CHENNAI: Don’t be surprised the next time you find your local dhobi sporting an ID card and carrying a customised black bag for your unwashed clothes. He might just be among the few dhobis who have tied up with laundry company Wassup - Just Laundry through an NGO.
Wassup, a laundry chain which has its presence in all the major metros, tied up with the Dhobi Association based in Vandalur on Friday. The tie- up aims at providing branding and professional training to members of the Dhobi Association, which currently has around 50 members.
“Through this tie-up, we will provide them with the branding solutions. Their outlets will get the brand name, and dhobis will be provided with identity cards and regular training. Regular visits will be organised at our outlet in Sholinganallur,” said TV Yuvraj, general manager, Retail Operations of Wassup, Chennai. Apart from professional training, the company is looking at providing insurance and educational assistance to families of the members.
Ironically, none of the dhobis who are associated with the project take up washing anymore. “There is no more enough sources of water to be able to do washing and this is true for almost every locality here. Though all our families have been in this field for the past few generations, in the last 10 years or so, we only do ironing,” said E Dilli, a third generation dhobi.
Under the tie-up, the clothes will be washed by the company and the ironing by dhobis. “The market for laundry is on the cusp of growth. It is like how haircutting was restricted to a few barbers 10 years ago. But in the last decade, hair styling has caught up in such a big way that it has transformed the market,” said Yuvraj.