Dharavi Tour & Pottery Workshop

Dharavi is often described as one of the largest slums in Asia, yet it is more meaningfully understood as Mumbai’s beating heart. Home to nearly one million residents, Dharavi is a place of constant movement, creativity, and enterprise, with small scale industries generating significant economic activity each year. On this walking experience, visitors gain insight into everyday life while observing recycling units, pottery making, embroidery workshops, bakeries, soap factories, leather tanning units, and poppadom production that together form the backbone of the local economy.

A special focus of the tour is Kumbharwada, one of Dharavi’s oldest communities and the center of Mumbai’s traditional pottery industry. Here you will learn about the history of the potters, see how raw materials are sourced and prepared, and follow the full process from shaping clay to firing finished pieces. The experience becomes hands on with a visit to a local workshop, where you will try wheel throwing and create your own small piece of Kumbharwada inspired pottery, gaining a deeper appreciation for this living craft tradition.