Dave Hider continues his blog about his life and work in Bangalore, southern India

Continued from Part 1:

Then later this evening I went off with another good friend to another slum that he works at in the evenings. This slum is much, much bigger and was much more permanent than the ones we saw earlier today.

We went on the back of the motorbike and got there by 8.30pm. Dozens of kids and adults were out in the street that runs through the middle of the slum. The power was off (an every day occurrence at the slum) and so the atmosphere was very odd – just little candles all over the place. As we arrived, my friend says ‘Dave we need to go careful as the dogs here are mad’. Now we are used to mad Indian street dogs by now but these slum dogs go for anything they don’t recognise apparently!

We went down a very small side street where the shambolic brick built house were crammed together, with everyone staring at the westerner and wondering what he was doing here. At the first house there was no answer so we went over the road to the other house – all in complete pitch black with dozens of people watching.

In the middle of two of the rooms (or houses as they call them) there was a flight of stairs – all broken and battered and up we go using our mobile phones to light the way as by now it was totally blacked out. At the top of the stairs three rooms – all separate houses – and we went to the corner one where a couple and an 18 month old child lived. There was one candle in the corner of the room of no more than 10 square feet, one single bed and one chair and a small TV, no cooking/washing facilities at all – all done outside.

They have no security of tenure at all and could be evicted atany time by the government. Seeing this kind of house brings a rush of emotions. There’s such stark poverty and yet you can feel the community is knitted together – everyone watching everyone’s backs.

I get so depressed going to the slums and yet at the same time they are places of real joy. The kids are generally so happy and content (unlike mine at times!). I love these places – seriously. I find a profound sense of purpose being there.

I’m not trying to be any kind of hero I just think it’s where I should be at times – with people who lives can be changed with so little. All this energises me and gets the adrenaline going again! Something I have needed over the past two days….

Dave Hider is head of care and supported housing for Bromsgrove-based West Mercia Housing Group.

You can read more about Dave’s work in India at, www.thehiders.co.uk