What r chawls? describe the living conditions in chawls?
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Chawls were multi-storeyed structures, which had been
built from the 1860s in the ‘native’ part of Bombay. These were owned by private landlords. Each chawl was divided into small one-room tenements which had no private toilets.
These one-room houses were generally congested, as high rents forced workers to share homes with their friends, relatives or caste fellows. These chawls were constructed in close proximity in filthy surroundings and people were plagued by polluted air and lack of water.
The homes being small, streets and neighbourhoods were used for a variety of activities such as cooking, washing and sleeping. Liquor shops and akharas came up in any empty spot. Chawls were the place for exchange of news about jobs, strikes, riots or demonstrations.
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