Like hundreds of foreign tourists who visit Mumbai, Bill Clinton made sure he saw the 150-year-old Dhobhi Ghat next to the Mahalaxmi railway station in the heart of the city during one of his visits in Mumbai. Clinton, once the world’s most powerful man, stood atop a busy flyover to catch a glimpse of the Dhobhi Ghat.
Like many other foreigners, he was intrigued by the fascinating spectacle of rows of open air concrete wash pens, enclosed in a cubicle, with men doing the work of flogging machines at the vast expanse of the hutment-like colony.
"We were asked to move away when he (Clinton) arrived. And he stood up on the bridge for a considerable length of time to look at our colony below," says Rajendra Bhandari (40) who runs a canteen nearby and also owns one of the wash tanks which he rents out to others.
Bhandari has been living in the area for 20 years and says what draws tourists to the ghat is "its unique charm, steeped in history". He adds: "This place was constructed by the British in 1857. In those days only the clothes of Viceroys and senior British officials were allowed to be washed. The patthar (large chunk of concrete set inside the washing pen) which you see being used to beat the clothes to wash away soap and dirt) was built by the British. More than 150 years later, it remains intact. There is no sign of damage. We have not done any maintenance or repair work on them. The foreign tourists find such things very interesting," says Bhandari.
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Like many other foreigners, he was intrigued by the fascinating spectacle of rows of open air concrete wash pens, enclosed in a cubicle, with men doing the work of flogging machines at the vast expanse of the hutment-like colony.
"We were asked to move away when he (Clinton) arrived. And he stood up on the bridge for a considerable length of time to look at our colony below," says Rajendra Bhandari (40) who runs a canteen nearby and also owns one of the wash tanks which he rents out to others.
Bhandari has been living in the area for 20 years and says what draws tourists to the ghat is "its unique charm, steeped in history". He adds: "This place was constructed by the British in 1857. In those days only the clothes of Viceroys and senior British officials were allowed to be washed. The patthar (large chunk of concrete set inside the washing pen) which you see being used to beat the clothes to wash away soap and dirt) was built by the British. More than 150 years later, it remains intact. There is no sign of damage. We have not done any maintenance or repair work on them. The foreign tourists find such things very interesting," says Bhandari.
Discuss
Tell a friend
Bury
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