Caste,creed and religion

A  maid is being sacked in one of the apartments in our block for hiding her true identity.Our complex is predominantly hindu .The lady in question is apparently muslim . Our maid is Christian and nobody seems to have any problem with her identity. She is actually admired for her good habits which are attributed to her background and training .In Gurgaon where one of my relations stays there are many Bangladeshi muslim women who work as maids in the rich households. My relation has one such maid who actually helps her organise various religious ceremonies in their house including  pujas for various Gods /goddesses. My mother recalls that in her ancestral home in Bangladesh almost seventy years ago casteism was so dominant that such helps were not allowed entry inside kitchens and main rooms. Utensils were cleaned by the maids and kept outside and ladies of the house would wash them once again before putting them back in the designated places.


It is all a matter of supply and demand. Beggars can never be chosers . In our locality there is enough supply of local cheap labour .Hence families can think of caste ,creed ,race issues while recruiting helps.In places like Gurgaon it is mostly migrant labours from other parts of India or other bordering states. Poverty drives men and women to leave their land in search of a living in  big cities like Delhi etc. The choice is limited and the rates are high.So people are less fussy. It is a small price to pay for the comforts they get in exchange. In places like Kolkata it is mostly migrant population from the suburbs.Most  of these women leave home to supplement their meagre family income

No rich and middle class family can afford to antagonise these helps who are god sent for all working women or otherwise. Not everything is evil about the system.There are lot of interdependencies. I leave my old mum at home in the care of a help .My sister leaves her home and her young daughter in the care of a hired help.We are both working women and cannot do without helps and these women earn a living because more and more women like us  are in full time jobs.We are hugely dependent on their mercies.And sometimes it can lead to great  bonding between women beyond race and caste prejudices.