‘Ana, isn’t it nice when there’s someone to help you in the daily chores—and you get some spare time to finish the pending chores? Do you also feel that a woman’s first priority should be the kitchen?, asked Ana’s friend, Naina.
‘Of course not, Naina! It is good to have someone who can help us in chores. We save time! Why?’
‘My sister-in-law, Gauri has come for a vacation to stay with us. She’s such an amazing cook. She has been cooking since two days while I go to work—after lending her hand in the basic chores, of course. I come back, we have dinner and we then keep gossiping all night. Yesterday, since it was a weekend, Gauri planned to cook a fancy dish and asked my husband to get the ingredients and stuff. We were in the kitchen when Gauri told me to go and take care of rest of the pending chores while she managed the lunch. I then planned to do the dusting, mop, sweep, do the laundry, and clean the washroom while she cooks. I also planned to do the dishes after we all have lunch. Husband came and asked Gauri where I was. I could hear them talking from the washroom though. Here’s what they said:
He asked, ‘Where is Naina?’
She said, ‘She is cleaning the washroom, brother.’
‘Why the hell is she cleaning washrooms? Why doesn’t she like to stay in the kitchen? Gauri, just ask her to get back in the kitchen and teach her some cooking and stuff. Why can’t she behave like a good woman? Why does she always have to avoid kitchen chores all the time?’
‘What’re you saying, bro? I only asked her to finish rest of the home chores. She anyway has been cooking every day. What’s wrong if I cook while she does other chores? She has been cleaning all day. You’re not helping her either. How much will she manage?’
‘Don’t disobey, Gauri. She should be doing all the cooking AND the home chores as well. She has to. And she should. Enough of her disobedience and misbehavior. I will have to take lessons and make her improve herself.’
‘What!? Improve? What problem does he have even though two women in the house are managing the home chores? And improve? What’s your place? A reformatory, Naina?’
‘That’s the problem, Ana. Doesn’t matter who the woman is—daughter or daughter-in-law—the men of this reformatory get to decide who will take care of which home chore and who won’t and how. Ironically, these are then same men who get their little egos hurt if they have to get a glass of water for themselves.’
Shines & Shadows 