This book by a Dharavi-based artiste chronicles Mumbai's hip-hop scene

In a tiny pocket of Dharavi wersquore standing with our arms folded closely observing rapper and bboy Sairaj Methari spin through a freestyle dance routine Itrsquos the same community space where the 26yearold who recently selfpublished a book on hiphop would rehearse as a teenager A few passersby join us in the audience older women chuckle as they walk by itrsquos a usual sight for them Itrsquos hard to imagine that a few blocks away from here the chawl recently witnessed a brutal stabbing that no one likes to talk aboutMethari climbs up a ladder to his room in Mukund Nagar DharavildquoAround here people donrsquot need a reason to get violent Growing up I saw hiphop crews pick up fights over petty arguments bloodshed wasnrsquot rarerdquo Methari admits He doesnrsquot come across as someone whorsquod throw a punch at you honestly ldquoIrsquod be standing at the back I knew that if I ever broke a bone in a fight that would be the end of my bboying dreamrdquo he smilesThe rapper raps outside Sion Fort an erstwhile hotspot for hiphopMetharirsquos new book Exploring A Wider and Deeper Perspective of Hip Hop quashes the popular notion that hiphop is rooted in violence materialism and oneupmanship ldquoI was in Banskaacute Bystrica Slovakia for an artistersquos residence in August 2024 It opened my eyes to the real purpose of hiphop mdash to uplift the youthrdquo he reveals Inspired by the book The Gospel of Hip Hop by American rap pioneer KRS One whom you might recognise from the widely popular tune Sound of Da Police Methari sat down to pen his own book in November 2024The bboy in action at Five Gardens in Dadar EastOne of the firsts of its kind the book is far from a oneman job It takes a city to raise a rapper Methari insists We accompany the artiste to one such spot Five Gardens in Dadar East Dubbed lsquoDancer log ka kattarsquo by locals a water tank in the garden has doubled as a stage for rappers and bboys for decades The flat surface is an ideal training ground Methari says the smitten lovers who throng the venue every evening not so much ldquoThe cops would come for the couples and wersquod end up catching collateral damagerdquo he chucklesMethari interacts with international artistes in SlovakiaBefore we get caught in the crossfire we move to another hotspot right out of our history textbooks The Sion Fort built in the 17th Century was a thriving hub for rap battles and bboy danceoffs in the early 2010s we learn ldquoYou could walk up to the fort at any time of the day and yoursquod find a session to joinrdquo he reveals With increased surveillance and security measures these memories have now been relegated back to the history booksSelva KumarIt takes us a few wrong rights and correct lefts on a rainy day in the city before wersquore at our final stop the room where the 363pager was penned Wersquore in Metharirsquos home the compact attic above it to be precise ldquoI locked myself in for four months and poured my heart outrdquo he reveals Some writers we know might come down with a serious case of writerrsquos block left in such a situation ldquoIt didnrsquot bother me My father is an electrician and he often works long hours outdoors It gave me just enough time to write in peacerdquo he revealsWith no formal training in writing he admits the book might not be the most wellstructured one yoursquoll read He credits his working proficiency in English to his time at the Bombay to Barcelona Library Cafe in Marol where he served as a barista in 2016 We learn that the young artiste had help from writers and community leaders Mayuree Pandit and Hormazd Mehta in proofreading the manuscript Through a selfpublishing platform Methari now has enough copies of his book for everyone Selva Kumar Metharirsquos enthusiastic young neighbour has already secured one ldquoIrsquom inspired Itrsquos great to see one of us on the book coverrdquo says Kumar A milk delivery agent by day Selva dons his street photographerrsquos hat by night Methari knows itrsquos too soon to let these compliments go to his head ldquoPerformance arts helped my generation reject a life of violence But the problem persists For the children today it is substance abuse that is the major concern Itrsquos a slippery slope from thererdquo he warns us Asha a longtime resident whorsquos been keenly listening to our conversation all this while interjects with some reassurance ldquoWersquore happy that the children keep busy with the dancing and singing They come back with broken bones every now and then but at least theyrsquore not in bad companyrdquo We can rest assured that wersquoll see them in Dharavirsquos good books soonAvailable amazoninatOptionskeyd0ddb8ef8f1a62a8cdd22fac27fc5ea7formatiframeheight90width728params