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Tamil Nadu. Villupuram District. December 2001. A Dhobi couple of the Adi-Dravida caste, clean clothes by beating them against rocks at a dried up lake near the village of Odyathur. Dhobi refers to someone who cleans clothes. The Dhobi occupation is usually hereditary and is a form of caste based occupation. Only the lowest of the untouchable castes perform this work as it is considered polluted. The couple photographed above, are extremely poor, each work seven days a week for less than $1 a day. The couple's parents were also Dhobis; they never went to school instead worked as child labourers. The couple are never paid the full amount of what people owe them, as they're illiterate and have no way of recording who owes them what.

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19.jpg
Copyright
Oliver O'Hanlon
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Tamil Nadu. Villupuram District. December 2001. A Dhobi couple of the Adi-Dravida caste, clean clothes by beating them against rocks at a dried up lake near the village of Odyathur. Dhobi refers to someone who cleans clothes. The Dhobi occupation is usually hereditary and is a form of caste based occupation. Only the lowest of the untouchable castes perform this work as it is considered polluted. The couple photographed above, are extremely poor, each work seven days a week for less than $1 a day. The couple's parents were also Dhobis; they never went to school instead worked as child labourers. The couple are never paid the full amount of what people owe them, as they're illiterate and have no way of recording who owes them what.
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