Dhobi Ghat, Mumbai
Picture by nimboo
Mumbai’s historic laundry pulls crowd
MUMBAI: Like hundreds of foreign visitors who pay a visit to Mumbai, Bill Clinton created positive he saw the 150-year-old Dhobhi Ghat up coming to the Mahalaxmi railway station in the heart of the city during one of his visits in Mumbai. Clinton, once the world’s most effective guy, stood atop a active flyover to catch a glimpse of the Dhobhi Ghat.
Like numerous other foreigners, he was intrigued by the fascinating spectacle of rows of open air concrete wash pens, enclosed in a cubicle, with guys doing the operate of flogging machines at the vast expanse of the hutment-like colony.
"We were asked to move away when he (Clinton) arrived. And he stood up on the bridge for a considerable length of time to search at our colony beneath," says Rajendra Bhandari (40) who runs a canteen close by and also owns one of the wash tanks which he rents out to other folks.
Bhandari has been residing in the spot for 20 years and says what draws tourists to the ghat is "its special charm, steeped in historical past". He adds: "This place was constructed by the British in 1857. In those days only the clothes of Viceroys and senior British officials had been allowed to be washed. The patthar (large chunk of concrete set within the washing pen) which you see being utilized to beat the clothing to wash away soap and dirt) was constructed by the British. A lot more than 150 a long time later, it remains intact. There is no sign of damage. We have not carried out any servicing or repair perform on them. The foreign tourists discover such points very exciting," says Bhandari.
Around 1928, the British leased the ghat to an industrial property, who in turn passed it to the city’s municipal corporation post-independence right after the lease expired. Bhandari says initially there have been around 532 washing pens but the numbers enhanced to 731.
Foreign vacationers visiting Mumbai often ask cab drivers to take them to the dhobi ghat as an alternative of the normal landmarks like the Gateway of India or Marine Drive. Even just before they land in Mumbai, they are armed with details about the world’s greatest laundry and are curious to see how in the age of washing machines, a contemporary city nevertheless has an old world operating system of disposing off dirty linen.
At any time of the day one particular can see the odd tourist standing up on the flyover and clicking photographs of the Dhobi Ghat. Occasionally he is accompanied by a tourist manual who extols the virtues of the Dhobhi Ghat and the dhobis. The visitor from overseas is permanently surrounded by curious onlookers (mainly locals and young children) who can not fathom what helps make the foreigners flock to the spot when there are planet well-known monuments like the Gateway of India situated not as well far away.
"I guess like the Gateway fascinates us since we don’t get to see it really usually, this spot charms the tourists as they do not have a thing like this in their nation," says Raj, a teenager who lives in 1 of the couple of rooms adjoining the washer men’s colony.
When a sought following area is situated in their midst can Bollywood be far away? Actor Sunny Deol’s film Salaakhen was shot at this area. And, lately, singer Daler Mehndi shot here for one particular of his music album. The Sanjay Dutt starrer Munnabhai MBBS also showcased a dhobhi ghat scene. "When film and ad shootings take location they pay us a charge and take about half a day. It does not really impact our perform due to the fact we organise ourselves accordingly," says Raj.
The 200-odd dhobi households diligently collect dirty laundry, wash and return it, neatly ironed, to swank properties of elites residing in south Mumbai. Drying takes spot on extended, brightly coloured lines and heavy wood-burning irons are employed for ironing.
Pyarelal who has taken a single of the washing pens on a month-to-month rent of Rs 300, recalls his conversations with tourists. "They ask us how we handle to organise with the mountains of clothes that we deal with. We use markings on clothes so that none are misplaced or lost. In a day, one particular person can wash as much as 200 clothes. There are three folks involved. One particular is engaged in the collection and deliveries of clothing whilst the other two wash and iron them. Girls as well perform but there are far more men doing this operate. It provides a very good chance of a photo op for an eager foreigner he takes back memories to his country," he says.
Barring a number of folks, the city’s municipal corporation largely owns the pens and rents them out. The G – south ward, wellness department of the municipal corporation specials with the renting formalities. Pyarelal came from Jaunpur in Uttar Pradesh 5 many years ago and began his work. He says that hotels, dry cleaners, hospitals send their laundry and individuals from even the far flung suburb of Virar send their clothes to be washed. There are men and women mainly from Andhra Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh who work at the colony. Even though a couple of reside in shanties inside the colony, most come from the adjoining localities of the inner city in Mumbai.
Bhandari rues that the land sharks have not spared the ghat which is situated in a prime spot. "Initially the Dhobhi Ghat was spread out above 22 acres but now it has shrunk to ten acres simply because really a number of original owners sold off their portions and left the place," he says.