Dhoby Ghaut

Dhoby Ghaut or Dhobi Ghat Pronounced: [Dho-bee Gh-aa-t]

A hindi word for a washing place, the name Dhoby Ghaut is derived from the words Dhobi – literally meaning washerman or one who does your laundry and Ghat – generically meaning a large open space. Typically in India, Dhobis call on regular clients, collect their dirty clothes and then take them to the Dhobi Ghats.

The name is reminscent of the famous Dhobi Ghat of Mumbai, India, which has rows upon rows of concrete wash pens, each with its own flogging stone. The Dhobi sloshes dirty linen into a soapy water mixture, thrashed with the floggin stones, and then put into huge vats of starch, after which they're dried, ironed and delivered to the owners. This is however not a 'Standard' practice. In a large number of areas in the country, dhobis have migrated to washing machines and dryers, using the latest available detergents.

In the more rural parts in India, clothes are taken to the nearest river or canal, preferably one with huge rocks or boulders on the banks and then flogged on these. They are then spread out over the nearest grassy land, and dried.