Today I realised how ridiculously cheap manual labour is in our city. Went for a mechanised cleaning of my motorcycle at a petrol pump near Gol Park. They charged a princely sum of Rs 60 for the entire job that lasted for about 20 minutes. The job involves thorough cleaning of the bike with water jet. Loved the way he cleaned the inside under the mudguards.
After this the old man filled a can with diesel and sprayed it on the bike with a different attachment. Then he wiped the bike dry. Then he cleaned the bike once again with high pressure water jet. Yes, all over once again. After this a round of air spray to dry the bike and finally some good old hand wiping with the piece of red cloth.
All this cost me Rs 60.
The bike is old and cannot look new. But if the chrome wasn't rusty I am sure it would look sparkling clean. I gave the old man - Ali - a small tip. He didn't seem to bother about it. The pump in question is the one at the corner of Purna Das Road where it meets Gol Park. They seemed like the only pump in South Calcutta that does this job for motorcycles. Most pumps, incidentally, have stopped water jet servicing altogether. I realised this while looking for a pump to get this job done. A. Hardly anyone does water jet servicing even for cars. Those who do don't entertain motorcycles - I don't quite understand why.
After this the old man filled a can with diesel and sprayed it on the bike with a different attachment. Then he wiped the bike dry. Then he cleaned the bike once again with high pressure water jet. Yes, all over once again. After this a round of air spray to dry the bike and finally some good old hand wiping with the piece of red cloth.
All this cost me Rs 60.
The bike is old and cannot look new. But if the chrome wasn't rusty I am sure it would look sparkling clean. I gave the old man - Ali - a small tip. He didn't seem to bother about it. The pump in question is the one at the corner of Purna Das Road where it meets Gol Park. They seemed like the only pump in South Calcutta that does this job for motorcycles. Most pumps, incidentally, have stopped water jet servicing altogether. I realised this while looking for a pump to get this job done. A. Hardly anyone does water jet servicing even for cars. Those who do don't entertain motorcycles - I don't quite understand why.
