Shocked and Angry

An incident that brought out much anger and frustration.... and guess sadness.

Yesterday morning, Laxmibai, my cook comes up to me with "अम्मा, मैं आप से कुछ पूछथि, आप ग़ुस्सा मथ हो . मुझे तीन लाख रुपये चाहिए." ('ll ask you something, don't get angry.....I need three lakhs)

I'm like "three lakhs! that's a lot of money....are you building a house?"

No......it is for my son getting a job. There is this person we know, who said he would get him a job if he could give three lakhs. Bade log maangre bola, isiliye jyaada hai (People in the company are asking for the money, and that's why it's high). 

And she said "I have a little land in the village, I will show you the papers, I will keep that as girvi (mortgage), I also have a little jewellery, I will keep that also as girvi".

I was stunned, and needless to say shocked. I've read about these things happening, but to see it first hand, and to see that she was willing to put aside everything she had....it made my insides churn.

I sat her down. Told her it's not about whether I will give, that we'll discuss later...... and tried telling her how jobs don't come like that, and how these are hoaxes and how there's no guarantees, and how she could be tying up the next twenty years of her life on a chance that's likely false.

I can only hope she understood.

Evening, when I'm telling Diksha about it, she comes up with something more tangible than my shocked reaction. She says "ma, ask her to bring her son, you explain to him....if possible help him with the process of finding a job, that will be a surer way of ensuring she doesn't mortgage her life away".

Thanks Deech, and hoping it works.....