While Dhanujakumari, the sanitation worker from Chengalchoola, the "most notorious slum" in Kerala, writes her autobiography, it becomes the cultural and political history of the slum itself. Though Dhanuja Kumari is a school dropout, her autobiography My Life in Chengalchoola has been included in the elective course on Biographies for the MA and BA Malayalam students at two universities in Kerala. While writing the book, Dhanuja Kumari never expected such a groundbreaking reception for her book, she says. What she wanted the world to know and understand the life of people in Chengalchoola and to stop stereotyping and humiliating . “There are artists, technicians, engineers, and even IAS aspirants from Chengalchoola. It is not all about crimes and drugs as society perceives,” says Dhanujakumari, who proudly asserts her identity as a slum dweller.