Symbolism, Imagery, Allegory
What's the big deal with the basins anyway? Why the drama in the story over a couple of sinks?
Mr. Chatterjee says it all for us. The basins are "[a] sure sign of changing times" (ARD 50).
Sinks are a pretty ordinary piece of household equipment for us, but they are a luxury in many parts the world. For the residents in ARD, the basins are shiny new things that make the apartment building a part of the 20th-century as wealthy Indians and Westerners experience it. The sinks put them in touch with their aspirations for a better life.
The sinks get the residents into washing, as in their hands and their mouths. Basic and important, yet can you imagine not having the ability to wash yourself in clean water easily? The residents are so enamored of the newly-installed communal basin that "[e]ven Boori Ma [is] urged to rinse her hands under the clear running water" (ARD 47).
But there's a disadvantage to these basins: they begin to cause discord among the residents. Take this morning scene for example:
Among the wives, however, resentment quickly brewed. Standing in line to brush their teeth in the mornings, each grew frustrated with having to wait her turn, for having to wipe the faucets after every use, and for not being able to leave her own soap and toothpaste tube on the basin's narrow periphery. The Dalals had their own sink; why did the rest of them have to share? ( ARD 51)
There's always a downside to technological progress. We would just kill for an iPhone upgrade.