Indians are cricket and car crazy to a large extent. While most of the population sport bikes because of its economic value, a significant lot invests in a range of cars too. From small, mid-sized to luxury cars, Indian roads are practically packed to the brim with a range of models and types.
Here comes the sad part, while we have a limited number of roadways, we definitely do not have the infrastructure to support the burgeoning rise in car traffic! On one hand, while that creates multiple issues, on the other the lack of parking spots creates its own set of issues too.
So, instead of focusing on a mass long-term solution, most people settle for the next best thing. Cars are packed anywhere and everywhere. While this is a risk in itself, it also leads to a great deal or and needless to say consistent accumulation of bird droppings, dust, grime and a hoard of other things.
As a result, we forced to hire a special car washer man to wash the car for us on a regular if not daily basis. In most urban Indian homes, the car washer man doubles up as the building lift-man or security guard. In order to earn that additional few hundred bucks worth of money, this single person will typically go from door to door every morning collecting the car keys from every car owner and proceed to wash the car’s exteriors and interiors.
Washing a car is not science. But you need to have enough energy to be able to scrub the various kinds of dirt, grime and marks that accumulate on your car every morning. While our western counterparts are more than happy to hose down their own vehicles, the prevalent habit here is to outsource it to someone else.
Labor in India is cheap and everyone has a varied list of options. From drivers to gardeners, we can pay to get things done at the drop of a hat. In fact, India is one of the rarest countries that creates occupations that other countries have not always heard about or adopted as much. Take for instance our dabba wallas…
A usual site in most of our building complexes every morning includes men walking around with a bucket of water, washing the cars in the compound or road. If they miss a day, you have to face the incredible embarrassment of driving around in a car ridden with dirt and grime throughout the day. Take it from me, you’ll extract a lot of stares as a result, without a doubt.
The more expensive our cars get, the bigger the size of the vehicle we choose to upgrade to, the car washer man is expected to just carry on and wash the car. When he asks for a raise, the natural reaction is to say simple no. Isn’t it?
Would you ever pick up a hose and wash your own car? Probably not. We are used to depending on others for every little thing and moreover we look down on these tasks as menial jobs.
Maybe, just maybe it’s time for a grand change in the way we think, act and live.