India's Slum Spectacle: The "Human Washing Machines" of Caste Oppressi

I might be among the last Chinese expats who lived long-term in India. My last trip was in 2019—just before COVID hit, followed by border tensions that led India to cancel Chinese visas, effectively wiping out our industry. (Thanks, Modi.) 🧼 Dhobi Ghat: Mumbai’s Open-Air Laundry Slum The Dhobi are a low-caste community traditionally relegated to laundry work—considered "higher" than those who handle carcasses but still trapped in poverty. Their "workplace"? A vast human washing machine factory, Mumbai’s most infamous slum and a macabre tourist attraction. 800+ concrete pits filled with chemical-laced water, where Dhobi workers scrub hotel linens under the scorching sun. Mountains of sheets flutter like flags, with Mumbai’s gleaming CBD skyscrapers rising in the distance—a dystopian "Pearl River Delta" vibe. 📸 Tourists flock to the nearby bridge to gawk and snap photos. The Dhobi rarely look up; they move like cogs in a machine, their labor reduced to a "quaint" spectacle. ⚡ The Brutal Reality of Caste The Dhobi’s generational bondage to this work is no accident—it’s caste apartheid in action. While Mumbai’s elite dine in five-star hotels, their bedsheets are cleansed by hands stained blue from detergent burns. #India #CasteSystem #SlumTourism #Mumbai #DhobiGhat #HumanRights