Family Reunion Is Just Days Away

Family reunion is just days away

Indications are ,that easing of Lock Down on 4th May in green zones will include allowing maids to start working.There are 764 maids[including cooks,ayahs,baby sitters working in our complex.Our RWA known for clinical efficiency has called for filled up forms to allow them in a staggered manner.We have to therefore indicate our priority.Houses which have seniors will get the first lot[atleast some one is recognising my importance]’RWA has called up most of the maids on phone and collected information on the maids who left Bangalore for their homes.It is going to be difficult for them to gain entry into our complex till 15th june.Many houses have 3/4 maids,like we have for sweeping/mopping,washing vessels and dusting,one for assistance in cooking,operating washing machine and one in the night for washing vessels and leaving the kitchen neat in the night.

Corona,has trained us to wash our plates and tumblers and the rest is left in the dish washer.We managed admirably joking and singing[as described in the book”Fish”]The most troublesome job is the sweeping and mopping.None of us is in a position to bend.Men,mostly IT chaps have back pain and they are not able to bend.Understandably they shed tears when their wives bend.The result.Around hundred I ROBOT machines have landed in our complex in the last ten days.It is a delight to watch the machines doing sweeping and mopping-a Good job.As it is, when more vessels are there the maid was dumping them in the dish washer.My apprehension is that the maid will direct the IRobot for sweeping and mopping[removing obstacles]It is also too early to say how long this will work and therefore we have taken a chance with a low end machine.Our neighbours have taken a high end machine called Roomba.Your status depends on the brand of the machine.

We have become self reliant right from making the bed,cleaning the bathrooms,ironing our clothes apart from using all the gadgets.We joke and pretend that we can take care of ourselves.With the announcement of possible entry of maids I did not find the same exuberance today and we were mostly discussing the priority list of maids to be submitted to the RWA.We have zeroed in on two maids who have been working with us for the last four years.Pooja and Putul Bihari ladies in their mid thirties will be in our first list.WHY?They have been trained nicely,they owe us money and my daughter has invested lot of time and money on family planning procedures for them.They dont get angry when my daughter shouts at them.

We are waiting for our extended family members –I call them clean warriors who kept our house clean,gave us lot of time to chat on phone,browse through messages,see tv programmes like Queen,Special Investigation etc. How do we welcome them –clap with gusto,play Nagaswaram music on Alexa and keep the house neat before their arrival to show that we can manage.Bachi Karkaria has said in her column in TOI yesterda--

“How we pray for the day when our part time maids once again pour through the gate like a relieving army.We ‘d do anything to be able to say”come back- all is forgiven..The shelves that they left undusted,the bowls they broke,the greasy hob,the unscrubbed collars,even their irritating ringtones and the long conversations that followed eating into our allotted hour..We will just smile indulgently at their late arrival,their on the dot departure,their AWOL which once drove us up the wall..We don’t want Bai-gones to be Bai-gones.

Get ready to celebrate the family reunion.

 

Dear Thygarajan,
With many migrants wanting to go back to their home town,we will face shortage of labour.Due to fake news when NE fellows resorted to mass exodus, a few years ago a minister from Karnataka had to go Assam and assure them protection to bring them back.Today BSY CM has appealed to the migrants not to leave Bangalore as relaxations are under way leading to their employment.One Bihari interviewed on TV said his self esteem has taken a beating by standing in the queue for free food-rather he would prefer to die as a beggar in his village.Difficult times are ahead as far as domestic help is concerned.Regards.SLN

 

Let us admit that they have a role to play for peace and energy so that family members can concentrate in what interest them most..However it will be prudent to continue what ever good practices we have evolved towards self reliance to continue.Regards SLN

 

You have aptly touched on the harsh reality of life.Being an upmarket complex our RWA has proceeded systematically,with temperature check up,sanitisation before they enter the complex.They have collected information on maids who were away and in what zone.Every flat will be allowed one maid,one cook and one driver only.Most of us have paid salary for April also for maids who stayed in Bangalore and those who had travelled are not going to get their salary for April depending on the relationship and period for which they have been associated.All said and done neither we have the stamina nor the mindset to do maids job on a long term basis.If the maid takes unauthorised leave we have fireworks at home.SLN

 

You are right.Even if I mention this there will be murder.In our complex Only maids who stayed in Bangalore in green zone will be permitted.RWA has done a thorough job of verifying their whereabouts in the last one month.They will also check temperature,make them sanitise and in many cases they are checking Aarogya Sethu application.
Fatigue has set in.Situation is bad in double income houses where dependence on maids is total and they are paying Rs.2000 per hour for the 6AM-8AM slot.Most of the flats are 2000-4000 sq.ft area and it is impossible to manage.On the other side there are paranoid chaps who look through the magic eye and talk through the speaker without opening the door even with neighbours.
Regards.SLN