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Village gets its first-ever refrigerator

Village gets its first-ever refrigerator

Santosh Chowdhury had been saving for a fridge for 10 years.

The Calcutta tailor finally made the much-awaited purchase earlier this month, making him the first person in the village of Rameshwarpur to do so.

"Ours is the first generation to own a fridge in my family," Chowdhury told BBC News. “No one in my father’s and grandfather’s time had ever seen one.”

Saving for a fridge was no easy task. Chowdhury makes only 3 to 4 dollars a day as a tailor and part-time factory worker. A refrigerator costs more than a month’s wages.

While 99 percent of households in developed countries have refrigerators, only one in four of India’s home have them, BBC News’ Sanjoy Majumder reported.

Chowdhury’s wife, especially, longed for the appliance that would ease her daily workload. With no ability to store leftovers, Sushoma had to cook rice on a wood fire every day. Likewise, she and her husband would have to shop for vegetables daily.

"We’ve dreamt of this moment for so long," said Sushoma. “Some of our neighbours have already asked us if they, too, can store some food in our fridge. “And I can’t wait to drink cold water in the summer.”

Chowdhury believes the fridge — now storing tomatoes, an eggplant, eggs and milk — can change their lives, not just the way they approach meal planning.

"I can focus on finding more work and not worry about buying food for the family," he told BBC News. “My wife will get more free time and perhaps she can give me a hand as well.”