NOTED LAUNDERERS

Washing and ironing clothes is part of a persons health and hygiene. During the Portuguse colonial period they started a hospital at Fortcochin. The doctors of that hospital insisted that all the bed linen and clothing of the patients had to be washed and pressed before use again. By doing so the germs like “Scabies and / other micro-organisms are killed.” The Kochi Raja allotted a large laundry-ground on the western side of Pandikudy at Fortcochin for the dhobis to wash and dry clothes.  

Now manual iron made hot by burning coal are replaced by electric irons some of which could provide steam as well.

Pappan Maraveedu and his wife Sathi, and Vasu Chittezhath were the veteran launderers of our Island. At times my wife Sally used to engage Mony Vazhavelil and her husband Gopi, the launderers of our locality, to wash starch and press her cotton sarees and my cotton silk shirts and “Karalkada dhoti,” and they used to do a neat job.

Excerpts from

MEMOIRS

An autobiography

by

Joseph J. Thayamkeril

Lawyer, Kochi, Kerala, India.

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