Chawl

A Chawl in Mumbai.

A chawl (from Marathi चाळ, chāḷ) is a name for a type of building found in India. They are often 4 to 5 stories with about 10 to 20 tenements, referred to as kholis, which literally mean 'rooms' on each floor. Many chawls can be found in Mumbai where they were constructed in abundance to house the people migrating to Mumbai because of its booming cotton mills and overall strong economy.

A usual tenement in a chawl consists of one all purpose room, that functions both as a living and sleeping space, and a kitchen that also serves as a dining room. A frequent practice is for the kitchen to also serve as a bedroom for a newly married couple, to give them some degree of privacy. Average rents run about Rs. 1,000 equivalent to about 20 USD per month.^{[citation needed]}

Families on a floor have to share a common block of latrines, each block containing typically 4 to 5 latrines. Tenements with private bathrooms are highly sought after and may cost a premium. Typically they may be available for 50% over the price of a normal chawl.

People living in a chawl have little privacy. Due to the close nature of the quarters, trivial news and gossip travels quickly. On the other hand, however, this intimate living situation also leads to a friendly atmosphere, with support networks akin to familial relationships.

In popular culture

The distinctive cultural features that arise from this unique situation have been featured in plays, novels like Q&A by Vikas Swarup (source of Slumdog Millionaire) and films like Katha (1983), a Hindi comedy movie directed by Sai Paranjpye.^[1] In the films Vaastav, Bunty aur Bubli and D, the heroes begin their lives in chawls

References

1. ^ Katha Internet Movie Database