charukesi June 20th, 2005
Recently one day, my maid did not turn up for work in the morning (an event that is crucial for the functioning of this household since she also acts as our unofficial morning alarm). She did not come the next day or the day after that. And no message from her either. It was very unlike her and we assumed there was some illness in her family.
She turned up on the evening of the third day sobbing - the police had taken away her husband along with a few other men living in the same hutment area… They were investigating a local murder and surely enough, the starting point for their investigation was the slum colony.
There were a few men refused to go along to the police station - the policemen threatened them that their wives would be booked as prostitutes and also taken away. One of them told my maid “tum logon ke bacche anaarth ho jayenge” (your kids will become orphans)
Bhabhi, kuch karo na (Please do something)
One more of those times in life when you find yourself totally helpless and useless…
The culprit was eventually found - he was a local construction worker, nowhere related to this bunch of Bangladeshi immigrants. And the men came back home. Bahut maara bhabhi - kaam par bhi nahi ja sakta hai (they beat him up badly - he cannot even go to work). But why did they have to go through this?
Because they were Bangladeshi immigrants.
Because they lived in a slum.
Because…
*
We moved into our new apartment only a few months ago - just a month after we moved here, there was a burglary in one of the flats (this is a new building and not fully occupied yet).
And again the next morning, our maid did not turn up for work (yes, the same Bangladeshi girl)
A few of the residents had got together and decided that the burglary was an “inside act” - and surprise, surprise, all the Bangladeshi women working inside the building complex as housemaids were sacked. Ours too - and without our consent or even knowledge.
If this was indeed an inside job, then why was no one else even questioned - there are construction workers moving in and out of the building all day. No one know anything about the security guards hired by the builder. Any passer-by could have made out that so few lights were on and therefore, so few flats were occupied… Then, why the Bangladeshi women?
*
She got back to work at my place the very next day. I have been warned not to trust “these women” - since I am inexperienced and naive. We now have the dubious distinction of being the only household with a foreigner maid.
Don’t tell us later. Fine, I won’t.
Yesterday, she called out to me and I found her in the bathroom with the hand shower in her hand - she had turned on the tap to clean the floor and the water fell all over her - she was soaked to the skin and giggling uncontrolably. And seeing her, so was I.
Life goes on…
