New Appliances
My husband does
not believe in buying new things. “This is India, “ he was fond of saying “,everything
and anything can be repaired”.
This meant that he
reversed the collars of his shirts regularly. Sometimes he forgot that he had
reversed the collars and tried to reverse them a second time.
We had a regular
tailor for this. A paraplegic who sat in a wheelchair in a shop that specialized
in repairs on old outfits. Needless to say we were his best customers.
Once the man fell
ill and was admitted in the rehabilitation institute for three months! All repairs were put on hold. I found
that it really did not make a difference. Raymonds opened a showroom in town
and so did John Players. I just replaced the old shirts with new ones, same
size, shape and colour.
“The tailor is
doing a really good job” remarked my husband. “The clothes look really fresh. Have
you changed your detergent?”
“Yes” I said
shamelessly, “I switched to Tide.”
I discovered a
fact of life. Men do not really notice their surroundings, they only care about
their creature comforts. As long as everything works and life runs smoothly
they don’t care. It helps that I work so I am not dependent on him financially.
Our washing
machine had served us well for around eight years. I felt sorry for it
sometimes ( I know it is not human) but it really worked hard. Three loads a
day all on “hard wash”. One day it just packed up, let out a few screeching
noises shuddered at the sight of the load and then came to a complete grinding
halt. No matter what I did ( I tried
every combination in the manual) it would not restart.
I called the
whirlpool service center. I was put on hold for 12 minutes while I listened to
an electronic voice alternated with music urging me to persist. Eventually a
man turned up two days later. He
switched on the machine. Nothing happened. “Madam,” he announced, “the motor is
dead.”
I could have told
him that. I did not really need to pay Rs 300 for a house visit for that!
“I can rewind the
motor. It will cost you Rs 2000.”
“How long will you
take?”
He looked shifty
eyed.
“Five days.”
“Is there a
guarantee?”
He looked at me
like I was an idiot. “No guarantee. The company does not do it, I do. Madam also
the bottom of your machine is rusted. I don’t know how the machine even holds
water. Even after the motor is repaired it will leak.”
I kept silent. Now
I knew why my work area was frequently flooded. All these months I thought it
was the tap!
I spoke to my
husband. (I had still not learnt my lesson).
His reply was
quite confusing. “Get it repaired, get the tub changed.”
I protested “ the
man says it will take two to three weeks.”
“Doesn’t matter.”
“Who will wash the
clothes—the uniforms?”
“Get a servant for
a month.”
Unreliable
servants , ones that never turned up, others that washed their clothes along
with ours and gave all of us scabies, these were a few of the reasons I had
dispensed with them in the first place! Besides it takes a few weeks to even
find one willing to function as a dhobhi.
I consulted my
children. My son said’ “just get a new machine. A replaced tub and a rewound
motor! Never heard such nonsense! It won’t work more than a week. “
I bargained with
the mechanic. “Can you not give me a exchange?”
He announced
firmly, ‘No madam, your machine is not worth more than rs 1000.”
So I ordered a new
machine and arranged for monthly EMIs. It arrived the next day. Unfortunately
it was a pleasant pista green whereas my old one was white. It also had a few
extra controls, hot wash very soiled etc. I kept it in the exact same spot.
My husband did not
even notice it for a few days. Then one day he entered through the back door
and placed his lunch bag on it.
“Hey the machine
is back. Why is it green?”
Before I could
reply my daughter said,” they repaired it in a day and painted it green.”
A few months later
it was our turn to have the monthly medical unit meeting in our house. One of
the consultants bemoaned the status of his washing machine. “It makes a noise,
I don’t know what to do. Sometimes it even gets stuck half way through the
cycle.”
“Call the service
people” said my husband. You won’t believe it, they even paint it before
returning it. My machine is ten years
old now. The service is fantastic!”“
The consultant
went to have a look at the machine. “This is a new machine. It has a hot wash
option.”
Shamelessly I
said, “they added it when they repaired it and changed the control panel. “
The bemused guests
left, probably to badger the call center for the next couple of weeks!
gitamathai@gmail.com
