Of Maids and Ayahs- Seduction Coupled with Work

The concept of the Indian maid was introduced by the British rulers in India. Known as the Burra Sahibs the English kept a retinue of maids also known as Ayahs for their personal work in their house holds. Thus all sorts of work from cooking to helping in the upkeep of the house to baby sitting were carried out by these maids. As a rule most of the maids were from the lower castes and higher caste women rarely worked as maids.

Many a time the maids worked alone with the Goraji (white man) as the wives for long periods went away to their home in England. During the months of separation from their wives it was not uncommon for the sahibs to satisfy their carnal desires by sleeping with the maids. There is an excellent depiction of such a relationship in the Bollywood English film 'Before the Rains' starring Rahul Bose in 2007.

The English left India in 1947 but the maid culture stayed back and the affluent Indian noveau rich class took of from where the English had left. But the caste composition of the maids has not changed and the majority continues to be from the lower caste. But there is a change as now poor Muslims are also coming forward as maids.

Relationships of a sexual nature have also not abated and the lower cast maids are not averse to such a relationship in the hope of a better life and a chance to go up in the social ladder. Similarly a master may be on the look out for a comely maid young and pure fro his gratification.

A few years back a friend of mine a senior officer in the Army had kept a comely maid. Once he was away his son started a sexual relationship with the maid a 17 year old lithe girl. No one new about till accidently the officer returned home early and was face to face with reality of this affair. But this is not something uncommon and in a lot many cases the master of the house himself is not averse to bedding the house maid.

India is changing but this legacy of the English of maids also called ayahs in the local language lives on. With work difficult to get a maid can be available for a low price compared to the cost in the western world. Now the wheel has turned full circle and the maids are also 'exported' to Saudi Arabia and the gulf where they serve both purposes as house maids in the day and bed mates at night. But obviously the payments are much higher and a lot many opt to work in the gulf. But then there is also a dark side in the gulf where exploitation is rampant and there have been cases where the maid once hired has her passport taken away and is confined for years to the house.

But the maid has become a permanent fixture in India. Perhaps we should thank the English for this legacy.