Women who never give up

Manimala lived in the streets of Kolkata when she first arrived in the big city .A migrant from rural Bengal her family consisted of her husband and two young children. Manimala worked as a maid in several houses and earned enough money to feed her family twice a day .After some years Manimala found a place on rent in an illegal settlement which thrived in an abandoned cemetery belonging to the family of Tipu Sultan. The place opposite  Kalighat Park was a like a dungeon and a breeding ground for local criminals. Manimala’s daughter was growing up to be a beauty and Manimala had a tough time keeping her safe from preying suitors and Romeos .Her children did not go to school. Most children who lived in that place did not go to school. Nobody bothered to find out why the children did not study when there were free government schools for all.
Manimala was a neat, tidy woman extremely disciplined and honest to the core. She never failed to report for work even when the city streets were flooded during monsoons and her home was under knee deep water. A short woman she folded her saree above her knee and tucking the folds around the waist she waded through the streets and moved from house to house. Most house maids would shy away from work during such days but not Manimala. Most days she used to bring her son along .Once when a table spoon went missing in one of the houses, Manimala was quick to react and found out that her son had picked it up in the hope of selling it as scrap and getting some quick money in exchange for buying the candies he longed to taste so desperately. Manimala almost beat her son black and blue. The little imp had little clue why he was being treated so miserably.

Manimala’s elder daughter had eloped and married a blind beggar who made a living by singing for alms in the suburban trains in the south line. They had little contact but her daughter came occasionally and stole whatever little Manimala had in her hovel before going back to her village. The elder daughter was quite good looking and it was easy to understand why she had fallen. Manimala was constantly worried about her younger daughter and was determined to marry her off the moment she attained puberty. She did not care for the rules of the land which made marriage below the age of eighteen a legal offence. She was more concerned about her daughter’s life. And she did find a groom for her daughter eventually and a pretty decent one .The young man had a decent family ,a good income and a proper house to live in. Her daughter’s exceptional beauty had done the trick. Manimala did her best to give her daughter a proper wedding with help from her many employers. With one major worry gone Manimala did not stop here. She slogged hard in order to save some money which eventually would allow her to own some land of her own in her village.

Women like Manimala had never learned to give up. Adversity had not made them loose their basic integrity and honesty. For them life was a celebration through constant struggle. Women like her never complained but just got on with life.