The man in the tank top was ironing inside a small store in the alley

As I walked through a Mumbai shopping street, a small shop specializing in ironing caught my eye. Beneath an aged signboard, a row of well-worn irons sat haphazardly against the wall. The scene felt both nostalgic and intriguing.

India is the birthplace of calico fabrics, and its deep-rooted tradition of cotton clothing has made ironing an essential part of daily life. Ironing professionals are a common sight on street corners, carefully pressing garments for their customers. In the past, heavy coal-fired irons were the standard, but today, electric irons have largely taken their place.

Yet, something stood out to me—where were the people doing the washing?

In many places, ironing services often go hand in hand with laundry services, but here in Mumbai, I saw little evidence of that connection. Then, it dawned on me—this is India, where caste divisions still shape many professions.

In a society where jobs are traditionally passed down through generations, laundering and ironing are considered separate trades, each carried out by different groups. Even if combining both services into one business might seem practical, centuries-old occupational boundaries are not easily blurred.

And so, in the hustle and bustle of Mumbai, the ironing craftsmen continue their work—silently smoothing out wrinkles, one press at a time.

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