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The average family didn't have refrigerator, air-conditioner, washing machine, micro-oven, pressure cooker, cooking gas, detergents, utensil cleaners, floor mops, bathroom acids, vacuum cleaners....no nothing.
And the Qrs were vast...a gent from Calcutta came down for a visit to our Qrs C1-97 and went round the garden and exclaimed: "You have a Bungalow!!!"
And the housewives were not yet home-makers (to make a home the maker nowadays needs all those missing items listed above). So, they depended heavily on housemaids as their very own hands and legs. There was a joke that Lord Vishnu appeared in answer to a housewife's prayers and asked her to choose between a good husband and a good housemaid. There was never any dilemma, she asked for a good housemaid because good husbands are dime a dozen but a good housemaid is as rare as a white crow.
So, there was a terrific demand for housemaids but there was an unending supply of cheap maids who were all wives, daughters and mothers of Hall Employees living in Turipara. The husbands used to have a free meal and pack and take home the leftovers from the Hall kitchens (much before they were left over)...so food was taken care of. The meager pay the housemaids got for a full day's work was their pocket money...most of which went for the booze of their husbands and the leftovers for their dresses. Exploitation to the limit.
And then lo and behold...the Marxists took over Bengal and held sway.
And the housemaids formed a Trade Union whose Secretary was B K Mohanty's maid (the only literate among the males and females of Turipara). Every maid became a member and paid 50 paise monthly. And the Secretary wrote a Charter of Demands (called Magna Dupatta).
Work to rule. Lightning strikes. Gheraos. Slogans. Street Processions. The works.
And the Secretary struck terror in the hearts of husbands (because their wives lost the habit of house-keeping...they never had it).
But there was never a theft...
The whole Union thrived for a year or two till BKM's wife bought her maid out and packed her off to Bhubaneswar to work in a Minister's Bungalow as a Government Servant with pay, increments, promotions and pension.
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
...Posted by Ishani
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KGP: Late 1960s
The average family didn't have refrigerator, air-conditioner, washing machine, micro-oven, pressure cooker, cooking gas, detergents, utensil cleaners, floor mops, bathroom acids, vacuum cleaners....no nothing.
And the Qrs were vast...a gent from Calcutta came down for a visit to our Qrs C1-97 and went round the garden and exclaimed: "You have a Bungalow!!!"
And the housewives were not yet home-makers (to make a home the maker nowadays needs all those missing items listed above). So, they depended heavily on housemaids as their very own hands and legs. There was a joke that Lord Vishnu appeared in answer to a housewife's prayers and asked her to choose between a good husband and a good housemaid. There was never any dilemma, she asked for a good housemaid because good husbands are dime a dozen but a good housemaid is as rare as a white crow.
So, there was a terrific demand for housemaids but there was an unending supply of cheap maids who were all wives, daughters and mothers of Hall Employees living in Turipara. The husbands used to have a free meal and pack and take home the leftovers from the Hall kitchens (much before they were left over)...so food was taken care of. The meager pay the housemaids got for a full day's work was their pocket money...most of which went for the booze of their husbands and the leftovers for their dresses. Exploitation to the limit.
And then lo and behold...the Marxists took over Bengal and held sway.
And the housemaids formed a Trade Union whose Secretary was B K Mohanty's maid (the only literate among the males and females of Turipara). Every maid became a member and paid 50 paise monthly. And the Secretary wrote a Charter of Demands (called Magna Dupatta).
Work to rule. Lightning strikes. Gheraos. Slogans. Street Processions. The works.
And the Secretary struck terror in the hearts of husbands (because their wives lost the habit of house-keeping...they never had it).
But there was never a theft...
The whole Union thrived for a year or two till BKM's wife bought her maid out and packed her off to Bhubaneswar to work in a Minister's Bungalow as a Government Servant with pay, increments, promotions and pension.
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
Hyderabad: 2011
We were living for a year in an NRI Township.
And we were told that if we employed an unknown maid, the Welfare Society is not responsible if she turns a thief, crook, criminal, child-lifter, and a woman of disreputable character.
We got frightened and asked what we should do. And were told that the Society gave a license to an upcoming Company that supplied reliable maids...it was called, pompously: "Maid in India"
I went to the Company's Office and was received by a young and winsome lady (Hyderabad had no dearth of this species).
She took my Interview asking me our floor area, number of residents, and many such questions short of my character certificate.
And said that they will send some maid or the other everyday without fail (ha!). And there was a long list of charges which toted up to a forbidding Rs 2020 per month. The maid will come only in the morning and work for 2 hours irrespective of the number of utensils, number of clothes, number of persons living in the apartment...
And the Company maids are hi-tech and can work only if you have all the items listed above...if you don't have say the vacuum cleaner or micro-oven you are ineligible. Better buy all those and come tomorrow.
And you have to pay a Security deposit of Rs 1000 which I didn't understand the logic of...
Anyway, I pretended that I have an NRI son in California, so rupees are no problem.
What is the sweetener? I asked.
She replied: "Character-certified maids only will be employed"
The first month was oh, ok.
The second month they didn't send any maid for five days and whenever I rang up the Front Office Lady Charmer, I got a 'busy' response.
The third month my wife's wrist watch went missing.
The fourth month my son's Canon went missing.
The fifth month the Front Office Lady went missing
The sixth month the Company went missing...
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With it your security deposit is missing.......
ReplyDeleteProbably KGP was better!