"Don't quit your job before finding another."

"Do you even have savings?"

"What are you going to do at home? Wash clothes?"

Things we are told by our loved ones before we take big career decisions and perhaps rightly so. Quitting your job is no easy feat, more so if you are an IAS officer in India.

However, ex-IAS Kannan Gopinathan learned it the hard way when he realised he had to do laundry all by himself and had no apparent savings to buy a washing machine to get the daily chores done.

In a tongue-in-cheek humour tweet posted on Wednesday, Gopinathan posted a photo of him washing his laundry and wrote, "To all those who are contemplating to quit. Do not quit before you purchase a washing machine. I repeat. Do not quit before you purchase a washing machine."

The only thing I regret about leaving the IAS. Washing clothes after every tour. To all those who are contemplating to quit. Do not quit before you purchase a washing machine. I repeat. Do not quit before you purchase a washing machine. pic.twitter.com/N4HPfT7Bsq — Kannan Gopinathan (@naukarshah) October 23, 2019

Truly inspired by his dedication, folks on the Internet came out in numbers in support of him. "Washing dirty linen in public" was amongst the many interpretations picked up by his followers.

Every second I am relieved that I am not part and in anyway party to whatever is happening. — Kannan Gopinathan (@naukarshah) October 23, 2019

Not at all. But a few years in service can make all this very tough for one. Especially when you are travelling so much and in one day all clothes need to be washed. Just in jest. :) — Kannan Gopinathan (@naukarshah) October 23, 2019

भुगत रहा हुँ! — Kannan Gopinathan (@naukarshah) October 23, 2019

Thank you :) — Kannan Gopinathan (@naukarshah) October 23, 2019

A few kind souls even offered to buy a washing machine for Gopinathan to which the former IAS promptly refused.

Haha! No no. — Kannan Gopinathan (@naukarshah) October 23, 2019

No no. That was just in jest. :) — Kannan Gopinathan (@naukarshah) October 24, 2019

For the uninitiated, Kannan Gopinathan who had resigned from the top job back in August, had stated that he did so as the denial of "freedom of expression" to the people of Jammu and Kashmir.

Gopinathan, who was the secretary, power department of the Union Territories of Daman and Diu, and Dadra and Nagar Haveli, submitted resignation to the Home Ministry on August 21.

After resigning, the IAS officer had claimed he took the decision as he wanted to express his views against the "denial of freedom of expression" in Kashmir. His resignation, though, had made no mention of the Kashmir issue.

The 32-year-old officer had first come into limelight when he hid his identity and joined in relief work during the 2018 Kerala floods.

(With PTI inputs)