I don't know who came up with it, but the idea is brilliant: the washbasin has a foot-operated tap. This allows you to rinse your hands without touching the tap with your sambaar-chutnified fingers. Moreover, you don't need to remember to close the tap when done, a common problem in public washbasins. Regulation of flow is fairly intuitive and corresponds directly to foot pressure rather than turning a tap in circles.
Why don't we have more foot-controlled taps? Why is MTR the only place where I've seen this? And why, despite having a phone with a camera, did I not take a photo for this blog?
Update (16 Feb 2010): Saurabh clicked a photo of the tap which can be seen here (you may have to use your imagination a little :-) )
9 comments:
A walk through Lalbagh, and eating at MTR. I am sure you have done the usual staple of Vidyarthi Bhavan, Brahmin's Coffee Bar, Upahara Darshini, Dwarka, etc.
Contrary to _all_ my other non-Bangalore friends living in Bangalore, I am kind of happy to see K and co. living in my neck of the woods.
11?
Foot-pedaled wash room is replicated is quite some places, dunno who is following whom..
I have a gripe that you did not talk much about the exquisite food quality and taste at MTR which IS the speciality there :P
T: yet to be taken to the others, since I haven't visited your neck of the woods since :-) Will put it on my food trail. I believe you gave all of them a list of places to look at.
A: well, figure it out :-)
M: it was kind of redundant and frankly, a little upstart-ish for me to extol its virtues - everyone knows about it. Instead, let me record that I had a masala dosa, a khaaraa bhaat, kesari (if that's the same they call it there), and a coffee. Quite a bit for me.
ok, following are the reasons why not.
1. My mom for example, will have a really tough time, figuring out how to operate a "foot-operated tap". I will have a tough time as well, but I am hoping I will realise whats happening and react soon.
2. "Regulation of flow is fairly intuitive and corresponds directly to foot pressure rather than turning a tap in circles." - this is a statement with no data to back-it-up. My simple question - how do you know?
3. "Moreover, you don't need to remember to close the tap when done, a common problem in public washbasins." - well, you dont need a foot operated tap to solve this particular problem.
4. Given how clean our roads are, you are asking for unwanted trouble if you let people use their feet to operate a tap.
5. As a tradition, water is treated with respect in our nation, its a little disrespectful from a religious standpoint to use your foot to get water.
So my point is this - the next time you think some idea is stunning - stop, think about why it will not work. you will be surprised.
- MrDalal
Mr Dalal,
Have you been drinking all your water straight from the municipality taps. You truly have gone mental!
I noticed that too!
Having 3 different variety of rice and few different sambhar-like liquids at MTR, foot operated tap is bliss.
Absolute genius. The first time I was also puzzled.
And here is a pic for the foot tap :)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/saurabhsahni/4356225054/
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