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Maid In India by Tripti Lahiri shines a bright light on the murky world of the live in maid, and the abuse by employers that is common.
Maids are as great a boon as much the bane for most of us. A good neat and clean maid who does all chores as directed is a dream and those of us who are lucky enough to find such gems usually try to keep them happy. But a day off and all comes undone with piles of utensils at kitchen sink and dust on the floor.
I have always had maids who finish work in few hours in morning and return for the second round at evening. I prefer not to have a maid all the time at home so that my privacy is not compromised. And at the risk of being labelled a snob, I would still say that my home has been much better organised and cleaner even when I was on a 9 to 5 job with a part time maid, than those with an in-house maid. But then I have handled a few chores myself. Also a maid who is separated from her family and stays all time with the employer seems to me a huge responsibility.
I have friends in Delhi who hire maids from the agency on a yearly contract at a pay packet which seems a little too much to me. These maids cook, clean, wash, dust and take care of the kids while the husband and wife are away on their jobs.
Maid in India is a book which looks into these in-house maids who travel to the promised land of Delhi in hope to make enough to send it back home. Written by Tripti Lahiri, Asia editor of Quartz and winner of Society of Professional Journalist award for reporting on Bangladesh’s dangerous factories and Ramnath Goenka award for civic journalism, the book is well researched on the life of domestic helps.
As I read on, I was appalled at the stories that emerged of the ill treatment meted out to the domestic helps. I wouldn’t say that I have never scolded my maids, of course I have, I have even cut their pay if they have been absent for more than a week without informing me – but physical abuse? This was news to me as I turned pages of the various accounts.
The various subdivisions of the book give an insight into the difficult circumstances which force the women and young girls from far flung places to head towards the capital city in search of work, sometimes on false promises. The book brings to light how some families cheat these women of their rightful pay or prevent them from meeting their family members or threaten them. Some of these poor women vanish from the face of earth with no possibility of being traced or rescued.
The author having researched extensively laments that though certain clauses exist regarding pay, working hours and short breaks in the contract while hiring the maids, most are disregarded even in posh localities where employers can afford to pay, but choose to squeeze out as much work.
The situation is not all grim with a few employers being very considerate of the welfare of their domestic helps and going out of way to involve them in family. But some of these maids have learnt to take care of their interests and move on to work with expatriates where they earn more for lesser working hours. Eventually it is the aim of every person to better their life and some domestic helps have managed to improve their lifestyle.
The book brings out the harsh reality that exists in every urban household. There have been instances of maids duping the employers, stealing, and even falsely incriminating the employer for sexual abuse but there are fewer such cases.
The need of the day is that the employer behave humanely…after all it is the right thing to do as humans. No one has the right to physically, mentally or sexually abuse another human being even if we pay them for services.
This book is a must read for an eye opening revelation and improve our relationships with our house helps.
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Cover image source: amazon
Image source: pixabay
I graduated as an architect and after working for three years decided to be a homemaker and bring up my daughter. I love to travel, read history, paint and now I maitain two blogs http:// read more...
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People say that women are the greatest enemies of women. I vehemently disagree. It is the patriarchal mindset that makes women believe in the wrong ideology.
The entire world celebrates International Women’s Day on March 8, 2024. It should be a joyful day, but unfortunately, not all women are entitled to this privilege, as violence against women is at its peak. The experience of oppression pushes many women to choose freedom. As far as patriotism is concerned, feminism is not a cup of tea in this society.
What happens when a woman decides to stand up for herself? Does this world easily accept the decisions of women in this society? What inspires them to be free of the clutches of the oppression that women have faced for ages? Most of the time, women do not get the chance to decide for themselves. Their lives are always at the mercy of someone, which can be their parents, siblings, husband, or children.
In some cases, women do not feel the need to make any decisions. They are taught to obey the patriarchal system, which makes them believe that they are right. In my family, I was never taught to make decisions on my own. It was always my parents who bought dresses and all that I needed.
14 years after her last feature film Dhobi Ghat, storyteller extraordinaire comes up with her new film, Laapataa Ladies, a must watch.
*Some spoilers alert*
Every religion around the world dictates terms to women. The onus is always on women to be ‘modest’ and cover their faces and bodies so men can’t be “tempted”, rather than on men to keep their eyes where they belong and behave like civilized beings. So much so that even rape has been excused on the grounds of women eating chowmein or ‘men will be men’. I think the best Hindi movie retort to this unwanted advice on ‘akeli ladki khuli tijori ki tarah hoti hai’ (an alone woman is like an open jewellery box) came from Geet in Jab We Met – Kya aap gyan dene ke paise lete hain kyonki chillar nahin hain mere paas.
The premise of Laapataa Ladies is beautifully simple – two brides clad in the ghunghat that covers their identity get mixed up on a train. Within this Russian Doll, you get a comedy of errors, a story of getting lost, a commentary on patriarchy’s attitude towards women, a mystery, and a tale of finding oneself, all in one. Done with a mostly light touch that has you laughing and nodding along.
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