Dhobhi Gath, where clothes of Karachi are washed, was considered the largest of its kind in the world. Then the decline set in and now it is any other washing place. Yet, the charm of the place never goes away.
I, along with few KPC members, visited this slum area, a stronghold of PPP to document briefly this dying place. People working there are almost exclusively Urdu speaking (mohajirs) and as expected, poor. They have been around since the birth of this country. And they don't wish to leave. Yet, the ever expanding Lyari Expressway will ensure their demise. Just like other of their kin were displaced when the mega project began.
For me this shot is symbolic of the place itself. Sparsly hanged t-shirts are in stark contrast to the shot taken by a National Geographic photographer in 1986, which shows rows upon rows of packed clothes.
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