Mahalaxmi Dhobi Ghat
Jackamy
Paul & Derry Harper
Tue 15 Feb 2011 18:10
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Tuesday 15th
February
Today we've hired a guide to take
us further out of town into the suburbs to see a bit more of Mumbai and we
didn't have to travel far for the scenery and buildings to change. Our
first stop was the Mahalaxmi Dhobi Ghat. If you've had your washing done in
Mumbai, chances are your clothes have already visited this 140 year old dhobi
ghat (place where clothes are washed). The whole hamlet is Mumbai's oldest and
biggest human powered washing machine: every day hundreds of people beat the
dirt out of thousands of kilograms of soiled Mumbai clothes and linen in 1026
open air troughs.
It was incredible, we crossed the
road leant over a bridge and saw thousands of clothes hanging out to dry. There
were bedsheets and normal clothes as well as work uniforms, including hospital
gowns and surgeons outfits hanging up in batches. The men were washing and
beating the clothes in the troughs in filthy water so how they were getting them
clean I'm not quite sure. The main road and railway line probably ensured that
whilst the clothes were out drying they'd get a layer of dirt and dust over
them.
  
 
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