Dhobi Ghat Dhobi Ghat Dhobi Ghat (Mahalaxmi Dhobi Ghat) is an open air laundromat (lavoir) in Mumbai, India. The washers, known as "dhobis", work in the open to clean clothes and linens from Mumbai's hotels and hospitals. It was constructed in 1890. There are rows of open-air concrete wash pens, each fitted with its own flogging stone. Called the world's largest outdoor laundry, Dhobi Ghat is a very popular attraction among foreign tourists. The word Dhobi Ghat is used all over India to refer to any place where many washers are present. It is located next to Mahalaxmi railway station on the
What Work Is Fame" and "Growth" are direct accounts of two of Levine's jobs as a young man. "Fear and Fame" is based on a job Levine had cleaning out and refilling acid vats in his mid twenties. "Growth" is about the job Levine held at a soap factory at the age of fourteen. Many of Levine's poems are based on his experience growing up in Detroit. The titular poem, "What Work Is", is based on Levine's experience of waiting in a Detroit employment line. "The Right Cross" is related to a boxing teacher who taught Levine to defend himself while growing up