It is barely three days into the trip and I have already heard comments along the theme of "it is so hard to get maids anymore."
That is a wonderful measure not merely of India's economic growth, but--and more importantly--of the opportunities that have opened up for "half the sky."
In the olden days, even a generation or two ago, it would have been quite common for the daughters of maids to follow in their mothers' footsteps.
Not anymore!
The best of all stories in this came from my sister. The daughter of a maid at another relative's place was a good high school student and a couple of people pitched in and helped the girl go on to study engineering. Yes, engineering. Imagine that!
Now, that alone would have been a fantastic story all by itself. But there is more.
This young girl has now completed her undergraduate program, and was recruited by one of India's major automotive corporations at quite a significant salary. Oh, the hiring was done even before she earned the diploma!
What a transformation in her life, and in her mother's life, eh!
My sister noted that this girl and her family lived in a one-room space, and the only way the girl could find peace and quiet in order to study was to climb up to the roof top and do her college work under a really dull light.
How awesome! Maybe I should bug my sister and try to meet this remarkable young woman.
The net result: as more and more young girls and women study and engage in productive employment, the less the supply of maids.
Which means, pretty soon in India, too, people will wash their own clothes, clean their bathrooms, and lead lives that will be very similar to what I experience in the US!
Such a practice should, however, not be any surprise to MK Gandhi, who advocated self-reliance and honor in labor. Maybe, just maybe, we are one step closer to that Gandhian ideal.
As we say in America, "you go, girl."
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