With the family domestic help going on holiday, Diwali means more household work for everybody at home.
Diwali is one festival besides Holi when almost everyone has to manage without assistance from the family domestic help. Take the case of Darshanaba Mayursinh Vaghela who has invited more than 10 guests to celebrate Diwali with her family at her home this year. But this Diwali, before she can dress up in her best sari, Darshanaba will have to clean her house, arrange the lunch table, cook food and also wash utensils after meal. The reason is that her domestic help, Ramla, is on a five-day leave for Diwali and has gone back to his native place in Rajasthan.
Despite the inconvenience involved, no one denies his domestic help a long leave during this festival because everyone wants to be with his (or her) family during Diwali. Yet the absence of the family domestic help can disrupt your daily rhythm. Besides causing stress all around, finding a substitute for the family help is also an expensive affair as the local 'kaamvali bai' can charge anything between Rs20 and Rs25 for helping out with a task just once.
"I pay Rs2500 per month to my regular domestic help. This month I paid him Rs5,000 which included bonus too. Yet, he left for his native place on Dhanteras and will be on leave till Laabh Pancham. In this period, I have to look for a local substitute who will have to be paid Rs75 for three tasks done just once. This usually involves an extra expenditure of Rs500," said Darshanaba.
Ashok Punjabi, president of domestic and construction workers association, said that after Holi, Diwali is the second biggest vacation for domestic help employed in the city. "This is the time when everyone wants to be with his family. Hence you cannot deny them a holiday at this time of the year," he said, adding that his wife, Rajnibala, also finds it difficult to manage household work without the family domestic help who goes to his native place in Rajasthan for Diwali. He said there are around 65,000 to 70,000 domestic helps from Rajasthan in Ahmedabad.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}