Why Job As A Maid Is Not Easy?

A maid plays an integral role in our lives. A day without your maid, seems like a never-ending day. My maid Chhaya has also been my saviour. She spent her childhood strenuously working on farms and would wait for a wedding so that she and her siblings could taste scrumptious food. Eventually, she got married, had children at a very young age and after marriage, she and her husband started working at the construction site of my present home. Once the buildings were up, someone suggested her to take up a job as a maid and her journey of self-evaluation started. Her journey has not only helped her grow, but gave me an insight that it is very difficult to take up a job as a maid.

• Being Consistent

  My maid Chhaya is famous in our society for her consistency. No matter what, she will be present at work at the said time. Though she is unwell, she will come and do her work sincerely. There are times when we ask her to skip some work, but she declines. Once I questioned her, she earnestly answered, “you will ask me to skip but what about others? Will they be kind and considerate enough like you?” She hardly takes an off but if she takes one, people continue to bug her to come for work.

• Being Polite

  My maid is the living example of politeness. You point out her faults, not once will she retaliate. However, if she is not at fault, then she will explain us politely about the whole scenario. There are some homes where she has been working for a very long time and so can’t quit as they pay well too. However, they do scold her sometimes and instead of reacting, she prefers crying in one corner. Thankfully, there are family members who run for her support, but she still gets hurt and as a maid she sticks to her principles. I asked her to quit, but she said that her family will lose a financial support.

• Being Helpful

  Talegaon is the second home to Mumbaites and you will observe hundreds of them flock to the town on weekends. Whenever, these Mumbaites are in town, their one and only choice is Chhaya. Her job as a maid is doubled on weekends, but she goes to any length to help them greatly. Several times, these people call her in advance and being on good terms she agrees. So, no matter what, she has to manage her work and has to undertake this extra work.

• Being Timely

  Chhaya starts working at the crack of dawn and all her tasks are timely. One-minute late and people start annoying her with phone calls. Not just this, but she is aesthetically striking a balance between her household chores and her job as a maid. She starts early so that she can cook food, pack tiffin for her children, clean her house, undertake grocery shopping amidst her job as a maid. If she starts early, she knows she can head home early to spare some quality time with family.

• Being Systematic

  Chhaya is immensely systematic because she has to keep in mind the rules of every house. Some people want her to broom the house first while some want her to wash utensils. The other day she narrated that one of her bosses has set up strict rules that how her workflow should be in order to maintain hygiene. A tiny change and she’ll have to face the brunt. But Chhaya thanks her stars that her brain is immensely vigilant that she remembers all those rules.

• Being Futuristic

  It’s not about money alone, but investing them at the right place is important. Now, my maid wants to buy a home for herself because she thinks that will give stability to her sons. She has already started saving by taking up more work and has asked us all to help her as per our capacity. She manages all her house-hunting tasks amidst her job as a maid. Not just this, but she has also made necessary investments for the bright future of her kids.

After hearing her tribulations, I really feel that we are so grumpy about our job and schedule. We at least get a weekend off, but what about these maids? I know some maids are arrogant, but we tend to judge sincere maids like Chhaya! So, I really feel, respect your maid no matter what. After all, she is a human being too!