Santosh is the man of her house !

Santosh Kumari - Housekeeper, Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh.

"A lady is worth 100 men, she can create wonders and manage everything by herself. She is responsible enough and is capable of sacrificing her happiness for the sake of her family. I have always been a free-spirited girl. I was born into a poor family of  Bareilly. My mother had passed away when I was young. I was then taken care of by my aunt (my mother's sister), she brought me up along with my two siblings. My father grew us up  with all the love and pleasure, though  due to financial crisis none of us were able to attend the school after 10th standard. We had nothing to eat and since then I decided to take responsibility of the same and decided to work so that our conditions could improve. I have always wanted to step out and know this world and it's functioning. I am a very ambitious and  positive person. Even after so many problems and hardships I keep that bright smile always on my face. I started housekeeping and that got me some  money. Also I had to take care of my own house and other family members. I am really fond of cooking and try out new dishes. I was the eldest therefore I had most of the responsibilities on my shoulders. I was 15 when I was once mocked by a group of boys passing by while I was at work. It seems that our ethics and morals are going obsolete day by day. In a sense, I should rather say that the image of women in the eyes of some men has been degraded. We are considered  a toy by some, where as to some, we mean the ultimate goddesses. Women of low strata do not enjoy much respect and honor. Usually they become a victim of domestic violence until and unless they retaliate and protest against the same. Beating a woman does not give  satisfaction to any of the man. Then why does they do so?  I would love to hear the answer. I had always taught my sister and my brother that one must not be afraid and  quit silently if he/she is absolutely right and have not indulged themselves in any wrong activity. I was bold enough to respond to their vulgar comments. I fought back till they said sorry. None of us have got any right to disrespect each other or any gender. I have never been independent and self-reliant.  I miss my mother every single day till now. I miss her care, love and affection. Mother is a really special gift .  One should understand her importance and value. It was really hard for us to cope up with the losses. We had to borrow a loan for our meals.  Poverty has made  all of us its slave. A very little helping hand is provided by the government through their policies and budget announcements. 

 In our country, the gulf between  poor and rich is never-ending. It is widening day by day. The rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer. Income inequality had started to increase the differences and promote 'high class  and low class' thoughts in the minds of all. People are after their social status and supremacy rather than 'humanity'.  Some go starving while some go wasting food. This great economic divide has led to the exploitation of people like us who belong to labor class. We have to, unfortunately, put our kids into work to fulfill our needs. Since the inflation rate is rising day by day, poverty is violating and snatching away our rights from us. Women are poorly paid and humiliated. Kids are forced to do child labor and small girls even go into the world of sex trafficking. I was 20 when I got married. I was nervous and delighted at the same time. My husband, initially worked in a transport agency and we were going well in terms of money. I was not worried to earn as he had a good amount of salary. But time did not want me to rest. My husband got addicted to drinks. He started coming home late and spent his salary on drink in bars. By then I had been blessed with my two kids, they  are the apple of my eyes. Slowly and gradually he lost his job and started wasting our savings on the same I was worried about their future. My husband used to come late, fully drunk and it was creating a bad impression on the minds of the kids. I used to cry and remain in sorrow . I wanted to change things. I did not want to quietly sit and enjoy the show. I knew what I had to do for a better future of my kids. I gathered courage and decided to work. My husband never wanted this to happen. He tried to stop me and even slapped me once, but I did not stop. Instead, I revolted and threaten him to leave the house along with the kids and he will have to manage things by himself which he knew he was incapable of. So he had to let me do things in my way. I will never let my kids forsake their dreams. So I started working again. I had promised my kids that they will never have to leave their education due to financial problems. I work as a house-keeper in many  houses. I work very hard to give my kids a secure future while my husband sits ideally at home. My daughter and son also go to work after school. I feel strong enough to say that I am capable to pay school fees for both of my kids and run the house all by myself. Also, my daughter is very good at dance therefore I send her to dancing classes to enhance her skills and follow her passion. I am a fighter, in fact all women are. We work day and night and fight tooth and nail. We go after needs and necessities. I just want to spread a message that ' You are a fighter, you can change your conditions and situations, just do not sit quietly and see what is happening. Stand up and revolt for the betterment of your loved ones and yours.'

* The views expressed in the above article are of the writer and not the Winged Club.