Scoping out Dharavi today for upcoming research, I came across a knife seller offering an assortment of new, secondhand and recycled knives and blades. His mobile business can be displayed on and alongside his bicycle then packed up and moved to a new area.
Further down the road was a knife sharpner who also operates from a bicycle – visiting various neighbourhoods to service knives and extend their life-cycles.
In both cases these micro-entrepreneurs capitalise on mobility to extend the reach of their businesses beyond what would be possible with a fixed shop – and indeed bypass the notion of paying rent altogether.