I once had a 6 month stint in Mumbai( the posting was for 2 years, It only lasted 6 months before I decided to quit). What I saw there was supeiority complex. Group of people who has money and thereby power would then rule the next level of people..it was like a ladder looking top to bottom. In a nutshell those who had money was always superior. They walked with their nose up in the air.
It wasn’t like the bumi non bumi divide in Malaysia. Although there is racism in Malaysia, what I experienced in Mumbai was something I have never known existed. My bumi neighbour who drove the latest merc never once acted funny with me. In fact I get the best beef rendang, practically everyday during the puasa.
In Mumbai, I was provided with a maid, who was provided by a maid agency, who sends her from one household to another. She works in 4 different household each day. I can’t pay her.. I must pay the compnay that provided her.. they in turn give her a share of her income. Exploitation in simple term. They owned the woman and her sweat and blood. She was like an ox in a field. It was hard for me to accept, I couldn’t cancel her employment, because they would punish her, for they would assume that she has done something terrible hence the reason I cancelled her employment. Although the contract was for cleaning the house and washing the clothes and cooking… I didn’t make her do much jobs. She was always exhausted by the time she reached my place. All I asked her to was sweep the house.(mumbai is the world’s capital for dust!!!). She would make chai and roti.. She had to make 15 roti. 6 for my family the rest for her family. I wanted to make sure that her kids would have something to eat as well. If i gave her money, either the company manager or her husband would take it from her. So food was the only way I could pay her. Her kids got to eat a lot of yummy Malaysian food as well.
I now figured out why my punjabi neighbour treats me shabbily. She thinks I am her servant. She is a Canadian,lives in a $500,000 bunglow, drives the latest car,while I am a poor Malaysian,live in a basement and no car and no job. She thinks she owns me.
Couple of days ago at the school play ground, the twins came and told me, aunty my mom is in the car park and she wants you to bring my brother to the car. I asked the them, why can’t your mother come and get her son? Oh she is not wearing her coat and she is tired. Well she waited for 15 mints hoping that I would bring her son to her car. After 15 mints, she realized that I am not bothered. She came out of her car and walked to the play groound and got her son.
Yesterday I was too stunned to realize what was happening..but no more.. She can think twice, before taking advantage of me.
To my mom and sisters: If you laugh at me one more time and call me a “maid for the punjabi’s” I swear you all will be 6 feet under and pushing up daisies.