‘On Christmas Day, we play sports on the beach’ 

Where: Uttan village, Dharavi Island

For a weekday afternoon, Uttan in Mira Bhayandar seems to be trapped in a languid lull. It’s not necessarily sleepy, but neither is it pretending to keep pace with the chaos beyond Gorai creek. A short ferry ride from Borivli, the coastal village is nestled in Dharavi Island, one of the last remaining bastions of the Bombay East Indian Catholic community that is still rooted in the traditional way of life. The day we arrive, Christmas is barely a week away, but there are no signs of the festivities just yet.