The fading sounds and colours of Dhobi Ghat

Traditional names of localities survive ascendancy of washing machines

LAHORE:

Amid changes brought about by development, the familiar sounds and colours of the Dhobi Ghats where launderers washed clothes for the citizens have been replaced by machines but the places retain their traditional name.

The sound produced while washing clothes by hand was once heard in the laundry areas but now it is a part of the past. Most of the laundry spaces are gone and the remaining ones are used by fewer washers.

Mohammad Yasin has been washing clothes at a Dhobi Ghat in Mughalpura for the past 45 years but now he uses washing machines instead of doing the work manually. His sons also support him but they still cherish the past.

Yasin says that in the old days one man earned and fed the whole family but now even it is difficult to make ends meet even if all its members work. The automatic washing machines have taken the place of many workers, while the colourful environment of the laundry areas has also faded. Those who work on machines remember their companions who washed clothes by hand.

Mohammad Saeed says that many of his colleagues have died or grown very old. Many have set up factories. “Even today, when we work, we miss them.”

Hundreds of people also worked at the Dhobi Ghat near Saddar where the some still wash clothes manually but their number has dwindled.

Muhammad Naseer, who washes closes at the place, said the few people who still seen working alongside him lacked resources, otherwise, they would also leave.

Riaz Ahmed, a citizen, said people no longer got their clothes washed from the traditional launderers because it weakened the fabric.

Now that clothes are expensive and sophisticated, the people don't take risk.

A housewife, Fatima, said now that there were modern washing and dryer machines in homes, fewer clothes were sent out for laundry. Only clothes that need to be starched or that cannot be washed at home are sent to the laundry. Clothes needing dry cleaning are also sent to the outlets.

There used to be two big laundry areas in the provincial capital, of which the Baghbanpura Dhobi Ghat has vanished but the remains of Mughalpura Dhobi Ghat are still there.

One of the reasons for the desolation of the laundry centres is the rising cost of equipment and low compensation the workers receive. Mostly tents and large sheets are washed there, while the citizens get their clothes washed by machines.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 2^nd, 2020.