An unsettling glumness hung over my morning as my cleaning lady entered, her usual smile replaced by weary lines. Sleep deprivation etched itself on her face.
Upon inquiry, she revealed a night of tossing and turning, power cuts, the scorching heat, and suffocating humidity had conspired to steal her sleep. It struck a chord – while I grumbled about the lack of AC, her reality was far harsher, a night spent battling the heat without even a fan for relief.
Curiosity piqued, I reached out to other women who work in the Retreat. Their stories mirrored my cleaning lady’s. Those fortunate enough possessed air coolers, a lifeline in their cramped, single-room dwellings. “Without a cooler, didi,” one confided, “we simply can’t function. We cook and sleep in the same space, so having a cooler is essential. But with these constant power cuts, even coolers become useless, leaving us with nothing but sleepless nights and suffocating discomfort.”
My heart ached for them. “What do you do then?” I asked. “We escape to the outdoors,” they replied a hint of resignation in their voices. “We sit, or sometimes sleep, outside, often spending the entire night talking amongst ourselves.”
The conversation took a turn when I inquired about their water situation. The answer painted a grim picture. “Water problems are frequent,” they admitted. My cleaning lady added, “Our landlord doesn’t seem to care. The water we get is barely usable, forget drinking, we can’t even bathe in it!” Suddenly, the reason for her daily ritual of filling a large jar with our filtered water before leaving became crystal clear.
Another woman chimed in, her voice laced with a flicker of gratitude. “My didi from Heights often offers me nimbu pani or chaach when I go there for work,” she said. “My madam here always asks if I need water before I leave.”- added another. It warmed my heart to know that some neighbours, extend these gestures of kindness in the form of a cool drink during the scorching summer.
The conversation left a profound impact. It shattered the illusion of my discomfort, revealing the stark realities faced by many. It served as a gentle reminder of the power of empathy and the importance of extending a helping hand, even if it’s just a glass of cool water on a sweltering day.
