Kala returns, Laxmi rocks

Anu told me that Kala is back along with her husband. Her husband who was admitted to a Christian home is now calm and prays all day. I am happy. I told Anu about the new domestic violence law in India. I told her to inform Kala about it but to use it only after considering her home situation since a brush with law is always stressful.

Laxmi is totally happening! We share a very comfortable relationship. Laxmi does not need too much attention. She is easygoing which works for me. She eagerly accepts what I give her. I like that too. Besides, she is also a great help!

Kala and Laxmi's salary

Anu tells me that Kala is still not back from leaving her husband in the sanatorium in the nearby city. Anu tells me her husband batters her after drinking-tearing off her nightie in the street, hitting her head against the wall etc. I told Anu to let me know once Kala is back so that she can collect her dues (she worked for me for three days before she took leave). I also want to see if I can somehow employ her.

Laxmi's salary is decided. I will pay her Rs. 850 per month. She seemed happy. I liked that.

Priya is gone

This morning I told Priya that she would have to leave. It was an amicable settlement-she said she had been wanting to leave too. :)

Laxmi settles in

Laxmi is middle aged, has a daughter studying in Class (or grade) IX and a son who is a Class VI dropout.

Laxmi is in need of money. Her husband owned a tyre repair shop and was earning well for his family. However, he lost all the family money and assets in gambling, buying lottery tickets and drinking. They are currently under a heavy debt because of which Laxmi had to start working five months ago and her son had to drop out of school to contribute towards family income.

Laxmi's husband, Murugan is now one of the security guards in my building complex. He works two shifts so that he can double his income. Laxmi works in five homes. Her son, is a roadside vendor. With their joint income, Laxmi thinks that they will be able to repay their debts in two years' time.

There are two aspects of Laxmi that immediately attracted me-
One, she is a happy person. She told me her story not in self-pity but smilingly, even finding humor in her current life and how she was led to this stage by Murugan.

Two, she chose to educate her daughter over her son. This really surprised me. I would have expected most parents (even those from blessed families) to educate their son if they had to make a choice. ("After all the daughter would be married and living with another family and it is they who would gain from her education, not us"). And to think this forward thinking comes from the lady who is not educated herself is mind boggling to me!

Priya broke the stopper to my water filter today. She didn't tell me. I had to discover the breakage by myself. I will be asking her to leave for good tomorrow. I have worked out an arrangement with Laxmi.

I had an expectation setting talk with Laxmi-1. She need to let me know a day earlier if she wants leave so that I can plan the next day. 2. If she's tired/does not feel like working, she needs to tell me so that I can size the work for her. But what she does, she needs to to do it well. 3. She needs to tell me the truth otherwise I will not be able to trust her. 4. If she has a problem with anything, she should talk to me so that I can find a solution.

Laxmi is fine with the my expectations and had one thing to ask me-she cannot keep to time and so she will be +/- 30 minutes. Although this was a difficult request since I go out to work myself, I think it can be managed.

Glass and wire gauze

This morning I found Priya using wire gauze to clean glass utensils! This explains the scratches I have been observing in my crockery lately. I am so annoyed! Priya seems to needs so much attention that the advantage of having her vis-a-vis doing it myself is getting narrower.

If something does not change with her quickly, I might just ask her to leave by this month-end.

Laxmi joins the party

Parimala has disappeared again. She worked last on November 17 and after that she's gone! No info, nothing.

So I got Laxmi to join me. Laxmi has helped me through one of Parimala/Kala's absence. Oh by the way, Kala is still not come back from her visit. I need her to come and collect her dues.

I like Laxmi.

Priya and 2/3

Priya is supposed to wipe the washed utensils before placing them back on the shelves. She tries to avoid this task in many different ways. So a few weeks ago, I started spot checking her work before she leaves. Once I point out a utensil to her, she immediately does the needful. Over time, this has become a game for her. So today, I decided to add a deterrent-once she was done drying the utensil I had just pointed to her, I told her to replace the wet shelf lining as well. She protested, I insisted. She did the job. Will this deterrent help? I don't know, but I tried. :) Like I said earlier, Priya does not like to work.

Parimala has not come again. This is her third day of absence. I have to find a replacement now.

I'm happy: 3/3

Need I say more!

Parimala is back!

I just had to have Parimala back. I got Anu to coax her to come and meet me. When she finally came this evening, it was pretty simple:

Me: Parimala, what happened?
Parimala: Nothing, Didi. I will work for you.

I couldn't find out exactly why she left suddenly. She seemed happy to be back and I was happier to have her back. Nothing else mattered.

Peace prevailed. We had tea together, made some friendly conversation and then she did a little work left over by another bai I had called this morning. It's finalized now-Parimala will work in the evening on weekdays and late mornings during the weekends.

I have learnt to keep aside my ego when I find a great help. It is a rare find it in the world of 'bai's. This time I did not want to lose out.

As for tomorrow, I keep my fingers crossed.

I give up: 1/3

Anu did not turn up for the second day without notice.
Kala did not turn up as scheduled.
Priya did half her work with double the attitude.
Aradhana grumbled, kept the house tidy by herself and wrote this post.

0/3

Today no one came. Kala ofcourse was on leave till today. Anu and Priya-no clue.

I might have some stories for tomorrow's post. :)

Monday morning blues

Anu and Priya probably had Monday morning blues. They both came together but about an hour late. I wasn't expecting they would. But they were both extremely sweet in completing as much as they could in the 30 minutes left for me to leave for work. So I could have a hearty breakfast.

My life is blessed.

A smart decision and the first holiday

After Parimala left, I realized there is a smart decision that the lady of the house can make to tug the rope in per favor-pay out salaries only by the second week of a month. I cannot get myself to do that but I know it will work.

Kala joined just three days ago. She has already taken three days leave from work starting tomorrow. I am resigned to my fate. I did not create a fuss. She has to get her alcoholic husband admitted to a sanatorium in a nearby city. I cannot risk feeling guilty if she's indeed speaking the truth. Her need sounded genuine. Also, I think I like Kala.

Characters on one side of the tug-of-war

1. Anu: My cook and all-time favorite. I am openly partial towards her. She has been serving my family decent meals for over two years now. She is clean, intelligent and my eyes into the bai world. Parimala (previous posting) is Anu's newly married sister-in-law. They share a hot-cold
relationship. I pay Anu Rs.1000 per month.

2. Priya: Cleans clothes and washes dishes. Priya does not like to work. She plans to get married in May but will stop working by March (in another 4 months). Priya gets Rs.450 per month from my ousehold.

3. Kala: A new replacement for Parimala. It's just been two days since she started working. For these two days, she has been slow but clean. Her salary needs to be determined. I will probably pay her Rs. 500 per month.

4. Basavaraju: Cleans the car. I see him only on Sundays when he comes to collect his salary or the keys to clean the car from inside. He is business-like. He is paid Rs.500 per month.

5. Phoolwali: Brings flowers everyday to be offered to the God. She is old and has the best (paan stained) smile in the world. Seeing her in the morning brightens my day. She has four or five daughters. I keep forgetting her name. She earns Rs.120 per month from my household.

6. Presswala: Irons/washes clothes. He (or his wife) come every Saturday to collect clothes for ironing and then deliver it after a few hours. He seems sincere and honest. His wife a little wanting. I don't remember their names. From my household, they typically earn about from Rs. 350-500 per month depending on the number of clothes.

7. Cablewala: Provides us cable television connection. I interact with him once a month when he comes to collect the service fee. His cell phone is turned off when we get interrupted/no cable service. He charges Rs. 240 per month.

8. Newspaper: Brings two newspapers one weekdays-Times of India and Economic Times. On weekends he is to get only Times of India and two magazines-Outlook and Business India. Things any times get mixed up. He is a pleasant young man. I pay him in the vicinity of Rs. 240.

9. Safa/Supriya/Shaner store: These are small stores who deliver grocery at my door. They are polite and deliver even small quantities. I prefer them to bigger stores. My favorite was Shaner store. They closed shop recently. I feel sad. I pay in the range of Rs. 30 - Rs.2000 per visit depending on the goods ordered.

10. Doodhwala: Brings milk packets every morning. I see him every two-three months when he sells milk coupons. He has a flawless service track record. I pay him close to about Rs. 500 per month.

For simplicity, this blog primarily focuses on those ladies who work/will work inside my house.

Background

On 7th November one of my favorite 'bai's-Parimala decided leave my household. She survived about seven months. I am still grieving her departure.

I didn't know she had decided to dump my work-no, not a clue. Why would anyone? I am generous with my gifts, lenient with their unscheduled absence from work, forgiving about breakages and polite in conversation. Except that I supervise work closely.

Infact I didn't know she was leaving till she did not report to work for four days. When she did, I paid her salary for the previous month and took her back. She didn't return after that. I am told she feels unwell working in the morning (the time she worked for me). I tried calling her back to work out another time but she never came.

I am amused with this fresh experience. With many such incidents behind me, I was ready to blog.