Slumdog Millionaire

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 knows some things about life.  He isn’t educated, in the school sense, but he knows 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 is home.*

During his life, the young man has 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 has  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.