It's common knowledge that most homemakers save some cash -- almost always without anyone else knowing about it. This well-guarded, yet well-known, fact of domestic life became one of the star jokes of demonetisation.
But this cash came in handy at times of family emergency, or sometimes to buy things that otherwise one wouldn't be able to. So, what do the homemakers feel about having to suddenly let go of a good amount of savings... how are they reacting to the hilarious memes doing rounds in the social circles.
City Spidey finds out while chatting up with women waiting outside banks to have their money deposited.
"It’s not easy to laugh at yourself, but we women do. Why let a joke get to us? Yes, I have been saving money for emergencies, and we obviously do not want our husbands or kids to know about it. Otherwise, they will have a hundred reasons to spend it too. So here I am at the bank to deposit my savings. Why request the husband to do it! I will put this money in my account, and immediately do a fixed deposit,” says Savita Mahajan, a resident of Griha Pravesh in Sector 77.
Photo: Samrat Roy
Savings is an important part of every women’s life, feels newly married Manisha Pandey, a resident of Vaibhav Khand I, Indirapuram. She reasons, "I inherited something really valuable from my mother and grandmother - the habit of saving money. They had carefully saved this amount from their monthly expenses. We merely expect our better halves to understand and respect the reason of our savings. In case the wife is not comfortable with bank procedures, they should come forward to help...right?"
For some, these small savings are a part of streedhan (a woman's rightful wealth). Fifty-year-old Sulekha Singh from Sector 36 agrees. She smilingly adds, “These savings that men are joking about so freely are meant to be ours -- and rightfully so! It’s our security, and we should be able to use it as we like. Moreover, as the family 'manager', I need to keep a contingency fund aside. In fact, most husbands are aware of these savings and they don't mind.”
Rahsmi Mittal standing outside State Bank of India in Sector 2 feels similarly. She says, "Everybody has their own savings -- be it the husband or the wife. Earlier, women would stash the savings somewhere -- in the kitchen, under the bed -- often with hilarious outcomes. But the situation is not the same anymore. There's no reason for the women to worry. In any case, the savings can't exceed a couple of lakhs."
Meeta Jha of Saya Zenith, Indirapuram, openly agrees to saving Rs 30,000 this year, with which she plans to buy a bike for her son. She didn't want her husband to take another loan, as they already have a house loan to pay. She says, "Demonetisation is certainly an inconvenience, but we are used to facing bigger hassles. Things will get normalised soon. Curtailing a few monthly expenses to save for future is not a bad thing -- neither is it the black money that the government is after."
