How I survived an entire day in India using only apps

Photo credit: Swiss Miss

If you’ve read about startup stories in India, you could be forgiven for thinking all of India’s urban woes have been solved, if not wholly or in full measure, very substantially. Especially so if you live in Bangalore, the country’s throbbing startup valley and testing hub for everything new in tech.

They’ll do your groceries for you, they’ll get your laundry.

And if you’ve not been living under a rock, there’s very little chance you’ve missed their aggressive marketing and fairy-tale promises. They’ll do your groceries for you, they’ll get your laundry, they’ll arrange your transport, and they’ll even fix your leaky faucet.

Such is the power of delivering the promise of ease, apps have made inroads even to tier-2 cities, where families, who have for generations used the local market to shop for daily needs, now tap on their phones to get their weekly home staples.

But was it possible that a person could live entirely off apps, and lead a saner life? That using websites and apps would indeed save time and energy and leave you free to pursue your hobbies like the it did for her?

I decided to take up the challenge and see how that worked out.

Rise and shine

Photo credit: Ali Inay.

Determined not to get offline at all, I took to Swiggy to get my breakfast delivered. Sorry Zomato, in my neighbourhood, Swiggy had far better options than you did. For a US$0.45 delivery, I could pick between Bangalore’s favorite idlis, or a full English breakfast and a lot in between.

Morning meal taken care of, it was time to restock the pantry. I fished out the Big Basket app, but after spending almost 15 minutes painstakingly adding stuff to my list, I realized they didn’t have any open delivery slots for the day. Oh well. I swiftly checked out instant-delivery competitors Grofers and PepperTap, found most of what I wanted on the latter, and placed an order.

Chores and housekeeping

Photo credit: the recently funded Housejoy a try, and booked carpenter services. Two different carpenters called me to check on what I needed and get details of my address (even though I had filled in the details online). I explained what my requirements were. One of them said he’d fix it, and would show up around the time slot I had opted for. He did, but strangely, came over only to say he was not able to do the job. Out he walked.

See: The battle of India’s apps

Beauty and chai