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    markusmeyer.photo

    Advisor, operations lead and occasional photographer. Based in Porvoo, Finland.

    Onwards 27 Oct 2013 After a busy few days in Mumb Onwards
27 Oct 2013

After a busy few days in Mumbai I felt saturated and headed back to Pune; all I had experienced during the weekend needed some digesting and contemplation. From the general ambience, to the alleys of Bhendi Bazaar, and onwards into the murky depths of Dhobi Ghat – what an exhilirating escapade! 

But too intense for prolonged exposure, time to get out and wind down a bit.

This concludes this journal entry of my time in India 2013-2014. There is more, lots of it, but I think we could use some change of scenery; stay tuned while I look through the digital darkroom for that next destination.

Until then.

#india #mumbai
    Bang! You're dead 27 Oct 2013 Back at the entranc Bang! You're dead
27 Oct 2013

Back at the entrance, the tired washerman still rests. 

On my way out, this kid walks by me; a slight mischievous grin on his face. As he passes he turns around, points a toy gun and shoots.

Bang, you're dead.

That rapscallion.

Even here, among dilapitated surroundings, people worn down by 14 hour work shifts and air filled with soot from burning furnaces, there is room for kids to play.

With that sliver of solace in mind, I bid farewell to Dhobi Ghat.

#india #mumbai #DhobiGhat
    Break 27 Oct 2013 The corridor opens up into anot Break
27 Oct 2013

The corridor opens up into another general area. There's a soft ambience of busyness in the air; washermen sorting through the piles of laundry of the day, others enjoying a hard-earned break.

Around 5000 washermen work here every day. After long days at the washing pens they retire to the shanties that constitute the chawl system that is Dhobi Ghat.

They don't take any particular notice of me. However, I don't want to intrude or overstay my welcome; I retrace my steps back to the entrance.

#india #mumbai #DhobiGhat
    Aerosol 27 Oct 2013 In this sombre space my eyes Aerosol
27 Oct 2013

In this sombre space my eyes keep scanning up towards the gap in the ceiling; the only light source in the room in addition to the naked flames of the boiler furnaces lining the wall.

Strips of torn canvas hang on the old wood beams, perhaps awaiting their final disintegration in the next monsoon season, when a steady rainfall will punish them for months on end. If there are sufficient resources available the roof will be covered with plastic tarp to avoid flooding the interior.

The air is so thick with smoke from burning coal that the sizeable particles are visibly dancing in the light beam, unsure about where to move in the non-existent air circulation.

I snap out of it, and move on.

#india #mumbai #DhobiGhat
    The chawl 27 Oct 2013 The corridors lead me deepe The chawl
27 Oct 2013

The corridors lead me deeper into the chawl system. More improvised boilers line the passageways.

Back in 1890, when India was still a British imperial colony, 50 washerwomen got together and formed the first commune at Dhobi Ghat. While certain changes have been made, it has remained true to its original appearance and purpose.

The surroundings may be rough, and the infrastructure patchy, but for many this is home; more than 800 households are accommodated on two levels of the chawl system in the enclave.

#india #mumbai #DhobiGhat
    Boiler room 27 Oct 2013 Seeking refuge from the s Boiler room
27 Oct 2013

Seeking refuge from the scorching sun, I enter one of the doorways and find myself in a rudimentary boiler room. Thick, grimy smoke fills the air, making it even harder to see the unlit interior. 

Sunlight seeps in through a torn roof. Bare concrete walls covered with soot. Barrels acting as improvised boilers, heating up the water used at the ghat. There doesn't seem to be any means to exhaust the resulting smoke, explaining why it's flowing unhindered into the room.

In the corner by the entrance, on a hardwood table, a washerman sleeps. Another proof of the demanding work and circumstances.

This room is one of the entry points to the chawllike network that is the main complex at Dhobi Ghat; a maze of corridors, living quarters and functional spaces essential to the laundry operations.

The ghat in general, and this area in particular, is off limits to the public. But you know how it goes; spot the man in charge, introduce yourself as a curious traveller, a bit of cash exchanges hands and voilá – access granted.

I try to get my bearings in the smoke and head deeper into the building complex.

#india #mumbai #DhobiGhat
    Bowling ball 27 Oct 2013 Continuing my walk aroun Bowling ball
27 Oct 2013

Continuing my walk around the wash pens and the washermen at work, I came across a particular fellow in the common area. He wandered around with a sense of absent mindedness, carrying a canvas bag containing something that my unversed eye suggested was a concealed bowling ball.

Something about this piques my interest so I say hello and ask him how he's doing. A short exchange later I cut to the chase and tell him about the funny thought about carrying a bowling ball around. He glances down at the bag, and asks if I want to see what's there.

Yes, please.

So he puts the bag down, and there's the softest thud and a slight rocking motion from the bowling ball finding its natural point of equilibrium. Before I realize that that's not something bowling balls do, he nonchalantly picks up and presents the prime ingredient for his imminent lunch; a severed goat head.

I compliment him on acquiring fresh and nutritious materials and ask him if I can take a photo, to which he agrees. I wish him bon appétit when the time comes and bid him farewell as I continue the exploration, now a little less hungry than before.

#india #mumbai #DhobiGhat
    Washerman 27 Oct 2013 The stairs lead me down to Washerman
27 Oct 2013

The stairs lead me down to a small courtyard, from where you can access the central grid of British colonial era wash pens of Dhobi Ghat. Washermen are busy at work despite the high noon sun beating down.

These washermen are traditionally called dhobis. Take note though: since the term is connected with the status of schedule castes, it is nowadays considered offensive.

The working day for the washermen isn't an easy one; they spend up to 14 hours in those wash pens, thrashing clothes against the flogging stones. With humble salaries, most of them can't afford sufficient protective gear; their hands and feet are constantly exposed to the alkaline solutions. You can imagine what that does to skin when subjected to them on a daily basis.

They take admirable pride in their work; the livelihood of approximately five thousand people depend on Dhobi Ghat, and the washermen doing this every day is what keeps that going - while waiting for a more automated future with washing machines and dryers to arrive.

Photo taken with permission.

#india #mumbai #DhobiGhat
    Enter Dhobi Ghat 27 Oct 2013 Before it's time to Enter Dhobi Ghat
27 Oct 2013

Before it's time to leave Mumbai, let's take a moment to explore a location called Mahalaxmi Dhobi Ghat. A branch off the main chapter, if you like.

The Dhobi Ghat, located in the Mahalaxmi neighbourhood in Mumbai, is a huge open air laundry place. It might seem chaotic at first glance; a patchy infrastructure covered by a vast number of cleaned garments hung to dry, among a gridwork of concrete wash pens.

But there is order hidden inside that chaos; considering that 7000 washermen work here every day, washing a total of 100 000 garments, there needs to be a system in place. Something that warrants a closer look.

The taxi left me on the adjacent bridge. The smell of detergent heavy in the air, I descend the stairs into the world's largest outdoor laundry – the Dhobi Ghat.

#india #mumbai #DhobiGhat
    (No) protection 27 Oct 2013 The deepening night c (No) protection
27 Oct 2013

The deepening night calls for most to retire for the day; not all have a secure shelter to retreat to, though.

The under-representation of the lower levels of Maslow's pyramid of needs is an unfortunately common sight in India. This manifests in various forms, one of which is vagrancy.

This particular disadvantaged soul had set up an elaborate ropework for repurposing marketing tarps into an urban bivouac.

#india #mumbai #urban
    Chewing the fat 27 Oct 2013 Walking around Ballar Chewing the fat
27 Oct 2013

Walking around Ballard Estate late in the evening, I pass by this tailor in the Borabazar precinct. The busy day is slowing down, the air becomes softer and even sounds lose their daytime intensity. The surroundings become a bit muffled, and you can hear your own footsteps again. There is still plenty of activity, but it has ebbed into small shops like this one. Smalltalk can be heard as I pass the doorway.

These tailors are one thing I miss from my time in India. Back home, if you'd purchase a shirt which wasn't a perfect fit, it'd stay that way; in the "good enough" -category. In India there were plenty of small shops like this, that could do their magic while you wait; measuring and a bit of cutting and sewing later and voilá, that shop-bought shirt now fits you like a proper tailored one.

#india #mumbai #urban #tailoring #night
    Colaba market 27 Oct 2013 As evening descends and Colaba market
27 Oct 2013

As evening descends and the air cools down just a bit, the market in Colaba starts to hum. 

Fresh produce is placed out on display in anticipation of the late afternoon grocery shoppers.

#india #mumbai #urban #market #colaba
    Long-term parking 27 Oct 2013 One of the things I Long-term parking
27 Oct 2013

One of the things I tried to figure out during my stay in India was the reliability of government functions in potential problem scenarios.

In other words; if something happens, who can I turn to for help.

The general sentiment, based on my own observations and discussions with locals, was that the local police tend to move on the darker half of the moral grayscale. 

It's no surprise: with a police-to-population ratio of roughly 144 per 100 000, the Indian police force is among the most understaffed in the world. Combine that with a proneness for corruption and you get an usually unsatisfactory reaction to your policing needs.

My local friends told me to avoid them if at all possible. The times I did have to deal with government functions - in matters relating to my visa - all requests for moving things forward were met with annoyance and tardiness. 

On top of that, this delay caused by them carried with it a risk of me going to jail, for not taking care of the matter more swiftly. 

It was only when an envelope switched hands that things were resolved.

But that's another story.

#india #mumbai #urban #government
    Repurposed 27 Oct 2013 After a good breakfast I h Repurposed
27 Oct 2013

After a good breakfast I head south, towards the tip of the peninsula.

By the harbor at Cuffe Parade, just south of Nariman Point, lies a ditched rescue boat on a stretch of beach exposed by low tide.

What purpose this boat serves is beyond me; storage for fishing equipment, playground for the kids, or perhaps shelter for the ones in need of one? 

All of the above?

#india #mumbai #urban
    Unhindered 27 Oct 2013 Cows walking the streets a Unhindered
27 Oct 2013

Cows walking the streets are not an unusual sight here, but that doesn't prevent it from sparking a bit of bewilderment and joy when witnessed.

They're free to roam as they like, unhindered, regardless of traffic. If they block intersections they might get a friendly nudge or pull, but interfering more than that with the sacred animal is considered not cool.

I came across this particularly friendly looking one on my early morning walk in Fort.

Enough walking for now. Time to head back for breakfast.

#india #mumbai #urban #cow
    Taxi boulevard 27 Oct 2013 Time to get out of Bhe Taxi boulevard
27 Oct 2013

Time to get out of Bhendi Bazaar for now. 

A new dawn rises on Mumbai, and I decide to head out before breakfast to see what that looks like. At 6:30 the taxis in the Fort district in South Mumbai have yet to see the start of the working day. 

Fort is, with its lush boulevards and colonial era architecture, what I imagined Mumbai would feel like; beautiful surroundings and rich in history.

I rub away some more sleepy sand from my eyes and move on; breakfast can wait a moment longer.

#india #mumbai #urban #taxi
    Bhasta gang 26 Oct 2013 Another turn around anoth Bhasta gang
26 Oct 2013

Another turn around another corner and I'm heading down this quiet alley. As I walk I get a slight tingle in my Spider-Senses, reminding me to be mindful; getting mugged is not rare around these parts, and would I be one to do that I would pick an alley like this to do it in.

A group of men sit on a bench halfway down the alley, going about their business and quietly observing their surroundings. I nod as I approach, the guy in the checkered shirt nods back. The rest of them seemed quite preoccupied with whatever they were doing – especially the guy reading the paper, he was so cool it gave me the creeps.

I slow down, we chat for a bit.

They call themselves the Bhasta gang. In their own words they operate in the recreational field, on the outskirts of what is legal. I interpreted that as drugs, and didn't go into specifics.

An interesting bunch to meet, but still having that tingle I decided not to overstay my welcome. I thanked them for their time, and continued towards less secluded streets.

#india #mumbai #urban #BhendiBazaar
    Outlook 26 Oct 2013 Overcrowding, lack of mainten Outlook
26 Oct 2013

Overcrowding, lack of maintenance and negligible investment in the infrastructure have led to a steady erosion of the fabric of Bhendi Bazaar. 

Today, residents and shoppers inhabit dilapidated buildings and conduct their daily lives on streets that lack basic urban amenities such as sidewalks, drainage, benches, trees and lighting.

The outlook is towards the better though, with redevelopment projects being well underway.

#india #mumbai #urban #BhendiBazaar #construction #development
    Bakery 26 Oct 2013 Passed this bakery and the guy Bakery
26 Oct 2013

Passed this bakery and the guys were just looking so damn happy I had to stop and say hi.

I'm not sure what's in the tray though - karanji? Kachori?

#india #mumbai #urban #BhendiBazaar #pastry #roti
    Ochre sari 26 Oct 2013 A few corners later I'm wa Ochre sari
26 Oct 2013

A few corners later I'm walking down a backstreet like many other around these parts, but with one unpleasant dissimilarity; hanging low and thick in the air was a pungent odour. Inadequate waste management or leakage of raw sewage mixed with the still scorching afternoon heat made this block particularly trying on the senses.

I try to focus on something else than the stifling smell.

A sari is a women's garment common in - among other places - India, Sri Lanka and Nepal. Its length varies between 4,5 and 9 meters, and can be wrapped in various ways. They come in different dyes, signifying caste, geographical backgrounds or the occasion in question.

Yellow and ochre saris, as pictured here, are typically associated with those who have renounced their birth caste or family to pursue a spiritual life seeking liberation from cyclical birth.

The times are changing, and the caste system is gradually fading away into history.

#india #mumbai #urban #BhendiBazaar #sari
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