Dynamics of technology, livelihood, and environment: A visit to Dhobi Ghats in Delhi

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Dynamics of technology, livelihood, and environment: A visit to Dhobi Ghats in Delhi

The students of the Science, Society, and Environment course joined the visit to Dhobi Ghats near Lodhi Road and Loha Pul.

What happens to traditional livelihoods like dhobi ghats in the making of world-class cities? How same source of livelihood is impacted by technological adoption or the lack thereof in different parts of the same city?  To have a glance at the dynamics of technology, livelihood, and the environment, the Department of Environmental Studies of Ashoka University organised a field visit to Dhobi Ghats in Delhi on 23rd September 2023. The students of the Science, Society, and Environment course joined the visit to Dhobi Ghats near Lodhi Road and Loha Pul. Our resource person Mariam Fatima has been helpful in providing an overall context of the topic. 

At Lodhi Road Dhobi Ghat, which was built with government support, the students interacted with the Pradhan and older dhobis, listened to their stories of a lifetime, and witnessed how three different types of washing technologies co-exist in the vicinity: the traditional method, semi-automatic method, and automatic machines. The dhobis discussed the overall changes in technologies and practices from marking customer names on clothes to ironing with mechanical suction support. The students noticed the class variations within the same community and the changes in the gendered roles that occurred with the adoption of new technologies.

The visit to Loha Pul Dhobi Ghat provided a contrasting view of the Dhobi Ghats and its intricate connection with the river Yamuna for the survival of a livelihood. Students gathered glimpses of the lives around ‘unrecognized’ dhobi ghats, the dynamics of their dependence on the river for their livelihood, and their perceptions of the pollution of River Yamuna. The Dhobi Ghats in these two sites helped the students to have a nuanced understanding of Dhobi Ghats in Delhi.

Figure1. Resource person Mariam Fatima explains about the Dhobi Ghat in Lodhi Road
Figure 2. Sharing life experiences of a retired washerwoman at Lodhi Road Dhobi Ghat
Figure 3. A migrant from South India sharing his life experiences as a Dhobi in Delhi
Figure 4.
Figure 5. Co-existence of different practices: Traditional hauzes and semi-automatic machines in Lodhi Road Dhobi Ghat
Figure 4. A young Dhobi washes clothes in a traditional hauz at Lodhi Road Dhobi Ghat
Figure 5. A semi-automatic machine at Lodhi Road Dhobi Ghat
Figure 6. Gendered technology: Changing gender practices with the technological adoption: A view from Lodhi Road Dhobi Ghat
Figure 7. A hydro machine at Lodhi Road Dhobi Ghat for dewatering the washed clothes
Figure 8: A full-automatic heavy-duty washing machine at Lodhi Road Dhobi Ghat
Figure 9. Changing gendered roles: Folding clothes, previously a women-dominated task, now taken over by men
Figure 10. Ironing clothes with the support of mechanised suction support (Lodhi Road Dhobi Ghat)
Figure 11. Dhobi Ghat under the Loha Pul. One of the oldest and unrecognised Dhobi Ghats in Delhi
Figure 12. A hauz set up by the dhobis on the banks of Yamuna River
Figure 13. A woman washing clothes in the stagnant water under the Loha Pul
Figure 14. Invisible livelihood under the Iron Bridge
Figure 15. Same livelihood, different locations: Students returning with new experiences and learning.
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