#B'baymissesthebai

As I begin this column the day formerly known as Sunday is here and I am in one of those moods where I am trying to find sanctuary from memories of chucklefilled winesoaked evenings or stimulating walks past some of SoBos architectural masterpieces post sunset Ah yes World Heritage Day came and went on April 18 and those stunning sites and sounds remained unvisited Perhaps its a good thing to allow their facades and interiors to exhale minus the teeming crowds and accompanying mess that tends to get left behindSure I do miss those warm moments ndash all of it seems like these fabulous enchanting episodes from another timeClose on the heels of all these treasured flashbacks comes the Big One and this I am sure more than half of Bombay will agree with me on I miss my house help There ndash Ive said it If an online poll were to be thrown in right now across social media platforms on the one thing that Bombaywallahs miss the most Id hazard a guess that the allimportant bai will top the charts or at least come close to running away with the crown Come on lets face it Despite the Itna paisa mein itna hi milega approach that we are all so used to dealing with on a daily basis we still cant do without them especially for such a long stretchMany of us yours truly included whove been lucky to have the same help for over a decade will agree that theyve evolved as an extension to the family Their inconsistencies the fallingouts the uparse express cleaning spells the ditching when you need them the most ndash all of it now seems feeble because of the sheer magnitude of the situation that all of us from Katrina Kaif to Kavitaben from Ghatkopar find ourselves in From the bartan dhona to the jhaadupocha and everything else in between weve become the bai and working professional rolled into in And boy it does pinch ever so often especially if youre flying soloLaxmibai my woman Friday called me a few days back Didi ghar mein baitke kantal ho gaya Life mein kabhi bhi itna din ghar mein nahi baitha she confessed A mother of three educated daughters with fulltime jobs and a bedridden husband Laxmi was pretty much the head of the home and this long break was killing her busybody self in her oneroom settlement I heard her out told her to stay safe indoors and not venture out except for essentials She seemed as frustrated as I was at the inevitable scenario we were inThis ecosystem that exists between Bombaywallahs and their house helps is like an umbilicalcord like connect And mind you Ive seen this work with clockwork precision only in our city Our hectic working lives are seamlessly woven around theirs and together we are able to work with assemblyline accuracy if you are blessed with one of the species who values your timeAnother factor is the trust that develops with the bai Outoftowners are often shocked at the level and extent to which we open our homes to them in Bombay I recall a visiting aunt from Hyderabad who was appalled at how I could possibly leave the house keys with the bai for her second round of chores at home later in the day when I wasnt going to be around Explaining to her about this unique bond resulted in me wasting a precious five minutes of my life Truth be told when the going gets tough wed rather rely on them than some of our closedin neighboursAnd so as I tick off another date of the countdown calendar yes I have made one of those I can safely predict that the verdict is a clear one on the house help Bombaywallahs in between playing juggler of many skills are shedding the odd tear in their homes for their beloved bais And with bated breath are waiting for their return Until then as Laxmi told me while signing off Tension nahi lene kamiddays Features Editor Fiona Fernandez relishes the citys sights sounds smells and stoneswherever the ink and the inclination takes her She tweets bombayanaSend your feedback to mailbagmiddaycomCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current affairs and a complete guide from food to things to do and events across Mumbai Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates MidDay is now on Telegram Click here to join our channel middayinfomedialtd and stay updated with the latest news