Aayush Arya is India Editor and Apps Co-Editor at We have this washing machine in our house that will soon be eleven years old. Think about that for a second—it will be eleven years old! The only thing that’s older in my house is our television! My mother always washes the clothes in the washing machine and then washes them by hand. Then she runs them in the dryer, only to take them out later and hang them for drying on the rooftop. It’s a crazy routine and she really struggles with it (along with all the other household chores) when we’re between maids.
So I suggested that I’d buy her a new state-of-the-art washing machine with my next paycheck. It would be so cool, I assured her, that all she’d have to do is put the clothes in and forget about them for a couple of hours. Later, when she’d take them out, they’d be fresh, dry, and pleasantly scented. But she balked at the suggestion. She’d rather keep going through the tedious motions of doing it all by herself than spend some money on a new washing machine that would make her life much easier.
And you know what the saddest part is? I know that even if I somehow smuggled in a new washing machine one fine day, not only would I receive a terrible scolding, she’d probably either have it returned or stick with it but still keep up her current routine.
I still wish I could buy it for her though…
