Well, Madam, we poor can also ask questions and demand answers.
And I bet you, if the poor conducted a quiz,
the rich wouldn’t be able to answer a single question.
I don’t know the currency of France,
but I can tell you how much money Shalini Tai
owes our neighborhood moneylender.
I don’t know who was the first man on the moon,
but I can tell you who was the first man to produce illegal DVDs in Dharavi.
Could you answer these questions in my quiz?
From Q & A
by Vikas Swarup
Book on which Slumdog Millionaire is Based
Jamal knew some things about life. He wasn’t educated, in the school sense, but he knew about life in Dharavi - his area of Mumbai (Bombay), India's financial capital.
People who coin descriptions call Dharavi a “slum.” In fact, it’s known as the “biggest slum in Asia.” To Jamal, however, Dharavi was home.*
During his life, the young man had seen more than a child (rich or poor) should ever have to see. But from his experiences, growing up a Muslim lad in a predominately Hindu area of India, he had developed “street smarts.”
Street smarts can often be put to good use.
* In the book, Q & A, the lead protagonist in the story is “Ram Mohammad Thomas,” whose name embodies three of India's religious faiths - Hinduism, Islam and Christianity. In the film version, he is “Jamal Malik.”
Author: Carole D. Bos, J.D.
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