As I think about this phrase ‘Women for Women’, it reiterates how my house-help has been such a strong support system. Shalini tai as I address her is a backbone who ensures my house runs smoothly. When I think back, I am grateful for a hot September day in 2016 when as luck would be, I was home on a weekday afternoon when tai rang the doorbell to ask if we were looking to hire a house help. I was recovering from Malaria then, so being low on energy, I could hardly speak to her, but her willingness to come to work in the early morning brought me a sense of relief and excitement for the coming week. To my surprise, the doorbell rang exactly at 7 am the following Monday, and I sighed a breath of relief at her style and speed of doing the chores. She amazed me by turning up on time every single day and inspired me to leave for my workplace on time. 

As days and weeks progressed, Shalini tai and I started developing a liking for one another, and we started sharing about our personal lives. Tai’s struggle of getting married at a very young age and her hardships of coming to Mumbai from her native place at the age of 15 years and then learning to survive in this city were overwhelming. Gradually, I learned how she takes the lead in decision-making and negotiating the day-to-day realities in her life. She shared how she had availed of a loan and bought her house while ensuring her daughter focused on her education. 

Also, as time passed, I realised tai’s keen interest in learning digital modes of payments, and thus we started with our monthly visits to the ATM centre to help her learn the withdrawal process. She also wanted to know more about the courses her daughter could pursue after completing HSC. As required, I accompanied her and her daughter to a couple of colleges to learn about the Hotel Management course and became her guardian. I also supported her in honing her English skills, which helped her while pursuing the course. 

While all this went on, tai was there whenever I fell ill or became a mother to my plants in my absence. She gifted me different plants and would be as excited as me every time a flower bloomed. During the first lockdown, since she could not come to work, we would talk over the phone once every 15 days and share how we were managing – she almost became my therapist. At times she would come to meet me and bring along puran-polis or dosas even though she struggled to manage her ration.

She would say, “I know you relish these dishes, and you must be missing visiting your mother, so think she has sent it”. 

Another time, she got me a new earthen pot realising that I was struggling to find a new one to store drinking water. As an annual ritual, every Navratri, we do a small ceremony celebrating our strengths and presence in each other’s lives.  

It’s been six years since our association, and I feel while both of us could have stuck to our roles,

I guess women for women understand the challenging roles that we play in our lives and hence go that extra mile to do little things for one another.