My househelp, Ganga from Pune called up in the morning. Somebody had told her that the lockdown would be extended for two more months. She was worried – not because she would lose her job or not get paid. She was more worried about not being able to do what she loves. She voiced, “I am not feeling good – how can I stay away from work for so long?” She wasn’t worried about getting her salary. “Salary is not running away anywhere. I am sure all my employers will pay me.” She said she brought groceries that would last her a whole month from the money I had wired to her. “I don’t have any other expense – unless my children fall sick,” Her demands are so little.
Ganga is a young hard working lady in her late twenties. A mother to four girls, she believes in hard work and does her work with immense enthusiasm and love. She started working for me – when a third time pregnant me had shifted to Pune in April 2014. A few weeks after helping me unpack and set up the house, she shared that she was expecting too and it was her third time too. Knowing that we were pregnant buddies brought us closer. While she was the physically strong one who went about doing housework for many other houses including mine, I was spending days doing as minimum work as possible. Every time, I would express how hard Ganga worked – she would smile and say that she loves her job.
In those days, Ganga wasn’t aware of many social issues and concerns. She didn’t have any documents of herself, her marriage – no birth certificates of her children as most were home deliveries. Through her presence of mind and her confidence in herself, she slowly learnt. She not only got all her documents in place, but also opened a bank account and started saving money. She joined the self help group in her locality and with their support, got her children admitted at school. She now jokes with me, “you took your children out of school and now I send mine to school.”
Her enthusiasm also took her to learning new things. She discovered that she could cook well and learnt to make many different dishes while assisting me in cooking. Soon she graduated to being a cook. She did do other house jobs. “It keeps me fit”, joked she.
I feel blessed to have her in my life. There is so much to learn from her. She yet goes to my Pune home – once a week to clean it and keep it spic and span. I feel blessed that like Ganga, I have always had a very good connection with all my househelpers – Asha, Lata, Rekha, Ratna, Kaushalya bai from all the different cities I have lived in. All have been a great support to me. Now I have Vandana – who in spite of getting many opportunities says that she will not quit working with me.
Originally posted on Facebook on March 31, 2020
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