Imagine a key person in your life has gone away for a few days for a vacation. During the absence of such a person, your life has turned topsy-turvy. What would be your reaction when this person reappears back in your life? My question is not the tears of joy that you will shed but what would you say to such a person? Unless you have loaded up with layers of armor with an intent to never get hurt by someone, you will most probably say something pleasant. I happen to witness such a scene. In case you are dismissing this as a reunion between lovers, you are in for a surprise. This tale is not about lovers but about one of the prominent persons in your life especially if you live in Bengaluru. The person is the maid who comes to clean up the house.
In this city of rising pollution and stress, it is better to outsource the daily maintenance tasks of your house, and that is precisely where the maid comes into the picture. When I live in this city a few years back, it was difficult to hold to your maid. They are more notorious than the professional in this city for hopping jobs. As a result, you treat with more love and affection than your spouse and your children. Not that the reverence will bring you the desired effect, but it sure does delay the separation. When the future of such associations is dubious, I was surprised to find a friend holding on to the same maid for several years. Despite my attempts, he did not reveal the secret. He was so happy with this maid that he has given her the house keys. She comes in around 3 pm every day, cleans the house, washes the dishes, takes out the clothes from the washing machine, hangs the clothes for drying, puts garbage in the respective bin and packs the leftover food in the fridge. It is a big list, and I can see why she is important.
On the day I met my friend, the maid has returned from her vacation. The maid had gone away for over a week. If you are wondering about how bad things were for my friend, please wait. Let me explain about the maid-network in sprawling high-rises in Bengaluru. This case might be valid in any city in India. But I am not going to be an authority of what happens in India. Instead, I will narrate what happened in this particular high-rise where my friend resides. When a maid goes away, her friends take over the former's responsibility temporarily. But the keys are never given to her friends. As a result, the maids would visit at a time where nobody is at home. Although the arrangement is temporary, it doesn't work for the person residing in the house. Now, you can imagine my friend's happiness on seeing the regular maid joining back.
My friend cried out a greeting in joy. Then he turned his face to me and explained. "I can't tell you the joy!" I smiled back. "I think I can understand." He admonished me. "No, you can't! Don't even try." Then he revealed. "The sight of a naked woman wouldn't bring this much happiness." The elderly maid on hearing our exchanges queried. "What happened?" We turned to her and said, "Nothing!"
Photo Courtesy: Herry Lawford
haha! A funny yet true story. I guess the situation is same all over India.
ReplyDeleteI think the situation is true in big cities.
DeleteI can related to your story. In big cities where both husband and wife working maids become an essential part of company. Maid is treated with a lot of care, so that she stays happy and doesn't quit. When she goes home for holiday, it is as if lighting has struck the household. In a way if appears we are becoming too dependent on our maids. In the US or UK, having a maid is a luxury only a few can afford. Situation is coming to that in India too, because more an more maids are becoming aware of their importance and rights.
ReplyDeleteThere are cheaper options outside India. First of all, our houses in India requires constant attention whereas the houses outside require weekly or twice in a week attention. When you compare, it is costlier to employ a maid but there are cost effective schemes outside. The main point is about your decision on employing external help.
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