People Around Us

The simple story of a village woman with no schooling and no money, who knew how to care for her step-daughters and the others around her, with a cheerful smile and no complaints. There will be many thousands of such strong and loving women all around us.

I first met Padmavathi at the national office of Xavier Board of Higher Education in India (XB) a couple of years ago. A simple, hardworking woman, she served me tea and disappeared into her one-room dwelling in the XB office complex. Several months later I met her again and had the opportunity to interview her and her husband and son.

Padma, as she is fondly called, hails from Andhra Pradesh. She was married at the age of eighteen to a widower called Krishna Reddy, who had two daughters from his first marriage. His marriage to Padma ensured that she would bring up the little girls Soujenya and Yasoda, who were then five and two years old. Being young herself, it was a daunting task for Padma to bring up the two girls. Even after the birth of her son, Amar, she made sure that the three children grew up together without any differences, loving and caring towards each other.

After Soujenya’s marriage, the rest of the family moved to Bangalore at the request of Sr. Marietta Pudota, the then Secretary of XB. While Krishna Reddy worked in the office doing both outdoor and indoor jobs, Padma was the domestic help, taking care of cleaning the office cum residence, washing and cooking, the proverbial homemaker who has rustled up fantastic food for the Xavier Board residents and her family for the last sixteen years.

Like many other women in her situation, Padma is gifted, kind-hearted and compassionate. She has learnt the various tasks assigned to her—setting the table for a meal with cutlery and crockery, executing her jobs with the dexterity of a professional. Over the years she has learnt to use gadgets and instruments by either watching the TV or others.  I asked her where she had learned to make the Kerala style ‘Appam’ and pat came the reply, “Sr. Theresa Cherian.” Her culinary skills are excellent, with no recipe books, just memory, executed with the finesse of a chef! Fresh, traditionally hand-pounded ingredients for the masalas, brought together in a gentle, slow cooking process, tickle the taste buds. At the end of the meal she loves to hear the words chala bagundi (“Very good”)!

With no schooling to speak of, Padma learnt all that she knows using her native intelligence and observing people or watching TV.

Although she converses only in Telugu irrespective of the language of the speaker, she is adept at making use of a smattering of English words at the right time and place, all of which has the suffix hu.

Padma has been the backbone of her family, and faced the ups and downs of life with strength of mind and determination. When Yashoda got married against her parents’ wishes, Padma ensured that she was not estranged from the family, and continues to maintain an extremely cordial relationship with her daughter and son-in-law, and loves her two grandchildren.  She made sure that Amar had a good education and completed his degree. Today, he works for an IT firm in Bangalore and supports his parents.

Both Krishna Reddy and Padma always dreamed of owning a house in their native village. With some help from their son, they have made this dream come true. She was so very excited when they finally had the house warming ceremony last year. She is proud of the family’s achievements and is looking forward to going back to the village and spending the rest of her life with her mother-in-law, who is ninety-five years old, her three sisters, brother and extended family. She is also keen on saving some money to buy herself some gold jewelry, which she hopes will be her surety for the future. This, too, as we know, is typical of Indian women.

Many families are held together in harmony, with the children growing up with emotional security and much joy, not through sophisticated theories picked up from books, but by the wisdom, inner strength and hard work of wives and mothers like Padma.

Ordetta Mendoza

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I chanced upon a ‘little woman’ a few years ago when she was introduced to my family by her aunt (Mrs. Vennila) who was employed as a domestic helper in my house. “I am unable to come to work, since I have shifted my residence, and am finding it difficult to commute. This is my niece Malathi. She is willing to work in your house.”  We were taken aback, seeing a little girl who appeared to be about twelve or thirteen. We told Vennila that we could not employ her, since it is against the law to employ minors. We would be booked for child labour. Besides, this child should be in school!  “No Madam,” sprung a little voice, “I am twenty-two years old and have been working for the last eight years.” I could not believe my eyes and ears.  After much quizzing and clarification, we decided to employ her, wondering all the time how she would cope with the work, but wanting to help her and give her a safe place to work. Her only demand was a footstool to help her reach the kitchen sink tap!

All of a metre (about three feet and four inches) in height, Malathi hails from a hamlet in Tamilnadu’s Thiruvanamalai district. She was denied a normal childhood when her father expired. Circumstances forced her to quit school when her family migrated to Chennai in search of work. Her mother, the only breadwinner at that time, took to working at construction sites, while her brother, with his wayward life, became a drain on the family’s resources. To help her mother support the family, Malathi started working at fourteen.

Small in size, great in mind

What makes Malathi stand out in the crowd is her tiny physique, pleasant beautiful smile and child-like demeanor. A dwarf from childhood, she has never let her height (or the lack of it) get the better of her.  She has devised ways to make up for her short stature, and is quick to find a remedy when faced by challenges to her height. Whenever she needs to reach the switch of a light or a fan  (positioned about five feet above the ground), Malathi uses a wooden spoon or the handle of the broom! I am amazed at her dexterity in using implements larger or heavier than herself. Her ingenuity is awesome! She has never excused herself from completing a task due to her stature. Committed to her work, she will put several others to shame with her dedication and sincerity.  Tasks assigned to her are completed meticulously and thoroughly. She is like a mini whirlwind! Once she enters the house, she does not take even a few minutes off, except at meals time, unless commanded to do so. I have had several tirades with her when at times I step in to her domain to help with some of the chores. Such arguments have often ended with her declaring: “Amma, this is my job; you go and do yours!”

Never shying away from work, Malathi is eager to learn anything new, be it tightening a screw, handling the pliers or secateurs, pottering in the garden, using the microwave oven or making an omelette. She tries her best to hone her skills and add new ones too.  She refuses to take a day off work unless forced to and rarely asks for free time.

Other aspects of her character are extreme honesty and a wonderful memory! We introduce Malathi to everyone who steps into our home, be it a family member or a friend. She is like a security guard who will not allow anyone inside our home unless she is convinced of all their credentials.

A Smart Polyglot

Working in houses, Malathi has picked up several languages and today is a polyglot. She can speak Tamil, Hindi, Urdu and Telegu fluently, as well as a pretty good smattering of English.  Malayalam and Konkani are on the anvil! Her choice of clothes is not the traditional saree, but western ones! Sharp, respectful and quick-witted, she is well known in the locality. She continues to work and support her mother as well as her brother’s family, since he is struggling to pay off debts accumulated over the years.  Recently, with much cajoling, she has opened an account in the post office and pays into a recurring deposit scheme in view of her future. With such qualities I often wonder what position she would have held if she had had the opportunity to complete her education.

Ordetta Mendoza

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