The concept of open-air dhobi ghat in Kolkata was inspired by Mumbai’s Mahalakshmi dhobi ghat
Located at: 62, Ritchie Road. South Dhobi Khana. Estd. 15th August 1902
There is a daily consignment of hospital bed sheets, towels and operation-theatre robes which need to be cleaned and delivered every day.
Traditional techniques, coal ovens and hand-winded driers are commonly used here. The dhobis say that the flow of water from the Tala Reservoir is extremely low, but master dhobis manage to make do with the minimum amount of water they are provided with.
Some of them have been working here for generations, learning the trade from a very young age.
They work from dawn to dusk, through the seasons.
Bidya Chowdhury moved here from Muzaffarpur with his son, Sonu, who was then 12 years old. Sonu is himself a father now.
Most dhobis are saving to send their children to school, while also hoping that the laundry business will remain afloat.
Fear of the dhobi khana being run down by corporates hangs over all of them. They worry that they will be replaced by machines and be unable to provide for their family.
The legacy of their forefathers have been washed away in the currents of time.
But they always find something to laugh about…
And a reason to share the little joys of life.