Overview
The Dhobi, known in some regions as Dhoba or Rajaka, is a community found across India and the wider Indian subcontinent. The community is recognised as a Scheduled Caste in India. Its members have traditionally been associated with the occupations of washing and ironing clothes, as well as agricultural labour.
The name of the community is derived from words associated with the act of washing. While "Dhobi" is the most widely used term in northern India, "Rajaka" is commonly used in southern parts of the subcontinent, and "Dhoba" appears in certain other regions. Within the traditional social framework, the work of laundering was a hereditary occupation, often carried out for specific patron households or villages.
In 2017, the Supreme Court of India observed that referring to people as "dhobi" in a derogatory manner was offensive. The community's recognition under the Scheduled Caste category entitles its members to constitutional safeguards and affirmative action measures provided by the Government of India.
References
Adapted from the English Wikipedia article on Dhobi.