Interaction III: A household worker speaks of the trajectory of her life

The following is an interaction that I had with a household worker in a residential area in Bhubaneshwar. I asked her to come to my place so that she could share whatever she thought was relevant for her and about her life. I asked her to sit on the sofa beside my chair where I was typing on the computer. She continuously hesitated and said ‘babu, mu tale basibi’(sir, I’ll sit down on the floor.) When I asked her why was she reluctant, she gave a smile that to me appeared that me asking her to sit beside me was sort of absurd. Ultimately, she sat down on the floor and narrated the following. I asked her to pause in between her flow of sentences so that I could translate what she was saying (in Oriya) into English. She ended the conversation/interaction by saying that she had work and was getting late.

I have come from Banki, Cuttack District and it has been ten years since I am in Bhubaneshwar. I had to leave my place because my husband harassed me. He works as an agriculture labourer and we have a house there but I haven’t met him ever since. I meet my ‘jaas’(wives of husbands brothers) though. Initially, when I came to Bhubaneshwar,  I was an attendant in a girls’ hostel for a couple of years. My work, there, included bringing stuff for girls, and attending them if they are ill. In the first year I was paid Rs.1200 and then Rs.1400 for the next year. One girl was ill and I just went out for some time when the supervisor was complained and I was forced to leave the job. Then for two years I worked as a cook in one house. They paid me Rs.1200. Since then I have been working in several households, moving from one to other house if I lose my job. Now I get Rs.2000 per month. I work in five households, two shifts each. My work includes cleaning dishes, washing clothes and other household work.
 Here, in Bhubaneshwar, I stay in Tarini Basti(slum) with about ninety other families in thatched roof or asbestos houses. I stay in a two room asbestos house with two other families. I pay Rs. 600 (will have to pay Rs.700 from next month) to the owner of the house who works as a cook in other households. The house is built on Government land. There are problems in my life but everyone has problems. Who has time to think about them ? And also, it is fruitless.I will have to work as long as my hands allow me to. Then, I’ll have to leave for Banki. I have two children. The younger is ill. I do not know what disease he has. He often vomits blood. He has attended primary school. My elder son hasn’t been to school and is now unemployed. I do not know what will happen after I stop working, but, I guess, things will be sorted out by then.