Unique Professionals

‘DHOBIWAALA’

THE LAUNDRY MAN

A dhobi is a washerman in India. Dhobis go from house to houes collecting dirty clothes from households. After a day or two, they return the linen washed, sometimes starched and ironed. Dhobis were the forerunners on the Indian subcontinent to modern professional dry cleaners.
In Mumbai, this place where the Dhobi's wash their clothes is called 'Dhobi Ghat'

‘RUDAALI’

PROFESSIONAL MOURNERS

According to a custom, in certain areas of Rajasthan, women are hired as professional mourners after the death of a male relative. These women are referred to as a ‘rudaali’ (roo-dah-lee), literally translated as female weeper. They in turn publicly express the grief of family members who are not permitted to display emotion due to social status. The rudaalis make a scene crying out loud. The impact of their mourning also compels other people at the funeral to cry.
http://5roblane.blogspot.com/2006/05/rudali.html

‘BANSURIWAALA’

THE FLUTESELLER

Mohammed Zahid has been selling Bansuri (flute) at the Kala Godha Art District in Mumbai for 13years now. He is from Faizabad, in U.P. He sells flutes from rupees 30 to rupees 300. He walks around the area playing the flute and calling out for customers. Many of his customers are foreign tourists. He earns an average 150 rupees a day. Sometimes even about 500 rupees a day.