A WIFE IN INDIA

King Country Chronicle, Volume XXXII, Issue 4638, 11 May 1938, Page 8

A WIFE IN INDIA

HOUSEKEEPING PROBLEMS. The following contributed to the Mjelbourne Age by an Australian wife residing in India:— When I first came as a young bride to the East I was bewildered at the strange and different methods of housekeeping adopted by the memsahibs here. For a time I simply could not reconcile myself to them, and it was no !- for a number of years that at last, instead of mastering them, I fell into the habit, born in the East, of allowing them to master me instead. Sooner or later nine out of every ten women that is, white women—bow to the inevitable out here, and eventually take the line of least resistance.

Nothing else is possible. The very fact of keeping a number of servants,, out of all proportion to those kept at home in Australia upon the same salary, in itself kills any ambition and initiative a woman may possess in matters of housekeeping. Should one feel inclined to dabble in a little cooking on one's own, the khansamah (cook) immediately feels .offended at one encroaching upon his own special domain; and though, of course, it is possible to insist, and have one's own way in the matter, the price to be paid is only black looks, unwilling assistance, and in many cases subtle, but nevertheless certain, means oi contriving that one's effort turns out a complete failure, which has the desired effect (from the cook's point c-i' view) of keeping .one out of his kitchen on all future occasions. Eventually one reaches the conclusion that the satisfaction —or rather the lack of it —obtained is not worth the inconvenience and the time and trouble spent.

The perfect khansamah does not exist, but the rare exceptions to the rule do very nearly approach it, and a good khansamah is worth his weight in goM. After a long succession of good, bad and indifferent cooks, I concluded that the worst faults of the many were dishonesty, slovenliness, extravagance, dirtiness either in their work or appearance, and in a number of cases addiction to either drink or drugs of the country. If one man happened to be an excellent cook, it transpired that he was wickedly extravagant, or else blatantly dishonest. If one happened upon an honest and willing man (most house servants are men), he was practically always an indifferent culinary expert. Finally, I was lucky enough to get a man who was honest and dependable, though no genius at other than plain cooking, but during the five years he has since worked for me he has added considerably to his knowledge and skill, and is now a most excellent servant.

I was surprised at first to find in my explorations into housekeeping that milk was sold by the pound, and cream by the ounce, instead of by liquid measure, as in Australia. Then, most household stores, such as sugar, rice, flour, meat, potatoes, etc., were sold by the "seer," which is equivalent to two pounds avoirdupois. Fruit is also sold mostly by weight, excepting bananas. Laundry work is much simpler in the East than at home. One does not need tubs, coppers, clothes lines, irons, fii-ing, etc., for the "dhobi" (laundryman) calls every week, or oftener if desired, and collects the whole of the laundry for the family and household, takes it away, washes, irons, starches, etc., and brings everything back the following week, or sooner if needed, spick, span and spotless. The laundry for a household of four people which may include the daily washing for a baby, costs from six rupees (about nine shillings) to ten rupees (fifteen shillings) per month, according to different localities, the scarcity or otherwise of water being taken into account. This amount includes in the ! laundry such articles as blankets, rugs, carpets, and, in fact, anything that is at all washable. The indoor work of the bungalow is done by the sweeper and "bearer.'' The sweeper, who is the lowest menial of the household staff, attends to the work of the bathrooms (the flush system is rare excepting in wealthy homes or large cities), does all the sweeping, cleaning out and preparing of fires, etc., heating water for the baths, cleaning shoes, and all the lesser odd jobs. The bearer attends ] to all dusting, serving meals, going errands and such like. Many small families employ a cookbearer, who combines the duties of both in a small household.

Should one possess a garden, and most Indian bungalows have a large compound, then a "mali" (gardener) is employed. These men, as a rule, are most patient and persevering creatures, and have a genuine love for flowers and all growing things. Their work at times is arduous, for where the compound is large, and there is no water laid on, which is not infrequent, the water must be carried everywhere by hand. Such a thing as a hose is seldom seen, and it is even more rare to encounter a lawn

mower of any kind. The grass is then cut by hand with a small hand sickle, a lengthy and tedious job. In many places where the bugalow has no water laid on, the household supplies have,to be carried by a servant, who is called a "bheesti." He carries the water in a goat skin (prolific breeding ground for germs, this), called a "mussack." The daily watersupplies are stored in large galvanised tubs.