Friday, September 7, 2012

Sidelined lifeline


At the Vaigai riverbed, the dhobis who keep you spic and span brave the oddities of life

To those who cross the Vaigai on the Albert Victor Bridge, the riverbed with its rows of drying bedsheets looks like a heavily bandaged soldier. Dhobis are among the earliest visitors to the riverbed every morning. The thick, cropped grass between the mossy rocks lays down a green carpet welcome for them.
Along with the dhobis come the cranes to drink at the muddy pools of water. The sun shines bright and there is not a hint of cloud in the sky to filter the rays. Soon we all move on to the only shade there is, a thatched shed the washermen have constructed, so that they can breakfast on last night’s rice.
The washermen are probably the only ones who welcome the summer. Their day begins and ends with the sun, and they work right through the sweltering heat, breaking only for that quick meal and their beedis. Every suitable stone on the riverbed is occupied and the place is soon filled with people.
Garbage dumping yard
As you enter the river, the first thing you notice is the stink of garbage dumped on the banks. Closer to where the dhobis are thrashing the garments on the rocks, you smell washing soda and starch. For the next three hours or so, all you hear is the thwack of clothes on stone and the music and chatter from FM radio. The dhobis spread themselves out, and if they want to talk to each other they shout or use their mobile phones. Further away, children splash each other in the trickling river water.
There are more than 2000 dhobi families living in Anna Thoppe, Sudalaimuthu Lane, Bharathi Nagar near Thathaneri, Aruldosspuram, Avaniapuram, Tirupparankundram, Palanganatham, Vandiyur, Viraganoor Ring Road, Kalmedu in Sakkimangalam, Mathichiyam, K. Pudur and other localities, and they identify themselves by their settlements.
Not all settlements have ‘dhobi khanas’, open-air concrete pens fitted with washing stones, and many prefer to wash and dry clothes on the riverbed. “The space inside the ghat is very limited,” says E. Maruthappan of Anna Thoppe. “Of course, we get water in the ghat without any restriction. But then drying the clothes is a problem. On the riverbed, we have plenty of space.”
M. Muthukumar lives in his own world of laundry and reluctantly lets me in for a day. His family of five live in Sudalaimuthu Lane on the river bank in a single room. The family members squeeze themselves in between the television, the table fan and the steel bureau. “When we have guests, one or two members go out and sleep on the street,” says Muthukumar. “Earlier, we were living in thatched houses. Only recently we changed it with cement roof.”
When the river runs dry, the dhobis run short of water. “As a makeshift arrangement, we group together and dig a well on the riverbed,” says Muthukumar. “We are four and restrict ourselves to one person a day as we should also give time for percolation of water,” he adds.
He collects dirty clothes from his clients and soaks them at home for two days in a boiling vat of washing soda (sodium bicarbonate) and soap oil to remove stains. At the riverbed, he rinses the clothes in fresh water and applies washing blue. Finally, he dips the clothes in starch and dries them. He still uses a charcoal iron to press them.
P. Mookambal of Anna Thoppe, who has been in this profession for 35 years, says the chemicals affect her health. She is in her 60s now. “Nowadays, I fall sick frequently. Huge portion of my earnings goes to the medical expenses.” Though she would like to retire, there is no one to support her for the rest of her life.
The water itself is polluted. “People residing along the banks let their sewage into the river,” says M. Meena of Anna Thoppe. “They should stop this act, as hundreds of dhobis put their hands in the water and it poses serious health hazard. We on our part should restrict chemical use to the dhobi ghat,” she says.
Historical references
Washermen have been in Madurai for ages. Stone inscriptions show they were known as ‘Earankolli’ (dampness killer), according to M. Shanthalingam, secretary, Pandya Nadu Centre for Historical Research. They are referred to as ‘Vannar’ in a Travancore inscription, dated 849 A.D., which also describes the collection of washing stone tax, referred to as ‘Vannar Kal Kaasu’, ‘Vannar Kaanam’ and ‘Vannar Vari’. The term ‘Vannathar’ is found in an inscription dated 905 A.D. Various washerman settlements are mentioned in inscriptions documented in the Department of Archaeology’s volume The South Indian Inscriptions.
So for centuries they have been keeping us all in starched white. In return they earn a pittance and get taken for granted. “Leave alone the money factor, there is no dignity of labour,” laments Muthukumar. “Wherever we go, people look down upon us.”
If you look down from the Albert Victor Bridge in the fading light of the late afternoon, you can see the dhobis winding up for the day. They gather the dried clothes from the riverbed and soon the river is deserted.

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