Check Maid !

July 3, 2010

"Maine kuch nahin kiya” (I have done nothing wrong) she said.

She was standing in front of me gesticulating with her hands, defending herself that she has done no wrong. She's my maid servant - must be around 24 years of age, short, a little fat - keeping in view the amount of work she does whole day; very dark, so dark that as she  stood against daylight, I could only see the white of her eyes and her long, inorderly teeth (reminds me of the little boy Darsheel Safari, of 'Taare Zameen Par'). Her hair tied up in a  plait, she was looking at me with a little fear in her eyes.  

"Maine kuch nahin kiya", her words were drilling my mind. Like a carpenter drills a wooden plank, and the specks of wood scatter around the person's face. The same way I stood there looking at some shunya far away with some deep thoughts scattering all over me.

Actually, what had happened that my whole family was out some where for some 3-4 hours, with the maid alone at home to finish off the chores.  We had just reached home, and found that the work was not yet done and she was sitting on the floor of the balcony. I just walked up to her to find out why she did not finish off the work, to which she replied that she vomited and therefore, is feeling very weak.

At that moment i realised, she was actually looking very drained out and feeble. On asking her why she vomited ( I thought, may be stomach upset or something like that ), she immediately said " Maine kuch nahin kiya". She was obviously defensive.

She did not want to be doubted about her moral character knowing very well in her mind that she was all alone for hours, was of marriageable age, knows young boys who work in neighborhood, she thought I would doubt her. But I was lost in something else.

Suddenly I felt that a girl, who is mature enough to be a mother now, and is not married, not because of her choice, but because there is no one to bother about her. Her father is a drunkard and mother too ill to work or take care of the family, and she is the eldest among her siblings, so she came to Delhi to work and sends money home, the same story for the poor girls who come to work here.

But the point is, when did I become her moral inspector? Why she has to tell me a thing like that? Does she not have a right to the very basic pleasures of life which a normal human being longs to experience? She is forced to remain single, I realized it at that moment.

I got reminded of that dialogue of a hindi movie, in which Tabu plays the role of a housewife, whose husband while touring for his job stays away for months and happily enjoyes the company of other women. But when he finds that his wife (tabu) is in love with her music teacher, a young man who frequents her place, the husband gets furious. And then, at that moment, the young wife questions her husband saying "Jo aag tumhe jalati hai, woh kya mujhe kam jalati hai?" (Does the fire of passion only affect men?). (I am not able to recall the name of movie.)

I don't know what more to say in this. All I can say is,  it is an unequal world, sumptuous, luxurious buffet for some and an empty bowl for some one else across the globe.

Yet, my question remains unanswered, how can one person become the moral police of another?  


RESTLESS



11 comments:

Purba said...

The movie was Astitva, just googled it :) Loved your thought analogy-"scattered around like specks of wood".

And about life in all it's unfairness, we can always question it, no?

A Restless Mind With A Sensitive Heart! said...

Hi Purba! thank you so much dear for reading a long post, then finding me the name of movie and then...leaving a comment...so thoughtful of u! thanks!

Well, that's why we ppl are here voicing our opinions about the unfairness of life, as well as enjoying the pure pleasure of writing/blogging.

thanks again dear!

Addy said...

No one is allowed to judge anyone! There are some exceptions though, its kind of an 'enclosed circle' one makes around. Moral judging and policing is the lowest possible thing to be practiced. My opinion!

Addy said...

......and really? my profile pic posses enough powers to keep off visitors? Is it like a hindrance to the traffic? btw, you posted that comment on my blog, but it does not show up! I saw it in my mail today. I'm guessing you deleted it. No probs though. Just one small same old question? My profile pic is repulsive?

A Restless Mind With A Sensitive Heart! said...

Hi Addy! nice to hear from u! No i didnot delete my comments.

I value ur opinion about moral judging, thanks.

abour ur profile pic, i shall tel you, soon.

Divyanshu said...

hey tanu di its been long since i have last written to you, just for the reason i have not been too well off late,i was suffering form a insomnia kinda syndrome and couldn't sleep for nearly 5 days not even an hour and that lead to a bloggers block.
anyways i have been reading stuffs,so far that maid is concerned think of the society she lives in,not her neighbourhood but the society she works in which feeds it, we have a habit some of us might be generous enough to accept it and some of us might being a hypocrite completely deny the fact that we always keep people under scrutiny,the society at times is so vulgar that it thinks that those who wear dirty clothes are even dirty minds,and that is something which even the people of the lower class know they know how easy it is for the ones on couches in air conditioned rooms to malign the image of that working class lady and how difficult it becomes for her to brush that dirt off........... i think that was the fear which made her say "maine kuch nahin kiya"

A Restless Mind With A Sensitive Heart! said...

hi divz! how r u now? bright and shining? why insomnia? what's wrong young man?

abt the post, that's what i have tried to emphasize that we are no one to judge others and be the dictator for others' sense of morality.

tk care!

Divyanshu said...

dont know tanu di...things seem to startle me these days either i am too slow for this fast paced world or the world i live in is different from others.

you know broken promises dont hurt me i just dont know why i believed in them in the first hand

A Restless Mind With A Sensitive Heart! said...

@ divz! how ru? I think u r quite sensitive a person. That's why things affect u so much and so deeply. I can relate to what u r saying. even i am experiencing strange things in this new world that i have entered - the blogging world. shall talk more in indimail. take care.

শর্বরী - Sarbari said...

Hi, my first time in your blog. nicely written post and a good question too. I think more than the moral policing, you became the interrogator without your knowledge simply because you were higher in social strata. In a patriarchal set up anyone higher (in age, in status, in standards, so on an so forth) than the other person automatically becomes the superior. In the case of a maid, this would be even worse as she has to take entire responsibility of keeping her "character" and her sexuality in check while the family will benefit from her earning without giving her either the required protection or the safety and shelter for her well being.

I like the way you think. will come back for more and adding you to my blog roll.

A Restless Mind With A Sensitive Heart! said...

@ sharbori - welcome!

You analyzed the main issue of the post very nicely and have put across your point wonderfully. I am impressed!

am glad u liked my way of thinking... it feels nice to meet people who appreciate what you say.

thanks again!

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