Short Story
Servant . . . or savior
Home help are fairly common in our part of the world. They come in different ranges of salaries, depending on skills and age . The under-aged child workers are addressed as “Chhemri†and “Beti†(in Bangla) used for sweeping or odd jobs. They are called “buasâ€or “chakrani†if they are cooks or house cleaners . Some employers from cultured families refer to old servants as “apas†or “didis†depending on their age and the level of intimacy earned over the years of service
Renuka treats her home help with affection and respect. She calls her Rahilla, which is her real name . She was appointed on a contract of fixed working hours , four days off a month and an annual leave to return to her village home .
Rahilla was quick at learning. Soon she knew how to use the vaccum cleaner, then the washing machine and the electric cooker. In the kitchen she mastered the art of Indian and western cuisine. She could turn out a baked Ilaska with a perfect golden crust on top and her kachchi biryani was a great hit with Renuka's friends who often gathered in her home for meetings or a togetherness.
Rahilla served the guests with delectable dishes but kept herself in the kitchen despite requests from the mistress and the guests to join them.
The servant-master distance remained intact as a principle followed by Rahilla, who often reiterated that “servants must know their placeâ€.
Renuka often indulged in self disclosure to Rahilla, sharing her childhood memories, her interesting life events and her ambition to set up a contractual service for domestic helpers.
Renuka worked with the press. She reported cases of violence against women and domestic workers. The information was published for the public.
Sometimes she read these out to Rahilla, venting her anger against the cruel employers who violated their maidservants. She thought they deserved the severest of punishment.
Renuka informed her of the country's laws that included punishment to employers if they were found guilty of violating a house help. In certain cases they were charged the penalty of a huge fine.
Rahilla was curious. How much were they fined? Her intelligence demanded more details, “but how did they verify?â€
Proof is possible with witness, with doctors certificates and various other ways. Rahilla exclaimed, “How shameful! How can a servant complain against a master provider? A servant must know her rightful place, which is fidelity to her master or mistress.â€
Renuka said some masters deserved the punishment; they should be exposed in public for their crimes.
She felt good in sharing her views with Rahilla, even in confiding in her her sorrow about her husband who often left her to travel elsewhere. There were rumours he had remarried. Renuka indulged in self disclosure . Rahilla listened but rarely talked about herself, although it was a known fact that her husband Selim paid customary calls on her and did not support her financially.
Rahilla felt it was not the servant's place to get too intimate with the mistress. She was particular about her status as a servant and carried herself with the professional dignity of a service provider, keeping a respectful distance from the mistress, indulging in little self disclosure even when the mistress felt close to her. She hesitated to open up with her personal problems to her mistress.
Rahilla lived by her belief in the natural class gap between servant and master. She felt she was employed on certain terms of service and she was satisfied to abide by those terms. She kept to those terms of reference and knew her place as a service provider.
Years passed in their lives in this harmonious discipline . Parties were hosted and Rahilla produced delectable dishes. The guests praised and Renuka took the bows . Rahilla kept in the background.The whole house moved on well oiled wheels, as it were, run by Rahilla in all reality.
As time passed, Renuka had nothing to do with the home. She spent time mostly outside the country, attending conferences or seminars. Renuka was not young any more. Meetings and friendships brought strength to her and Rahilla's faithful service was a contribution that kept her going. However, Renuka's doctors had suspected a virus that was leading to cancer which might lead to her life being cut short.
Knowing this Renuka took the neccessary precautions of medication as well as settling bank accounts to be taken care of in case of her death.
Rahilla was not made aware of this although she accompanied the mistress on her visits to the doctor as well to the bank.
The gap between the mistress and servant was barely noticeable. Rahilla was always well dressed and well groomed. In fact, when she answered the doorbell, the messengers often mistook her for the mistress.
Rahilla had a passion for reading news and listening to the television for any new turns in the political situation. Literacy classes she attended at Renuka's insistence benefited her because she could now use her time well in reading books. They watched television together sometimes and Rahilla often voiced her disgust at the destruction she viewed, the burning of buses and killings in the name of claiming “ Rightsâ€:
Renuka listened to her with respect. Opinions were shared on education of men and women, on peaceful living and on measures against violence.
Renuka was working on a development project and Rahilla's views seemed valuable to her. Renuka was not without a family. Her husband had separated from her. Her son worked overseas. She heard from him infrequently and often requested him to return and live with her as she was alone and missed him. She had a married daughter who lived in another part of the city. Her daughter called her now and then on the phone but said she had little time from housework and childcare to drop in often to be with her. However, she was dutiful and brought all the medicines she needed and sent her car for the mother to visit the doctor whenever that was required.
Renuka so far had been grateful to God that she could carry on on her own without being a burden on her family. The doctor's verdict that she had a mortal illness was a shock to her. She worried about the brevity of life when she had so much to do and such little time in hand.
Often when the mistress was sick or in pain, Rahilla would bring a bottle of herbal oil and massage her to soothe the pain. One day when Rahilla looked unwell the mistress asked her what was the matter. She complained of a backache. Renuka made her sit down so that she could massage her with oil. Rahilla would hear nothing of it. She said, “I will take a pill. It will go. How can I, your servant, take service from you? I know my place.â€
Despite treatment and care, Renuka was growing weak and losing interest in life. She was seen visiting mazars and attending milads with a frequency that surprised her children.
Renuka was sure of her death. In her usual practical way she had bought and stored all the items needed for the eventuality of her demise as a Muslim , such as Kaffoor Agarbatti, Chadar Candles and copies of the Quran Shareef and Jai Namaz . She felt it was important to visit her bank for declaration of nominees to gift her property and bank balance to those who outlived her.
As her mistress grew sick with the incurable desease , she became completely dependent on Rahilla's care. Rahilla also kept another woman to help her with the washing and cleaning. She also employed a maulvi to recite the Quran every day for the recovery of her mistress.
Rahilla informed both the children of their mother's condition. The daughter came once and expressed satisfaction at the way their mother was being looked after. Renuka longed to hold her daughter close and have her stay the night with her but she knew her daughter was too busy with her family. The daughter put her arms around her mother and said, “Maa, you have the best daughter in Rahilla . I am so glad she is with you.â€
The son was on a job that required tours abroad. He wrote letters but was unable to visit her.
Renuka knew her time had come. She was now dying. The room was lit with candles as there had been an electric failure in the house. The helpful hands of Rahilla were always there at her slightest need. She was close to her needs till her last breath. Renuka could not control her tears as she helped. Feeling the pain of separation, Rahilla felt her life emptying without a mistress who was also her best friend.
Renuka died in peace, at the caring hands of her house help.
Rahilla did what was expected. She bathed her, laid her covered in a sheet, tied her toes with a string to straighten her feet. She had seen this practice amongst the death rituals in her village. She telephoned the neighbors to organize proper funeral rites as observed in the city to take her to her final resting place.
Neither of Renuka's children was in the country at the time .They arrived after their mother's death. They thanked Rahilla for her services. They held the customary milad for the qulkhwani.
The forty days of mourning were observed with Rahilla's help in looking after guests and visitors who gathered to pay respects to the departed. The grave yard was visited and customary prayers said by the children.
At the appropriate time the children were curious about the property documents and other such matters related to inheritance. Rahilla informed them of the bank where the documents and the locker had been kept.
She took them to the bank as Renuka had disclosed all her financial matters to Rahilla.
The bank manager asked them for a private meeting. He informed them that the property document as well millions of taka saved in the bank had been gifted by their mother to Rahilla.
They were shocked and angry that their mother should have disowned them from their rightful share. The bank manager said sadly this often happened in the case of over-dependency of masters on their servants in the absence of their own relatives. He said, “Often the elderly dependent rich do not realize the actual place of a servant “
They wondered what they could do to seek their claim. Both the children needed the money and they felt it was theirs to have. The banker suggested they should consult a lawyer. He could make a case of mal-judgement due to age .
On their way back from the bank , the son and the daughter said, “We should have realized that Mother in her senility had lost her senses to have bequeathed their rightful share to a mere servant!â€
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