Click to play videoMumbai: The sequence from the film Munna Bhai MBBS that came to symbolise Munnabhai is just one of many film sequences that has been shot at the old dhobi ghaat in Mahalakshmi in the city.
But now, the ghat is under threat from builders and encroachers alike because the dhobis legally still don't own this land.
This dhobi ghat was built more than 100 years ago by the British. But the dhobis land and legacy are under threat, due to a number of wrangles with the BMC.
“In 1993, Sharad Kale had made an agreement with us that the BMC will charge 10 per cent more rent and give us all amenities. They increased the rent but did nothing for us. There is no electricity here, no water supply, the roofs are caving in. There are too many problems,” said a dhobi Anwar Sheikh.
Apart from the lack of amenities, is the lack of space and most importantly that the petition filed by the dhobi co-operative society in 1999 asking for ownership of this plot of land has only now come up for hearing.
As a result, squatters have eaten into the space of the ghat.
“Where are we supposed to dry our clothes? We have used that land for decades,” said another dhobi, Sonu.
But it's the rapidly advancing skyline in the vicinity that has made this 23-acre plot in the heart of Mumbai the target of many developers.
“The Lokhandwala builders had put up a signboard here which our union leader threw away,” said a dhobi, Khiladi Nirmal.
With a legacy that has survived over a century it seems unlikely that the dhobis of this ghat will let anything stop them from washing dirty linen in public.
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