Rosie

Everyday when I walk down the lane in my apartment complex, I see kids waiting for the school bus. [I know, I have been through all that torture and I still have to get up at that unearthly hour and go to work :(] There are multiple age groups of kids , the just-turned-teens who look like a cross between adults (the way they dress and try to project themselves) and themselves (its the face that gives it away, they still have innocence writ all over it) . I guess I could pick up some fashion sense from them at least ;) Well, instead of going off on another tangent again, let me get back to what I started out with.
Of all these kids, there is one kid that stands out, for I always see her mother waiting with her, she always has her arm around her daughter and they always seem to have some joke going on and the laughter fills the air. There is nothing unique about them, the kid looks like all the others around her, the mom too looks like just another face in the crowd.Today morning, I left home later than usual (ok, all of 20 minutes late!) , was closing the balcony door when I saw the mom hurrying across the lawn to get to the bus stand.She had worn an uniform that looked like that of the house-help that we generally see on tv. The first thing I thought of was Rosie(from Will and Grace) and it made me smile automatically. Then, I thought of her daughter and wondered what she must be going on in her head everyday as she packs her daughter off to school.
I hope she gets to be all educated and get a 'good' job which will be more satisfying that what I am doing. Probably.
Then , I realised that there were so many times I laughed at Karen's jokes about getting Rosie to do some huge task and then paying her a pittance that too only if asked to. It seems so funny on tv, but if we saw Rosie at home , trying to get her children to a decent school or trying to make ends meet we probably would curse Karen.
The nice thing here though is that the girl is an equal amongst the others that she is going to school with. That's the biggest difference in educational institutes that I have known and those out here. Here, every child living in a county has a government school to go to with no charges. The images the word 'Government school' brings up in our minds are no comparison to the schools they have out here.I have never known of any maid servant's children going to anything other than a government school back home. I have probably never even travelled with them in the same vehicle.
I remember my mom once trying to tell me why my grandfather had problems adjusting to the 'Harijans' are equals and can travel in the same bus that you can. I was surprised that my grandfather, the real grandfather types - you know, jolly and knows all the people in the whole town, could have had 'caste' feelings. My mom had a grand time trying to convince me that it was part of how you were brought up, to think that there were out-castes and you were a level above them, so changing something so deeply routed is harder.When I was adamant, she said, Lets say u were travelling in a bus (local BMTC) and Mary(our maidservant) gets on and sits next to u. What would you do ?
The automatic answer was What difference does it make ? I know her. but after a second, I realised that I may not be comfortable ( well, I knew that she had her bath only once a week or something) . But the point was I felt since she was a servant, I know she wasn't really clean , not because she was a servant , but because she never bothered about things like that. and my mom was like "Are you sure its only because of that?" I obviously wont have a problem travelling with her , theoretically, I knew for sure.
but some day, few years later, I was zooming on my bike and I saw her walking down the road(she had stopped working for us) , and I actually stopped and gave her a lift. Well, practically too I dint have a problem, but the day my mom asked me , a doubt creeped into my head , that said , it is easier to say you have to do the right thing, but if u have to do it , can you.
Anyways, back to present day. I guess I'll see the mother-daughter tomorrow again laughing carefree till the daughter is in the bus at least :)