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Suddenly my wife’s business sense got activated. She asked me, "Why don’t we start a similar agency in Chandigarh. People will love to hire maids through us. We will import maids from Hong Kong, China, Malaysia, Russia, and even from the European countries depending upon the client’s choice. When I asked her would people in India have the paying capacity to hire these international safaiwalis, she said if people could afford imported air-conditioners, refrigerators and cars why couldn’t they afford firang maids. Hiring these maids would rather become a status symbol. The women would boast in their kitty parties, "Aaj hamari Chinese maid bhag gayee, saara kaam mujhe karna pada!" In Malaysia, employers of these maids are required to pay 445 Malaysian ringgits (approx Rs 6,200) as a levy to the government apart from the agency fee of 3000 ringgits (approx Rs 42,000). Even then if the maids happen to run away from their employer’s home, the employer has to once again pay tax to the government. When I showed this bit of news to my wife, she was undeterred in her determination to go ahead with the decision. I reminded her that we would face immigration problems and lot of other governmental procedures if we happen to start this agency. To this she confidently replied, "Everything will be sorted out". I finally asked her, "How will these international maids bring you the neighbourhood gossip when they wouldn’t know the local language?" My wife thought for a moment and said, "Let’s drop the idea". |
WHILE in
Malaysia for a Hindi film shoot, my wife pointed out at a signboard in
front of a shop which read "Maids Agency". She suggested that
it would be a good idea to hire a maid from this Malaysian agency. I
told her that the agency worked only for importing maids from
Philippines, Indonesia and Sri Lanka to work in Malaysia.