The profits of dhobis have washed away

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Published on March 28, 2021 by

Due to a decrease in the orders, 60 percent of dhobis have left the job. The losses are so huge that the dhobis are struggling to send their children to schools.

Bangalore: Due to depletion in the orders by 75 percent, the dhobis in the dhobi ghats of Bangalore are struggling to make ends meet. The ones who used to earn Rs 1000 a day are hardly earning Rs 200 at present.

According to a dhobi Raju G “I hardly earn anything during the day as the orders we receive from the dry cleaners have gone less post lockdown. Some days I have work and on the other days I don’t.”

Due to a decrease in the orders, 60 percent of dhobis have left the job. The losses are so huge that the dhobis are struggling to send their children to schools.

“The parents are having a hard time. The income is so less that we are struggling to send our children to schools,” said Y.S Shankar, Secretary of Bangalore north Madiwala Mahajana Sangha.

It’s a vicious cycle. The dry cleaners that gave orders to the dhobis face shortage of orders, as taxi and cab drivers who provided them with work are struggling themselves.

Prakash Kumar, who used to give his clothes to dry clean has since stopped doing so and asks, “The ones who don’t have money to fulfill their basic needs, how will they pay money for getting their clothes washed?”

According to Sagar Naryana, a dry cleaner, “We used to get orders from the taxi and auto rickshaw drivers but as they are short of money the orders have decreased by 75 percent.”

The dhobis have gotten more apprehensive about their future as the BBMP is yet to provide Rs 5000 to the dhobis with a BPL card, as a part of the lockdown package.

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