Priyanka Joshi explores the other side of Mumbai during a walk through the famed Dhobi Ghat and Dharavi
Unless you are attending the races next door, or taking a commuter train to Mahalaxmi, it's unlikely you will pass through Dhobi Ghat. So it might come as a surprise to you that the open-air laundry is a walk for “poverty tourists” along with Dharavi, Asia’s largest slum. Reality Tours, run by partners Chris Way and Krishna Poojari, guides Westerners and even inquisitive Indians around Dharavi and Dhobi Ghat, which recently doubled as the set for Kiran Rao's just-released eponymous film.
Our guide, Ganesh Tikonkar of Reality Tours, speaks English and confidently explains to the group of 15 what Dhobi Ghat means to Mumbai. “This 100-year-old washing area was built by the British and is still among the quirkiest places to see in Mumbai,” he points out, as we get the first look of Dhobi Ghat from the Mahalaxmi station flyover. Tikonkar came to Mumbai from Mangalore when he was three and has many tidbits to share. Thus, “around 5,000 men and women literally beat the dirt out of garments on the 730 washing stones,” and “Dhobi Ghat is being given a makeover to attract more tourists.”
Dhobi Ghat, spread over 23 acres, was recently granted Rs 2.83 crore by Brihan Mumbai Corporation to beautify the area and even build a viewing gallery located by the side of the footpath near the Mahalaxmi bridge. The viewing gallery will be built so that it does not obstruct the traffic on the bridge. BMC also wants to rearrange washing stones systematically and refurbish the sheds used by the dhobis, or washmen.
A 30-something Swiss tourist is more than enthralled by the colourful washing lines. “The stench of chemicals and gutter as you enter the tiny lanes is almost heartburning but then a look at the hard-working faces and you forget the stench,” he says. The filth of the old buildings and the overflowing drains should keep tourists away from Dhobi Ghat — instead, it tells the uninitiated how a sliver of Mumbai’s working class lives.
Tikonkar tells the wide-eyed visitors how stubborn stains are removed by soaking garments in a boiling vat of caustic soda.” By this time, everybody in the group has pulled up shirts or scarves to cover their noses. Undeterred, the guide highlights how meticulously white clothes and linen are separated to keep colours intact. “There are few anomalies here. Most dhobis have impeccable track records of returning clean whites and colour garments.” Dhobi Ghat gives zero-defect delivery, much like the famous dabbawalas of the city. Tikonkar says no fewer than 200,000 clothes are washed at Dhobi Ghat every day.
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Tikonkar knows the exact places that will provide a good photo opportunity and navigates the group efficiently to these spots. The washmen, on their part, smirk and even refuse to be photographed by a group of visitors. They clearly find no exotica in their drudgery. Many of them live in shanties here.
Poojari, one of the founders of Reality Tours, says: “As costs of washing machines reduce, incomes of dhobis too have dipped. With many premium hotels and hospitals deploying their own Laundromats or outsourcing to organised washing agencies, we estimate that in the next 20 years, dhobis won't be seen in Dhobi Ghat.” Tikonkar is no less worried as we come out of Dhobi Ghat: “The increased use of washing machines in Mumbai households and commercial spaces is slowly rendering them out of work.”
With more than 1.5 million inhabitants in nearly three square miles of swampland, Dharavi is home to around 15,000 small businesses (ranging from recycling, pottery, and embroidery to bakeries, soap factories, and leather tanning) which generate almost Rs 3,000 crore each year. Way, the other founder of Reality Tours, says tours to Dharavi have seen 50 per cent increase in attendees each year since it began in 2004. “About 200 tourists pass through the slum each week”
Poojari and Way say a tour of the slums can teach you something about resilience in the midst of hardship. “Dharavi is full of people who are powered by an iron will and are willing to work hard all their lives to earn a proud meal,” says Poojari.
| STEP BY STEP If ‘poverty tourism’ is not your cup of tea, Mumbai has other walks you could go on Spend half a day in Chor Bazaar, in South Mumbai, which has a fascinating history that spans more than 150 years. Stolen goods find their way easily in to this market. The main avenue is Mutton Street, covered with little antique shops that sell just about anything at bargain prices — from old ship parts to crystal chandeliers and old English tea sets.You can also meet the Kolis, the original fishing community of the city. |
Cost: Rs 1,450 for a group of four
Explore Mumbai’s British history and architecture in the Fort area on the Fort Heritage District Walk. An amazing variety of historic landmarks and buildings, constructed in different styles and with a variety of material dot this side of South Mumbai.
Cost: Rs 1,250 per person
