Tryst with Maidservants

It all began with the idea of keeping a maidservant. It is quite natural in Indian context to keep a housemaid for domestic help. In America things are quite different and you have to do all such things with your own hands. The concept of domestic help is not known to them. They envy Indian people for this comfort. But to get a good maidservant is not so easy and you should be lucky enough to have one.

I can at least boast that once I had a wonderful maidservant who worked so diligently and punctually that I hardly had anything to do at home. She took care of every thing at home which was possible for her. But there is a saying that happy days are not for ever and I had to shift to a new apartment.

From here my tryst with maidservants began. I kept a maidservant from day one but I was not aware of the conditions she had to put before me. She informed me that Friday is her puja day and she will come a little late. She said that she does not like dirty and unkempt rooms and she will only sweep the rooms when foot wears and other things are kept in their proper places. She will not touch the inner garments for washing and crockery should not be given to her for cleaning. She worked for few days with these uncomfortable conditions and then there was another experience. This time the conditions were less and bearable and I felt relieved for quite some time. But after a few days I realized that some of my clothes and utensils were missing. One day she was caught red-handed while she was throwing my foot wears from balcony to collect later on from the ground floor.

Then there was a lady with her daughter and some times with her two little sons. She worked honestly and I thought my search for an IDEAL BAI is over. She got more work in the same vicinity. Gradually her daughter took over her work, at least at my place. The daughter was studying in 8th standard and had a high standard of working. She started demanding better facilities viz. a supermarket mop, vacuum cleaner for dusting, washing machine for washing clothes, special kind of broom, particular brand of detergent and washing powder etc. Her demands and control over things went on increasing. Gradually she started commenting on our family matters and my little son always got involved in fighting with her. He did not allow her to enter his room whenever he was at home. She used to narrate all sorts of stories of the neighbouring families where she was working with her mother. It occurred to me that when she is narrating the stories of others to me, there is every possibility that she must be narrating my stories to other neighbours. This thought troubled me a lot. But then she got involved with a boy next to her house and eloped. Again I came back to zero from where I began.

My search for a maidservant was on again. This time I got a unique piece and it seemed that she belonged to some royal family of maidservants. She poured on a shower of conditions on me. She will work only for six days a week and like office going people, one day off is her right, she may fall ill at least four days in a month compulsorily, she does not want formal wears, towels, bed sheets, curtains etc. in washing only daily clothes should be given to her. For dirty clothes like my son’s school uniform she needs special powder. All the clothes should be put into Surf Excel at least 3 to 4 hours before her royal arrival. When she comes in the morning she should be welcomed with a special hot milky tea and if possible something to eat. As far as cleaning of utensils are concerned, there should not be breakable items, glasses and big greasy pots. Only dinner plates, curry bowls, spoons and serving pots should be given to her. If I get some guests, extra payment per head should be given to her. The list of demands does not stop here, there is another bonanza. In Diwali, Holi and other festivals special bonus (equal to monthly salary amount) should be given in addition to any good gift plus a new saree which she can show to her other friends later. In such festivals she needs extra payment for any extra work such as washing the floor, cleaning the cupboards and so on and so forth. Any how I started adjusting myself with her. I never had adjusted that way even with my husband.

Helpless you feel and helpless you become. She had a special habit of disappearing from work during wedding season and that too for five to ten days together. I was forced to manage the household affairs without her at least for ten to fifteen days in a month. I got fed up with all such experiences.

But I was not aware of some good things which I learnt from these experiences. I blame my mother-in-law who was so caring and loving that she never allowed me to do such drudgery. The training of household work was given by all my maidservants who gradually but surely trained me to do such work which my mother-in-law could not teach me. Thanks to them that today I am maidservant-free and can manage both the fronts quite efficiently. One more plus point is that even being asthmatic I can maintain a very healthy stress-free routine which is today’s most sought after desire.

Appeared on 24th June ’08 The Hitavada