Thursday, July 25, 2019

When two MILs met !

Anuja was relaxing on the sofa, watching the television; after a busy day at work. Her daughter, Ira and mother in law, Sumantai; both representatives of young and previous generation, started to share their views on the program on television. Anuja enjoyed the ongoing light discussion in their cozy home with a heavy downpour outside.

The doorbell rang and all three women in the house looked at each other, perplexed, each thought, "who could have come in such a heavy rain ?"

On opening the door, they found their elderly neighbor, Pravaratai; with something in her hand. Her big smile brought excitement into Anuja's relaxed drawing room. All the women started talking with the sound of rain in the background.

"I made chakalis this afternoon for my grand daughter, Nita, and brought for you all to relish too !" Pravaratai's chirpiness and generosity was known to all neighbors. The fresh chakalis and warm chatter, along with the dull television programme, the evening lit up. "My Nita likes only home made chakalis and especially the ones that I make". Pravaratai beamed with pride and chatted on various topics under the sun. "Even my maid mentioned the other day about the new hotel and how it was different in its food. She is such an efficient lady, manages her home and job along with taking care of me".

The abrupt mention of maid got me thinking. Both senior ladies and mothers in law had to keep their discussion to general topics; leaving the daughters in law from the conversation. Obviously, it would not be appropriate to discuss the daughters in law in the presence of one !

My thought process was broken when my mother in law started to praise our maid. Sumantai would not be left behind. She would not leave our maid from the discussion. "Our maid is such an industrious woman, she takes care of her brother's family, goes to the fields for rice plantation and palkhi......."

And so the discussion went on. Both the ladies made great efforts to outdo the other in terms of being lucky on the home affairs front. They enjoyed to keep each other company, but their predominant womanly nature also made them compete; be it their joys or their problems.

It made me happy to know that modern women have found different positive topics to keep them preoccupied rather than gossiping about mundane and usual things. 

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