Women's Week: You just can't do without them
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Women's Week: You just can't do without them

In our countdown to Women's Day, City Spidey thanks the many women who work tirelessly to make our house a home.

Women's Week: You just can't do without them

She rings your doorbell every morning at 7 sharp. Chances are you wake up to a cup of tea made by her. She cleans, cooks and readies the family for the day, as you read the newspaper, chitchat with your spouse and discuss world politics. Maybe you flash her a smile as you go to the kitchen for a bottle of water. Maybe you hand her a sweet from last night's celebrations as you pop one in yourself. But do you know who she is?

Of course, you say, her name is Anita. She is your domestic help. 

But is that her only identity? 

She is the pillar to thousands of urban households. A homemaker to thousands of homes. If she is absent, life comes to a standstill. She may be a domestic help, but she is family. She looks after us and takes care of our families when we are too busy to do it ourselves.

So this Women’s Day, let’s show her the appreciation she deserves. This is City Spidey's salute to the women who make our house a home. Here's introducing you to a few of the tribe.

 

Name: Ganga

Age: 19

Where do you work? Indirapuram

How many houses do you work in? 1

How much do you earn every month? Rs 7,000

Who do you stay with? We are a family of two women — just me and my mother. My father and brothers dumped us.

What is your strength in life? My mother. I don't know where I would've been without her.

If given a choice, what would you want to do? I want to go back to my maternal house, where I was born.

How do you feel being the backbone of the family you work for? It’s a very nice feeling to be able to unburden the woman I work for.

What's the last film you have watched? Aamir Khan's PK.

Which song do you like to hum? Char Kadam from PK.

 

Name: Rekha

Age: 36

Where do you work: Indirapuram

How many houses do you work in? 5

How much do you earn every month? Rs 6,000 

Who do you stay with? My four children and my husband.

What is your strength in life? My family.

What do you want your children to become in life? I strive every day to ensure my children get an education, so they don’t have to work like me. I want them to have good jobs.

How do you feel being the backbone of the families you work for? To see relief on the faces of the women I work for when I enter the house - it's a great feeling. 

What's the last film you have watched? I love to watch the serials in the evening.

Which song do you like to hum? I like bhajans. I like humming some of them when I work.

 

 

Name: Rajberi

Age: 43

Where do you work? Indirapuram

How many houses do you work in? 5

How much do you earn every month? Rs 5,500

Who do you stay with? We are a six-member family. My husband, four children and I.

What is your strength in life? My children. I work to give them a better future.

What do you want your children to become in life? I want them to get into an engineering college. I think degree holders get good jobs.

How do you feel being the backbone of the families you work for? I don't mind working. Being able to help a woman, especially one who is compassionate, is a great feeling. 

What's the last film you have watched? It was 10-12 years back. I don't remember the name now. 

Which song do you like to hum? I only have work on my mind. Always.

 

 

Name: Pooja Satyavanshi

Age: 23

Where do you work? Vaishali. 

How many houses do you work in? 1 house and a saree shop.

How much do you earn every month? Rs 8,000

Who do you stay with? My mother, my father, five sisters and a brother.

What is your strength in life? My mother. I try to be like her. She's a very strong woman.

If given a choice, what would you want to be in life? A doctor.

How do you feel being the backbone of the families you work for? It feels good to help someone out and get paid for it.

What's the last film you've watched? Neerja.

Which song do you like to hum? Sanam Re.

City Spidey caught up with Pooja's employer, Shivani Koul. “She is a real support," she said. "She has always stood beside me — be it when I was newly married and hardly knew how to handle household work or be it when I was going to be a mother. Though she herself is a young girl of 23, she has taught me a lot about responsibility, maturity and humbleness.”

 

 

Name: Radha Devi

Age: 18

Where do you work? Jal Vayu Vihar, Noida. 

How many houses do you work in? 3

How much do you earn every month? Rs 3,200

Who do you stay with? We are seven members — father, mother, three brothers and two sisters.

What is your strength in life? My zeal to do something in life.

If given a choice, what would you want to be in life? I don't have specific ambitions. I just want to work well so I can better my life.

How do you feel being the backbone of the families you work for? It feels good to be an important part of the lives of the women I work for. I feel proud that there is an amount of trust they place on me.

What's the last film you've watched? Raja.

Which song do you like to hum? Aye Mere Watan Ke Logon, by Lata Mangeshkar.

When City Spidey approached Girja Wakhloo, Radha’s employer, she was all praise for her. "She is such a happy soul," Wakhloo said. "She is always ready to work, and willingly. She is a big support for me, as most of my family is working.”

In fact, Shivani Koul summed it up perfectly for us. "It's a beautiful relationship," she said. "The mistress and the maid are like two best friends. They may bicker, they may fight, but neither can survive without the other."