Check out 16 Return-To-Work Programs In India For Ambitious Women Like You!
A mother reminisces about a lesson she imbibed from her domestic help a long ago, from her days as a carefree young adult just stepping into life.
“The view through each window will be different”, Saira says in the Malayalam movie ‘Bangalore days’. Is that so? My bedroom-windows always gave the same view. The windows that Amalu opened in the morning. Down there is the play-area. Then a house beyond that. Some trees in between.
We were four girls staying there. Just out of college. On our first job. A new phase of life. In a new city. Chennai. No more studies. Carefree days. New friends. New language. New malls and beaches.
This was our life, which one day Amalu walked into, asking if we needed a maid. A Tamil girl with mesmerizing eyes. A ‘Kannazhagi’*. Her hair looked uncombed. She wore frayed clothes. Younger than us. While we celebrated our lives she looked out for a job. We were so happy as we could get rid of the boring task of cleaning up the mess that we ourselves created. And she charged so little. Our only trouble was that she came early in the morning to disturb our sleep.
She always opened the windows before starting her chores. Every now and then she went to the window and peeped out.
We were curious. What fascinates her there? What is there other than the same old stuff? The same play-area and trees. A tiny tot played in the sand. I have seen this kid there many times before. She must be about four years old.
“Amma that is my kid”. Amalu was hardly twenty. We were surprised. Asked more about her. Until then we hadn’t.
“Amma, I lived in the outskirts of Chennai. I had got married at a very young age. My husband deserted me once the kid was born. There were times when I felt that everything was crumbling down. I badly longed for someone to ask me ‘Are you Ok?’ or ‘Do you need help?’ There were times when I needed a tight hug from someone who said, ‘I am with you’. There was no one. We were all alone. We have to get out of here. We have to survive. I decided. Because I had to. I came to this big city. Found job. Not one but many. I leave my kid in the play-area and go from house to house here. I have started to live. For my daughter”.
A wind blew and closed the window. She opened it again. She looked even more beautiful as the wind brushed through her hair. Kannazhagi’s eyes shined even brighter. I stood beside her and looked outside. The view seemed to be different today. Her kid smiled at me. I smiled back. The trees waved their branches.
Later. Much later. Years later. Life started taking unexpected twists and turns. Darkness all around. Unclear view ahead. A window opened. She was there. My kid. She smiled. Her eyes shined. The glow that I have seen somewhere before. Yes Amalu, I will survive. For my daughter.
*Kannazhagi: A beautiful-eyed woman (Tamil)
Author’s note: This had been published by Artoonsinn and had made it to list of ‘Featured writers’. A version was also published here.
Image source: shutterstock
An HR Professional. A writer by passion. read more...
Women's Web is an open platform that publishes a diversity of views, individual posts do not necessarily represent the platform's views and opinions at all times.
Stay updated with our Weekly Newsletter or Daily Summary - or both!
UP Boards Topper Prachi Nigam was trolled on social media for her facial hair; our obsession with appearance is harsh on young minds.
Prachi Nigam’s photo has been doing the rounds on social media for the right reasons. Well, scratch that- I wish the above statement were true. This 15-year-old girl should ideally be revelling in her spectacular achievement of scoring a whopping 98.05% and topping her tenth-grade boards. But oddly enough, along with her marks, it’s something else that garners more attention – her facial hair.
While the trolls are driving themselves giddy by mocking this girl who hasn’t even completed her school yet, the ones who are taking her side are going one step ahead – they are sharing her photoshopped pictures, sans the facial hair, looking nothing less than a celebrity with captions saying – “Prachi Nigam, ten years later”.
Doctors have already diagnosed her with PCOD in their comments, based on photographic evidence. While we have names for people shamed for their weight – body shaming, for their skin colour- racism, for their age- age shaming, for being a female- sexism, this category of shaming where one faces criticism for their appearance has no name. With that, it also has zero shame attached to it.
Please enter your email address