Every morning my house is invaded by these two specimens. They are 5% maids and 95% guardian angels. They will fuss over all of us, give us a good talking-to when they think any of us at home are doing something stupid and will curse the world at large if the world hurts any of us! I love all of them and make sure that I tell them that every single day!
Heroine No.1: Nalini Bai- Age: Ageless! I am sure she is at least 55 but has the stamina and enthusiasm of a 15 year old, with a crazy, lopsided grin to match! Bai has now been working with us for almost 15 odd years and is almost like a surrogate mom to me and Pookins. A great believer in things like 'nazar lag gayi' and stuff like that. So, when I had come down with cold and then a series of minor irritating illnesses, Nalini Bai led the contingent to do an elaborate 'nazar utaro' ceremony on me. That in itself deserves a separate post. I find Nalini Bai extraordinary becasue she has spent all her life supporting her younger sister (whose talented ass-hole of a husband left her and the kids and ran off!) and her neices. She put the neices through school and made sure that they went for tuitions for their X and XII so that they could do well and get into a good college. The glow on her face when her elder neice- Sulekha- got into a prestigious college could have lit up a million dark caverns! Even at this age, she works 6 homes just so her neices can complete their education and she can get them into a good job. After that, she says she will rutire! To me, Nalini Bai's life is an example of the triumph of the human spirit. She braved all odds to survive in Bombay and survive in style (she has a bank account, has post-office savings and is about to buy her own Kholi). I am extremely proud of her and I love her, except that I wish she would stop trying to chase me every morning to put a kaala teeka on me!!!!!!!
Heroine No. 2: Lata Darling- Age: 22 but has already lived a thousand lives! Is a chirpy, bubbly, ball of energy who keeps the kitchen going and in the mad morning rush-hour ensures that Pookins and I eat properly before we leave home! Lata got married when she was 14 and so she couldn't complete her schooling. Saddled with 2 kids by 18 and beaten up everyday by her alcoholic husband, Lata used to often contemplate running away from her village. She finally did it when she was 19. Left her small village near Aurangabad and moved to Bombay with her kids- two adorable little girls she has just put into a pathshala. After toiling hard for two years and taking up cooking jobs in as many as 8 homes, Lata today can boast of decent savings, a roof over her head and a safe home for her girls. The past is like a forgotten nightmare and she knows that someday her girls will grow up to have jobs like didi (yours truly) does! I completely admire her dogged determination and her courage! She is my Lata Darlin'..except when she starts wailing loudly when either Pookins or me or maa fall ill!!!!!!!!
