I thought it would be nice to take some photos of people at work in Dhoby Ghaut, Penang, before this occupation vanishes or is taken over by modern machinery. As I tried to start a conversation with them, I learned that they don't speak any languages except Tamil. I tried to explain to them using my own hand language if I could take some photos and they gladly invited me in to their work space. They thought I was a journalist :-)
These men do not have any family members in Penang. Once a year, they would go back to India to visit their family. By looking at the tasks they were doing, I believe each of them has his own job function.
As I was busy shooting around, one of the men offered me a glass of "teh tarik" (milk tea). From this shooting session, I learned a couple of things on photography but what more important was that language is no barrier to friendliness :-)
A couple of days later, I returned to the place with a few printed photos for them. Seeing their happy faces made me realise and feel confident that I could contribute more from my photograhy skills.
"Dhoby Ghaut or Dhobi Ghat, literally means washing place in Hindi, from Dhobi - literally meaning washerman or one that does laundry and Ghat - generically meaning a large open space. "
- Source: Wikipedia
