Why life with Suresh is neatly-pressed, extra-friendly, convenient and sans (too many) scooter problems...

Most of my favorite memories over the last 2+ years are directly related to the dynamic, diverse people I have met.  India's greatness has nothing to do with its infamously corrupt politicians, prolific water-borne diseases or wide-spread child labour practices (nor with the initiatives that are attempting to fight these problems, either).  The people of India are actually what make India Incredible.   

People say that in India, neighbors and families are much more co-dependent, relationships are stronger and that our lives are all inextricably linked with those around us.  Well, it's true.  I haven't quite figured out why this is... One explanation could be that there are limited resources so people are forced to share, work together and depend on one another for basic, everyday functions.  Another could be that, well, if 1 billion people didn't get along, India would be a scary place.

My favorite mutually beneficial relationship in Chennai is with Suresh, my iron-wallah-cum-day-watchman-cum-water-motor-switcher-oner-cum-scooter-mechanic.  Hands down he is one of my favorite people in Chennai.  My flatmates and I let him set-up his ironing station outside our front gate providing a place for him to store clothes during the day, take breaks while drinking chai, and stay dry from the Chennai monsoons, while Suresh makes sure my life is neatly-pressed, extra-friendly, convenient, and ensures that I get to work on, um, time without mechanical scooter issues (I suppose I can't really blame him for running out of gas on the way to work a few days back).

A closer look at why this 4-in-1 guy is romba cool...

4.  Iron-Wallah.  Suresh charges me 3 Rs. per item to iron my clothes and delivers them back to my door.  He also helps me practice my counting in Tamil and even irons Saris...!  While his presence is not always consistent, his turnaround time for emergency ironing of clothes is timely and much appreciated.  There is also a mutual understanding between him and another iron wallah (whose name I do not know) for the spot in front of our house: when Suresh is not there, the other man takes the spot and for all intents and purposes, replaces Suresh.  What can I say, we're popular.

3.  Watchman.  Suresh is our pseudo watchman.  As he normally begins his day bright 'n early around 8 am and does not close up shop till about 8 pm, Suresh is there to greet me when I leave for work, when I come home, and even when the pizza deliveryman comes at noon on Saturday to bring me brunch :)  He opens the gate for me to help me park my scooter and greets me with a friendly "Vanakam!" day in and day out.  He also helps direct any young or foreign-looking person on our street to my house, saying, "Yes, yes, college girls house."  But, let's ignore that one.

2.  Water Motor Switcher Oner.  Suresh is our official water motor switcher oner.  As with many houses in India, the water motor needs to be "turned on" to allow the water motor underneath the house to fill up the water tank that sits on the rooftop.  This tank is what we use for our daily water needs (of course, except for drinking).  To refill the tank, we need to flip a switch on the ground floor.  As the water tends to run out an inopportune times (say during the middle of a shower), sometimes it just is annoying to have to run downstairs and turn it on.  So, we just call down to Suresh... "Anna! Thani!" (meaning: Sir, water!) and he (happily) switches the motor on and off for us.  I know, we're pretty lazy.

1.  Scooter Mechanic.  Suresh is also a 2-wheeler mechanic.  Although this still baffles me, (one would think a mechanic would make more than an iron-wallah) it really rids my life of most scooter problems.  I discovered this one day when I was having trouble starting my scooter after heavy rains; Suresh helped me and then told me that he could fix my scooter if I ever had any problems.  A few weeks ago before heading to Delhi, I was running late and didn't have time to drop off my scooter to a mechanic shop so I decided to give him my keys, a small advance and entrusted him to fix a few minor issues I had with my scooter.  To my surprise (and delight), I came home to a scooter that looked brand new.  I swear it looked like it had the make-over of its life with a new front panel, working lights and of course, a nice scrub down.  You can't beat free delivery for mechanic services, can you? You really can't!

Suresh is a gem.  Now if only he could cook...



Addendum:  I just found out that the "other" iron-wallah is actually Suresh's maternal Uncle and that the woman who accompanies him daily is his mother (not wife).  Also, apparently Suresh's brother, Kartik, is the broker that helped my flatmates find our house.  Maybe the whole family deserves a post?