I was in the happiest space this morning when I received a phone call. “Don’t forget to wear your plumber dress,” Lady Boss Ana had said. I sang during the shower, thinking about cool poses I’d try as a plumber this Earth Day.

But who knew that my dreams would be flushed down the drain! I stared at my plumbing clothes through the window of mom’s car (she had kindly placed them inside as she knew I’d forget to take them to the office). Moment of a twist: my parents had forgotten where they put the car keys, and so, this happened.

Borrowed shirt (Check)
New jeans that look old because I fell in them (Check)

Anyway, the purpose of wearing a Plumber Dress was much bigger than my whiny story. This Earth Day, along with the Tap Tap Squad and Eco 365, IWB girls were on a mission to install the water-saving device around town.

Madhu Sharma

Anvita and I marched towards our first target, Madhu Sharma’s flat. I didn’t feel under-confident anymore, thanks to our accessories! With pipes on my shoulders and pliers in my pocket, I became the cool plumber that was jealous of Anvita’s even cooler attire. Yes, Madhu ji also noticed how she was cooler.

We turned the tap on and turned it back off. Next, we unscrewed the old shell fitted on tap with the aerator. We replaced the old aerator in the shell with the new Eco365 Aerator. Then, we placed the washer between the aerator and tap, only to tighten it back to the tap.

Madhu ji looked inquisitively, and probably thought we were literally going to ‘screw’ her kitchen’s tap. But, well, we the plumbers of 2017 fix taps and break stereotypes.

We asked Madhu ji to open the tap herself, “The stream has apparently decreased, but the way the water is flowing is beautiful.” Isn’t it? I thought, feeling proud of my first plumber achievement.

The next stop was my favorite. We reached Jyoti Mittal ji’s place to exchange the aerator in her kitchen. But, we were slightly distracted. We saw a cupboard titled “Fluffy’s Cupboard,” and lost our minds.

Jyoti Mittal

“Do you have a dog?” I said. Suddenly, the plumber in me took a hiding, and the dog lover rose from its sleep. We chilled with Fluffy for a bit before getting to business, and right before Jyoti ji would start questioning our plumbing skills.

We moved towards her kitchen, as she took off a piece of cloth that collected the dirt coming out of it. We all have it in our homes, don’t we? “My mom does this, too!” Anvita said.

“Be professional,” I said to Anvita like an idiot. “Jyoti ji, how do you generally save water at your home,” Anvita said.

“I try to save the waste water that comes out of the RO and use it to either do the dishes or water the plants.”

Are you listening, folks? As Anvita fixed the tap at Jyoti ji’s place, I gave her instructions to do it properly. After all, I was more experienced.

We rang the doorbell at Sunita Bapna’s home, next. She had expected to see some cool-attired plumbers after reading our story but got even cooler people… I think that’s what she was thinking, heh.

I hopped inside her kitchen, and to fix the tap, I asked Anvita, my assistant (sorry fella) to hand me the pliers, but it turned out that they were in my pocket and I made a complete fool of myself. She gave me a death glare, and I sincerely got back to work.

Sunita ji said, “I usually keep a check, and make sure that the water consumption is less. But you people are doing an excellent job. Imagine how many tons of water will be saved if the Eco365 aerator is fixed in every home!”

And, because we were so nice, she offered us lemon sherbet that we bottomed-up shamelessly. Ah, too much physical labor, you know.

I had repeated the same steps before Sunita ji approved my job.

Woohoo! Our next stop was a home across the hall from our office. Often, we get pulled by the aroma of delicious food coming out of their homes and don’t feel like eating our lauki ki sabzi. We met Shalini Jain whose kitchen was responsible for our increased hunger, every day during lunch.

Before I could ask her, “Kaunse masaale istamal karti hain aap?,” Anvita nudged me and took things in her hands. See, if there are two things that get me weak in the knees, I’d say they are dogs and food.

Shalini ji’s daughters stared from a distance in admiration that a fancily dressed woman was fixing their taps. Clearly, they’d never seen women-plumbers before. I, for instance, was more interested in seeing Anvita’s performance, which was much better than before. I had approved her before Shalini ji did.

Sunita ji & Anvita

The flow of the water had decreased and yet looked fuller in every home.

If you too, would like to get Eco365 fitted in your homes for free, contact us on contactindianwomen@gmail.com or WhatsApp us, “Visit me, Tap Tap Squad,” on +919828288876. The first 25 people will get the device couriered!

Check more on Eco365 website!

Photo Courtesy; Chhaveesh Nokhwal