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Help! We're all ten thumbs
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What do you do when the tap starts leaking? Pick up the wrench? No, in all probability, you would send an SOS to that elusive plumber. ANAND SANKAR puts Gen Now through a do-it-yourself skill test and is disappointed with the results
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How many techies does it take to fix a tubelight? None would probably be the right answer. But hold on, this is no cheap dig at our techies. It is a serious reflection on the one skill our Gen Now seriously lacks — the DIY skill.
How many times have you seen your father or uncle (or your brave mom) replace a leaking tap in a jiffy or fix that blown fuse or replace a plug that has been malfunctioning for a while? Easy tasks to master, you think. But take this simple test to find out if your DIY knowledge is up to the mark. What do the different colours of electric wires stand for? Why does one use cotton thread while screwing in a new tap? And what is the first thing you do before you remove a leaking tap for replacement?
The trusted tools
There was a time when my uncle moaned for years when someone borrowed his trusted (and rusted) pipe wrench and conveniently forgot to return it. Do you have a pair of simple cutting pliers or a set of spanners at home? The answer is mostly, I bet, no. But try looking for a plumber or an electrician on a Sunday to repair a busted water pump and you'll look at the tools — and those who wield them — with renewed respect.
The single biggest reason for the DIY skill meter slipping into the red is the perceived lack of time. Today's work-hard, party-hard lifestyle, it seems, leaves no room for anything else. D. Karthik, an IT professional, is probably a good example of that. He inherited his father's extensive tool set but has never even done an audit of them.
"I remember we never used to call someone to our house to fix anything. My father used to do it all. He could fix electric gadgets and do some carpentry and plumbing. He could also patch up cracks in the walls with cement. He used to call people only when something major had to be done. He had the tools for everything. I still have them but I just somehow have never got around to using them."
Had he picked up any DIY skills watching his dad? Karthik nods his head but adds: "When I was young, I always used to be around him asking this and that, and he used to explain. But today the lack of time is probably the biggest factor that doesn't allow me to fix things myself. You just don't feel like doing anything at all when you return from work."
Spectacular failures
Part of the joy in DIY is often the spectacular failures accompanying it. That is perhaps another factor in the young preferring hired help. Listen to Shanthi Ganesh, a homemaker: "The tap in the kitchen sink was dripping and I was annoyed by the noise, so I asked my husband to get a plumber. But I don't know why he decided to replace it himself. He went out and bought a tap and borrowed a wrench from a neighbour. He came in and removed the tap. I want to hit him on the head for what happened next." Apparently he had forgotten to turn off the main valve and the kitchen was ankle deep in water before he replaced the tap!
Though it is often said that DIY skills are developed only by trial and error (taking things apart and then figuring out how to put them back), warning number one is that if you mess up things, the cost of fixing your mess will be a lot higher.
Vivek Rajan, an event manager, once tried to fix a fuse but ended up burning a lot of wires in his house.
"One evening the fuse just blew and I thought why not fix it. The electrician had left some spare fuse wires after an earlier repair. I decided it was easy to just replace it myself. But I didn't know there was a short circuit somewhere in the house. The second I reinstalled the fuse, there were sparks and there was a burning smell. Then the electrician told me all the junctions in the wiring had burned from excess load."
The carrot
But to hardcore practitioners of DIY, the motivation is the joy they get from it. And according to Vivek's colleague Prem Kumar, it has another advantage too."If you know the basics, then it is easy to follow the work that an electrician or plumber does. Basically you won't get cheated. If you know what is what, people won't try to rip you off. But mostly I try to fix everything myself, I feel independent. I used to even service my old bike, an RX 100, but I sold it. Now I prefer to service my new bike at the service centre."
Service is just a phone call away
With time at a premium, a number of companies today offer handyman services in the city. One such company is Handiman Services Limited.
It offers services for both corporates and homes. The works include electrical, plumbing, painting, carpentry, AC maintenance, building maintenance, maintaining generator sets, housekeeping, security, pest control, pool maintenance, landscaping and many more services. One of its services is called Dirt Busters and it involves the use of machines to shampoo carpets, clean upholstery, move-in/move-out cleaning, cleaning of stores and shopping malls, cleaning of windows and mirrors, pre/post party clean-ups and pre/post construction clean-ups.
Incidentally, its also offers aviation support services. The company has been in operation for eight years and claims to offer "quality" service.
For more information, visit www.handimanservicesltd.com or email the company at info@handimanservicesltd.com or call 22120285.
PS91 is another firm offering security, housekeeping and engineering services. It has been in operation for six months now and its director John Thomas says that it is now aiming for ISO certification. For more information, call 32981280 or fax 41288897.
On the decline
A recent survey done in the U.K. seems to add weight to the theory that DIY skills are on the decline. Interestingly, it was an insurance company which undertook the survey.
It found that in people aged over 50 years, 94 per cent were confident of rewiring a plug without blowing the electrics. And almost half the under-30s flunked the test. They also failed other tests like putting up wallpaper, screwdriver skills, needlework, assembling furniture and unblocking drains.
This trend is also reflected in the declining sales at home improvement stores and reduction in the number of programmes on TV devoted to top home makeovers.
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