Articles by Vaishali Upadhyay

In the informal settlement of Seemapuri in Delhi, Rihanna sees her mother leave for work early every morning, come back around noon to make and serve food for the family, and then go back to work till 4 pm. “My mother is a waste segregator,” explains Rihanna, and this is her daily routine, come rain, hail or the gruelling sun of a Delhi summer. Many women in Seemapuri are engaged in waste work and have a similar routine.  Settlements such as Seemapuri often lack essentials such as water, electricity, and proper sewerage systems. Inside homes, the kitchen is typically the…