Bai Bye!!!

J arrived and declared she spied S2 on her way to work and went on about how different and smart he looked. S2 arrived in office in t-shirt and jeans amid much fanfare (as he is essentially a jeans and shirt person so it is a welcome change!!!)...It turns out it is woman who brought about a se(a)e change in him…his maid servant or bai as they are commonly called in Mumbai has not turned up for work…so the dirty laundry has piled sky high in his apartment and he is having to dress in business casuals for work…

He and his roomies are having a tough time with their maid servant...the last one disappeared without notice and this new one joined on the condition that she will be on vacation in December!!! This reminds me of other bai's and their tantrums…

My ex-colleague was interviewing prospective maid servants to do the laundry at her place, one prospective candidate said she would join provided they paid her Rs.200 a month and that too only if they had a washing machine…my friend rejected her with the following comment, “Now let me get this right, you want me to pay you Rs.200 to switch on and switch off the washing machine!!!”.

My aunt once had a maid who was kleptomaniac, she stole stuff and hid them in her petticoat (a petticoat is a long skirt that is worn under the saree)… this resourceful bai had sewn extra cloth on this petticoat to make a kind of pouch and keep the stolen stuff there!!!...Once she had the audacity to steal large steel vessels, they jangled like crazy in the hiding place and gave her secret away!!!...She was sacked pronto!!!

Not all bai's are mad, crazy or thieves, Gulab Akka who lived with us while I was growing up is a person who redeemed all the aforementioned bai's, she is a gem and one of the rare breed of genuine people. All my childhood memories are linked with her….We were really sorry to see her go, but working as a house maid was hampering her prospects in the marriage market and so she had to leave us to work in an Office setup. She still calls often and meets up at festivals like Raksha Bandhan (she ties a rakhi to my younger brother) Diwali etc!!!