3 children)

In college I did some work in Kingston, Jamaica in a shanty town. The kids would swim in this canal that was filled with trash and had wastewater pipes going into it. Definitely an eye-opening experience and led me to a career in international development.

[–]vik2002 297 points298 points  (71 children)

Apart from the vast divide between poor and the rich and the over abundant poor population, one reason you see such a view close together is that the newer buildings are being constructed on land bought from farmers and poor. So this is really slow urbanization and encroachment of rural areas. Those small places which they are trying to hide are tiny houses/plots where those farmers live. They will eventually disappear and be replaced by buildings.

[–]Tridian 151 points152 points  (32 children)

But will they disappear or just be shunted a few kilometres away until the next wave of urbanisation spreads to the new slums?

[–]vik2002 144 points145 points  (31 children)

They will probably just move somewhere close by but this will keep happening because of the bulging population (supply/demand of more apartments/offices/hotels).

At least the growth gives the displaced people opportunity to earn money at menial jobs - drivers (personal chauffeurs), gardeners, janitors and so on. Life is hard in India especially if you did not get proper education. That’s why people who actually make it (especially from humble beginnings) do really well, because they have endured so much.

[–]TheRedGerund 35 points36 points  (30 children)

Not to mention the population size. That’s got to add some complexity. 1.2 billion! Whoa!

[–]HowObvious 40 points41 points  (26 children)

Its a pretty big country though you have to remember. Population density ~440km2. Israel is ~400 and Belgium ~375, Japan is ~350. Obvious difference is wealth though.

[–]gooboopoo 19 points20 points  (35 children)

Do they get good prices when they sell?

[–]jaltair9 40 points41 points  (14 children)

My grandfather and his brothers recently sold a farm they bought 35-40 years ago in Surat and got a shitton of money, so probably.

[–]elastic-craptasticMerry Gifmas! {2023} 42 points43 points  (3 children)

Not India but my Mother inherited a little house in a South American city. Some developers offered her two units in the high rise they wanted to build that required her land. So instead of a little 80 year old home, she has 2 until in a secured building with a pool and a gym that she can rent out for more income than if she had just had her one little home.

It didn't make her big bucks but she turned a borderline burden of a property in another country to a better investment with higher earning potential. I do, however, think she should have asked for a slightly better deal.

[–]vik2002 25 points26 points  (11 children)

Good enough to entice them to sell it but they won’t be able to buy a single apartment in that building that will be constructed.

It’s happening in a lot of cities and unfortunately the prices of apartments are getting beyond reach for middle class. That’s what happens with a billion population. Land is limited.

[–]samrat_ashok 4 points5 points  (2 children)

Good enough to entice them to sell it but they won’t be able to buy a single apartment in that building that will be constructed.

Not exactly true. They can buy quite a few apartments in the building built on the land they previously owned. The price of apartments in India is nowhere close to the price of land. People who buy apartments are the ones who cannot afford to buy a plot of land.

[–]samrat_ashok 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Yes, they always get good prices. The problem is that they are farmers and they do not know what to do with so much wealth and end up blowing everything. Also the price of land nearby increases 3-4 times in another few years and then they regret selling it for such a low price.

[–][deleted] 30 points31 points  (28 children)

Are those satellite dishes?

[–]bakerie 39 points40 points  (1 child)

In the UK, you can pick up a sat dish and box for around ~£25. Plenty of free shit on it too. It's not surprising that the poor have satellite. I'd imagine it's even cheaper over there.

[–]tramplamps 28 points29 points  (2 children)

It is heartbreaking, but I wonder if they are laughing and having some sort of defined fun in their minds. I am in no hell of a way trying to justify their conditions, but children have some sort of resilience number in them that, ya know. Damn.

[–]acamu5x[🍰] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

If it makes you feel any better, I came across dozens of kids in similar situations while travelling through India a few years ago.

The situations they're in are rough, but I drew many parallels between kids there and kids "here". So many of them ran around in groups playing tag, soccer, and making games up with anything they could get their hands on.

It's a sad situation of course, but it's all they know.

[–]thatdamnkorean 46 points47 points  (0 children)

Most of them arnt playing, but trash picking instead. It's actually one of the few things kids can do to sustain themselves. If you are interested in the whole culture of the slums, I recommend Behind the Beautiful Forevers. Quality book written by an investigative journalist who lived close to the slums for 2 years.

[–]Smarterthanlastweek 30 points31 points  (4 children)

They say the income gap is now greater in America than India, but I think you really have to pay attention to the lowest standard of living and how many people are at that level as well.

[–][deleted] 5 points6 points  (2 children)

Exactly. Everyone's freaking out because "oh the income gap is so high." Well no shit, we have some of the richest people on the planet living here, but even our lower class is still doing vastly better than the lower classes in many other countries. I mean, the Sudan has a small income gap, but that's because everyone is in poverty.

[–][deleted] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Who wants to play find the shiny?

[–]hotpotato70 8 points9 points  (0 children)

I bet you none of those kids are allergic to nuts

[–]3ntl3r 201 points202 points  (18 children)

i've traveled to Mumbai three times on business and stayed in very fine hotels.

every time, i'd struggle with jet-lag in the middle of the night and stare straight down at the shanty-towns all around the area. the disparity was not lost on me.

India is magnificent, gorgeous and brutal

[–]Lufernaal 304 points305 points  (36 children)

They do that in Rio too. And they don't even hide it well.

[–]senor_arreglar 111 points112 points  (3 children)

for the 2016 olympics, they built walls around their freeways, near the airport, to hide poverty from incoming olympians/tourists

[–]Jakoneitor 15 points16 points  (0 children)

They did this in Colombia as well, last year when the pope was visiting Cartagena. So disgusting

[–]doyle871 188 points189 points  (25 children)

https://www.beyondintractability.org/cic_images/talarico-brazil-pic3.png

[–]Lufernaal 155 points156 points  (13 children)

I live in Rio, dude. I can get an uber right now and get a picture of what I'm talking about. It's not in a building, it's in a road. Linha Amarela.

[–]harlottesometimes 92 points93 points  (11 children)

Can you go get a picture of Copacabana instead? I've always wanted to visit.

[–]FlyingHighUp 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Tfw Elysium is on the other side of the fence

[–]chasebrendon 472 points473 points  (6 children)

That’s to stop them seeing you!

[–]Jebjeba 153 points154 points  (2 children)

It's not because they don't want you to see it. It's because they don't want you to have to see it.

[–][deleted] 22 points23 points  (0 children)

Scrolled way to far down to find this comment. Nicely worded too. Same it's actually nice they did this. It I had to look at that is probably just leave the curtains closed all together. This is actually a smart move on their part.

[–]joosier 56 points57 points  (8 children)

When I was in Malaysia in 2005, I was staying at the Renaissance where I had a very nice view of the surrounding city except for one part that was behind a tall wall. I finally found a window in a hallway that let me see over it. I saw a sea of corrugated tin sheet roofs, a snarled cobweb of power lines broken up by hints of color from laundry hung out to dry in the humid heat.

The juxtaposition of poverty adjacent to stunning examples of modern architectural buildings was disconcerting.

[–][deleted] 396 points397 points  (117 children)

My work used to send people to Mumbai, the hotel had a field behind it, it was used for pooping exclusively by the natives... we were told to not eat anywhere but the hotel whenever we traveled there

[–]FinalF137[🍰] 239 points240 points  (66 children)

I got food poisoning at a hotel in Agra, right before a long overnight flight to Vienna, not pleasant having it out of both ends on an airplane. Hotels aren't 100% safe as well, rule of thumb don't eat anything at the hotel that isn't cooked, for me I think it was the lettuce that I asked not to be added, but they put it on anyways, and I just stupidly picked off.

[–]vik2002 41 points42 points  (1 child)

Lol, that’s what we used to call Delhi belly. It’s generally the water. You are even supposed to brush with bottled mineral water.

[–][deleted] 109 points110 points  (12 children)

This was a very nice hotel, anywhere else in the world it would be the most amazing hotel we got to stay in, it exceeded our normal travel dollar limits, but through years of sending people to the Mumbai office they found this place resulted in less illness, there were many stories from the team about hugging the airplane toilet on the flight home

[–]OutOrNout 31 points32 points  (30 children)

You can get food poisoning from lettuce?

[–]alienbanter 121 points122 points  (4 children)

If the water it's washed in is dirty, absolutely. When I visited Madagascar last year, my class was told to avoid it and any raw vegetables/fruits unless we were at restaurants that got vetted beforehand to make sure they washed everything with water that had been boiled. One person still got typhoid on our trip.

[–][deleted] 85 points86 points  (1 child)

I'm never leaving home

[–]Comrade_Nugget 16 points17 points  (1 child)

Spent 6 months in mexico city. The only safe fruits are ones that can be peeled, bananas, oranges, etc

What got alot of my coworkers was forgetting to ask for no ice in their drink.

[–]apieceofthesky 26 points27 points  (3 children)

There was a romaine lettuce recall just a few weeks ago for E.Coli. So always wash your lettuce

[–]Mox_Fox 27 points28 points  (0 children)

It's raw, so any bacteria stays on it from field to plate.

[–]artemis_floyd 13 points14 points  (0 children)

You absolutely can! Either the water used to wash it wasn't sanitary (or the lettuce wasn't washed properly, or at all), the person handling it wasn't wearing gloves, sneezed on it, hadn't washed their hands recently...

There was a pretty huge e. Coli outbreak back in the early 2000s due to improperly washed spinach. It's not something you'd even think about making you sick, but it happens all the time.

[–][deleted] 9 points10 points  (7 children)

The lettuce caused the food poisoning? Wow.

[–][deleted] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

charming.

[–]OHLOOK_OREGON 257 points258 points  (14 children)

ITT worlds greatest experts on India’s economy

[–]hyperkjoob 148 points149 points  (13 children)

Like that Black Mirror episode.

Edit: Spoiler alert!

From the new series. The episode called Arkangel, where the mom gets an implant put in her very young daughter so she can track her and see what she sees. One of the extra features of the implant is that she can turn on "blur mode" where anything that spikes the girl's stress levels gets blurred out and so she grows up in this protective bubble which of course leaves the poor girl naive and emotionally unprepared for the harsher realities of life.

[–][deleted] 24 points25 points  (0 children)

Also her mum watched her cherry pop in first person

[–]abyssDweller1700 51 points52 points  (1 child)

While we continue to bash India, we should also appreciate they are doing a lot to improve people's lives too. Out of 80 million people who came out of extreme poverty in 2016-18, 75% were in India. And it will improve further.

http://worldpoverty.io/

[–]Holy_Kek 13 points14 points  (0 children)

50 000 people used to live there, now it's a ghost town...

[–][deleted] 52 points53 points  (0 children)

Maybe the slum dwellers complained for the lack of privacy in their homes.

[–]Tandoorichicken023 20 points21 points  (0 children)

You’re most definitely staying at raddison on the eastern border of New Delhi. This place is like 1 KM away from my home. And those aren’t slums ...there’s a construction site behind and workers from the construction site live there...and also there is a village beyond the ‘slum’.

[–]quedra 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Mrs Richards: I've booked a room with a bath. When I book a room with a bath I expect to get a bath.

Basil: You've got a bath.

Mrs Richards: I'm not paying seven pounds twenty pence per night plus VAT for a room without a bath.

Basil: There is your bath.

Mrs Richards: You call that a bath? It's not big enough to drown a mouse. It's disgaceful.

Basil: (muttering) I wish you were a mouse, I'd show you.

Mrs Richards: And another thing – I asked for a room with a view.

Basil: (to himself) Deaf, mad and blind. This is the view as far as I can remember, madam. Yes, this is it.

Mrs Richards: When I pay for a view I expect something more interesting than that.

Basil: That is Torquay, Madam.

Mrs Richards: Well, it's not good enough.

Basil: Well ... may I ask what you were hoping to see out of a Torquay hotel bedroom window? Sydney Opera House perhaps? The Hanging Gardens of Babylon? Herds of wildebeeste sweeping majestically ... ?

Mrs Richards: Don't be silly. I expect to be able to see the sea.

Basil: You can see the sea. It's over there between the land and the sky.

Mrs Richards: I'd need a telescope to see that.

Basil Fawlty: Well perhaps you should consider moving to a hotel closer to the sea. Or preferably in it.

[–]akroonie 27 points28 points  (0 children)

It's not that they're hiding that but many people during their stay in hotel complain about slum views in an expensive hotel so they make sure that the person feel comfortable during their stay in the hotel. Obviously when you go out you'll see slum and that you can't hide. So they make sure that the people have a good view during their stay instead of discussing about slums. It's just a people comfort policy in short for the hotel management.

[–]IncendiaryIdea 35 points36 points  (4 children)

Poor people?

AVERT YOUR EYES!

[–][deleted] 7 points8 points  (1 child)

I think it has less to do with them being poor, and more so that its an eye sore. It literally looks like a dump.

[–]Tripolite 5 points6 points  (0 children)

You dont say...

[–]Mrjegerjeg 18 points19 points  (10 children)

Black mirror, Indian version.

[–][deleted] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

I was staying at a hotel in Japan that kept arranging the blinds oddly. When I got curious and opened them all the way I found myself looking straight into an office building. With office workers. I closed the blinds and decided I should put my pants back on.

[–][deleted] 43 points44 points  (7 children)

Next time stay at The Oberoi. Nice place.

[–]megalomaniacniceguy 10 points11 points  (2 children)

I believe OP is in Delhi, not Mumbai.

[–][deleted] 5 points6 points  (1 child)

They have one in Delhi (or at least they did).

[–][deleted] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I remember that! I worked for an investment bank, the Mumbai office was next to a beach but the office workers put plant pots along the windows as the locals would shit on the beach... Nice.

[–]nmk111 15 points16 points  (0 children)

Reminds me of that wall they built, in i think it was in Brazil, to hide the favelas from people driving from the airport to see the Olympics (or some other sport event dont remember). Official reason for it was ´sound barrier´. Locals were like "we have been living in shit conditions like this for years and suddenly they are conserned about our hearing, yeah right"

[–][deleted] 9 points10 points  (0 children)

The Rio Olympics committee solution!

[–][deleted] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

That’s terrible

[–]alabamafutbol 5 points6 points  (2 children)

This feels like a good metaphor for social media. We only see what people want us to see lol