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Swetha Kannan

Whether you are tired, old, sick or plain lazy to cook, sweep and scrub, help is just a phone call away.

Anand Kumar works in an IT firm in Chennai. When he returns home late at night, he has little energy to cook but a huge appetite to satiate. Lalita Eashwer, who works six days a week in a marketing research firm, has no time for housekeeping. The Santhanams are old and live alone. Mrs Santhanam suffers from occasional memory lapse, and finds cooking an ordeal.

Anand could be Rahul, Rohan or any other youngster given to the rigours of modern-day living. The Santhanams and Lalitas too aren't alone.

After a long day at work or during old age when one is lonely and fatigued — mentally and physically, household chores can be a big burden. But there is little reason to frown. Whether you are tired, old, sick or plain lazy to cook, sweep and scrub, help is just a phone call away. Want to eat? Hire a cook. Or simply sign up for a home catering service. Want electrical work done? Want your bills paid? Movie tickets? Or any other service under the sun? Just buzz these service providers and enjoy a bubble bath while your work is done. With these handy helpers around, life at home now promises to be a breeze.

Welcome to the world of domestic outsourcing. So, what's new? Surely, domestic outsourcing has been around for long — in the form of domestic servants, security personnel and day-care centres. But today, it has gained a new meaning, structure and context and there have been several additions to the job-list.

Says Jayanthi Sekhar of www.Homebasechennai.com that offers property care and management, "People no longer have the time to look after their domestic chores; work isn't 9-to-5 anymore. And service providers are a great boon to them." Adds her husband Sekhar Ramani, "I have seen this in IT parks in Bangalore, where people work 12-14 hours a day. The guy wakes up in the morning, has his cuppa and rushes to office with a bag of dirty clothes. The cleaner picks up the clothes, washes and delivers them back at office."

With such a hectic lifestyle in place, it is not surprising that help for a range of household work, big or small, is being increasingly sourced from outsiders. Elderly people and harried homemakers too use some of these services to lessen their household burden.

Home-delivered food

To cater mainly to working people and senior citizens, there are food caterers who deliver home-cooked meals every day at the doorstep for a nominal charge.

Sudha Desikan lives in Adyar, Chennai, and has been in the food business for five years. She has about 60 regular customers and her typical workday begins at three in the morning!

Ask her why many people prefer to have their food delivered at home, and she chuckles. "Laziness?" she wonders, before adding, "There are many senior citizens living in this area, with their children abroad. They are old and physically not fit to cook; so this is the best option available." Says 70-year-old T.V. Santhanam, "We're just two at home — me and my wife. Buying food is more economical than buying provisions and cooking. Even when our children come home from abroad, we order extra quantities."

Anand who is from the North wasn't impressed by the north Indian food served at hotels here. "It was not authentic and to my liking. For two months, I have been buying dinner from the north Indian caterers near my place. The food is tasty, healthy and what's more, home-delivered."

Get reliable help

People who need maids, cooks or nurses, no longer have to hunt around the neighbourhood for reliable help. There are agencies that provide part-time or full-time helpers, promising accountability, reliability and prompt service. For the elderly who live alone with just empty spaces for company, the entry of another person into their lives is a welcome relief. Bhooma Devi, Manager, Baba Women Private Employment, which provides nurses, domestic help and security personnel, says, "We do not merely provide helpers. We ensure a personal touch. Several old people long for company and care. Working parents in nuclear families too need a caring person at home to look after their newborns or young children."

Domestic service providers such as Ejji Domestic Services and Service Square offer solutions to mundane repair needs such as electrical, plumbing and carpentry work. What makes them tick vis-à-vis local help although they may be a bit expensive?

Bhamini Shankar, managing partner, Ejji Domestic Services, a pioneer in the business, says people do not want to be penny-wise and pound-foolish. "People want to cut down on the time spent on chasing locals, which is quite a hassle. For example, a local plumber may charge less for labour, but may cheat on material. Since our service is security-cleared, people have no hesitation."

Says Lalita Eashwer, who turns to Service Square for cleaning and electrical work, "It is difficult to find reliable household help. While local guys may not come for small odd jobs, these people come when I am free. I do not mind paying a premium for quality service."

Service Square is a one-stop destination for most of your needs — sort of a `supermarket of services'. Tickets, passport, event management, bill payment, vehicle registration and licensing, repairs, cleaning and rentals are some of the broad services they offer, apart from odds-and-ends solutions such as bank work, photo lamination, gardening, pet care, key duplication and marriage certificates.

Property care and management

Non-resident Indians (NRI) can now heave a sigh of relief when they come home during holidays. Their property-related issues are in safe hands. Homebasechennai.com is a Web-based service firm that takes care of property-related matters such as buying, rental, taxation and legal issues, as also property management such as cleaning and bill payment. "NRIs usually act as remote control, sitting in the US and instructing their relatives on a range of issues. Sometimes it is embarrassing to ask them for favours; relatives too have their constraints. The son also does not want to burden his parents. So we do it as a business for them," says Sekhar Ramani. Apart from NRIs who form a major chunk of their clientele, Homebasechennai.com is also used by locals. And the business is growing. "Five years ago, no one would have thought of outsourcing many of these services, but it is now picking up steadily, though Chennaitesare still conservative and need a lot of convincing," says Babu Vincent, Managing Director, Service Square, who foresees the service industry growing exponentially in the coming years.

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