The Electrician

The Electrician<?XML:NAMESPACE PREFIX = O />​

A close friend of mine stays in a rented house, making ends meet, the more he saves to buy his own home, the higher the land prices rise, so he is back to square one.His landlord is nice to him, he pays the rent on time, but like everyone he too wishes to own his own home someday.


He was making do with the cooler, but this year, as u all know it has been extremely hot, and the cooler being not so effective, his wife persuaded him to buy an AC for their bedroom.


The AC was fitted, and it worked for a few days well, till it conked off suddenly.The service centre was prompt to send over the technician, and the part replaced, again the next day it comked off again, and again a new one was put, but the same problem.


He called me, and I went with him to the main office of the AC company, close to m y house, to complain to the Boss out here.When we entered the office, they were in darkness, as their own fuses and meters were down, as they have 8 Ac’s working, they company too being in rented premises, and their meter gave way.


Within a few minutes, lights and Ac came on, and we met the manager Ashish, a nice guy and explained to him our problem, and told him we have received a defective piece, we want a new one. He smiled and told us something very interesting.


This place , is their rented premises for the last 10 years, and he said did u see what happened when u entered.Even our own AC’s conked off. The wiring of this house is old, and we cant do a damn about it, and the meter is of a lesser load than it should be. The wires inside the walls cannot take the load of the AC’s , and the sockets too are old.


He told us that he will send the man once again to change whatever part is to be changed, and told us to put a 6mm wire, if I am not wrong, from the AC to the meter, and install a new switch and socket, for the AC plug. The wiring cost my friend 2500, the new socket and the electrician charges were another 1500/- and now the AC is working fine, and they can sleep in peace.


This reminded me of my own house , we got it constructed and shifted in 1985. My electrican was a fellow named Govind, a one eyed fellow. His rates were double the market rate, but my friend thru whom he came, assured me he is one of the best in the field, expensive but perfect. Now in those days I was broke, just making ends meet, Dad financed the whole show. I wanted to be careful with the money Dad gave, and not splurge unnecarrily.


Now I had three bedrooms and a Drawing Room of about 300 feet carpet, and I made the provisions of a Dessert Cooler in each. Govind insisted that I put in AC wires, instead of the thinner and cheaper Cooler wires.The cost difference was tremendous, and I put my foot down, and told him , sorry, for I never intend to put AC’s ever, for my financial condition is pathetic, and this is not m y money , but Dad is footing the Bill.


This is what Govind had to say to me and Harsha “ I have seen people rising up fast, and in no time they have replaced coolers with Air Conditioners.Suppose in due course of time, u do install 3 AC’s in the bedrooms and one in this Hall. You will have to change the wires in the conduded pipes, from the AC to your meter, and u wont know which wire is going where as they are concealed. Aapko Nani Yaad Aajayegi, Kamlji, u will tear your hair out not knowing what to do.


Well he forced us, and we have to give in. Also he made us go in for a 3 phase connection, instead of the single phase that my neighbours were using, and he made us take a meter of 11 KW, instead of the 2 or three which was the norm. You pay more per KW to the electricity board, as deposit. My neighbours told me, yr electrician is mad, he is making u spend so much money for nothing. Gobind said, I am putting an expensive meter, suppose u put on all the 4 AC’s at one time, all the Geysers, your meter will catch fire, well we gave in, but did not understand his logic then.


Well, Govind was to prove right , for within a few years, we had Ac’s in all the bedrooms and the Drawing Room.And Gobind died in a couple of years after we moved in. And touch wood, not a Rupee has been spent on any electricity wire, since the last 25 years, and we have added two more AC’s in the office upstairs, and all is Well.


Brother put up a few stitching machines upstairs, and we went for a further extension of load to the Electricty Dept, they took 10,000 as security additional, and I thought they will change the meter to a new one with a heavier load.


The guys came, told me to sign, and when I said, why have u not changed themeter, they said, cant u read what is written on the meter ? He showed me, and then I realized tht Gobind 25 years back, had put the 2 main meters of 40KW each, one domestic, and one commercial. Govind took care to foresee 25 years hence, and beyond, and touch wood, we have had no problems at all on this front, as all my neighbours and this friend of mine are expierencing .Everyone is going for extension of load, and changing their meters, and their wires but not me.


These things most of u here may not be expierencing, for u live in flats, but we had to build this bunglow from scratch, and every brick, mortar, stone and wire we had to buy, flat owners get everything readymade, we had to do it ourselves, no one even my forefathers never constructed a house, and we both did not know anything of how a house is made. Thank God for some good friends, who got us the right people, and guided us with their contacts, to get us the best things available at that point of time.


Today u have a wide choice in everything, so very confusing. Then we had a just a few companies dealing in sanitary ware, like Somani, Nycer, Cera, and for tiles we had Johnson,Somani and a few more. Fridges were Godrej, BlueStar, Voltas,Alywin.Today u have Samsung LG, whirlpool, And so many other, as alos the imported Tiles, I would go crazy making a home today.


And then again, Rajasthan is hotter than most cities, and electricity is most precious to us, as are the AC’s. Thanks to Govind, we sleep in peace and in the comfort of the AC.


KAMAL MAHTANI



Young Sardar kid to his dad -
Mujhe Kal Ek Sapna Aaya,
Ki Mera ek pair (leg), chand pe hai
Aur doosra Zameen par,
Sardarji- Puttar aise sapne mat dekha kar,
Nikkar phat jayeega !!!


Garib patient – Doctor mere paas paise nahin hai,
Mera ilaj kar do, main apke kabhi bahut kaam aaunga.
Doctor – Kya Kaam karte Ho ?
Patient – Main Kabar Khodta Hoon !!!

 

Dear Kelly,

Yes it was fortunate i got in touch with Govind thanks to my friend whose house he was working in.

And yes better spend once on good quality, as u say, than pay again and again.

And i have teh habit even today, i am always on the lookout for good people like electricians, car mechanics, plumbers, for u have some or the other problem pretty quickly and u need good but maybe a bit expensive fellows, who know their job, and do it quickly.Time is money for me.:biglaugh

And i must say, i have a good team in hand.

Thanks.

kamal

 

Dear Mindi,

Well u found a good carp and me a good electrician.And i have a good team of car mechanic, plumber, carp, doctors, and all my work gets done on the phone, i pay what is agreed on, dont delay the money, and they are a little expensive, but i get my work done promptly and well.

Yes one can never be too careful.Regards

kamal

 

Dear Balaji,

Even the electrician i have now, small timers, from a electric store nearby, they are a team of 3. expensive, but damn good.For any visit nothing less than a 100/- but u know Balaji, one has so many jobes at home, and they do it queitly and very efficiently, sometimes they take a day or two to come, but well they give us good service.As also with my car mechanic, damn good, good doctors, 4 of them, two walk with me inthe park, anytime , when i am unable to visit them, i do pay their charges when i visit, bot at times on phone, they give damn good remedies, and i send them nonveg jokes on their SMS's too. :biglaugh

So i have a good team with me, and i live a peaceful existene.HAHA

Regards

kamal

 

Dear Radhika,

Thanks to such good people who have served me, i am able to write blogs on them, and i am fortunate to have such good and loyal poople, like u, who read and appreciate my blogs, even if they concern ordinary people.

We all hae such people in our lives, if we close our eyes and think back, but not many do that , and hecne are short of ideas of blogs, for me i have a dozen ideas right now, i dont know which blog to post first.HAHA

Thanks for the kind words, Radhika.

Regards

kamal