Mumbai's dhobi ghat on tourist map !

lonelyaztec

Mumbai's Dhobi Ghat could now be on the city's tourist map.

For years' visitors have flocked to the spot attracted by sights and sounds of dhobis washing, drying and ironing clothes. Now, the civic authorities plan to promote it as a tourist site.

The sight, which is surrounded by filth, overflowing drains and old buildings, is one of Mumbai's best-loved tourist spots.

The dhobi ghat where the city's traditional launderers provide a much valued service of washing dirty clothes and ironing them for a meager fee.

Whether it is tour operators or dedicated websites, the dhobi ghat figures prominently in Mumbai city guides and is a fascinating photo opportunity for thousands of visitors.

"Everyday crowds come to visit the dhobi ghat. By developing it we hope more people will come and this will also mean more earnings for the BMC," said Mangal Bhanushali, Chairman, Health Committee, BMC.

Clean up act

Right now the dhobi ghat is a mess, most visitors don't venture close preferring to watch from a distance.

Those who work here say because of the filth and smell many tourists who come with high expectations are turned off.

"Most visitors prefer to watch the ghat from the bridge. And even when they do come down they see the filth and leave immediately," said Pannalal Kanauji, a dhobi.

Before the civic authority can attract any foreigners to the uniquely tourist attraction it will have to improve living conditions and clean up their act.

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Aztec

My photoblog

Joph

'Ofcourse' I went inside. Trespassing some sign on the wall telling us that visitors were not allowed.
(later I found out that this sign was not at the back entrance)

Some young men bordering us to guide us around. We could have done that ourselves, but I was insecure because of the sign, and let them think they guide us, but still walk my own direction. Finally had to pay them some money (them charging us too much). Got some really nice close-up photo-shots inside. Cleaning the place is nonsense. It is perfectly the way it is, but it felt to me like an intimate work area, where it feels strange (embarrassing) to walk in the very narrow alleys between people whom are beating the hell out of the clothes just to make a little (likely, very little) money.

jw46

And if this comes to pass, it will be another sanitized tourist zone... while it may be beneficial for the areas inhabitants, indirectly, it will not be what it now is..

Not sayin it is a good idea or a bad idea.. just sayin that once it is changed to benefit the tourists, then what was the charisma of the area will be lost..and it will be just another tourist trap...

aadil

I don't think it will be sanitised as such with the cleaning process remaining the same unless they are thinking of getting automatic machines to do the washing and drying work!!! HAHAHA!!! Till then the visitors will keep coming and seeing the site as it is from the bridge from where you get a good bird's eye view of the whole place. And if you want to go down there and be amongst the washermen then even that is possible but any tourist or even a local person would look out of place there and will be taken for a ride so get ready to pay up for the tourist trap then!!!

Cheers,
Aadil.

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Joph

For those visitors (and others ofcourse) I added 2 photo's from inside Dhobi Ghat in Mumbai.

I put them in photo-galery in the section "City Life". There search for: Dhobi Ghat Mumbai