This Women’s Day, meet Shanti, the woman who makes so many lives easier even though hers is anything but.
Every day, without fail, Shanti arrives to work at our home. She sweeps the floors, cleans the furniture, washes vessels and basically keeps our home looking lovely. She does not come at a fixed time but we know she will always show up.
Through illness, debt, family crises… and even through the unimaginable loss of her 12-year-old daughter just 10 months ago, Shanti has never stayed away from work for more than two weeks.
Fifteen days after her daughter passed, she picked up her dupatta, wiped her face and returned.
When I asked Shanti why she never allows herself to stop, she doesn’t dramatise it.
“Ghar mein kuch bhi hota hai… aana padta hai Didi. Majboori hai (No matter what is happening in my house, I have to work. I have no choice).”
There is no anger in her voice, just acceptance carved through years of struggle.
Over a decade ago, she came from her village with a simple hope, a better life for her family. But fate had other plans.
Her youngest child, her son, was born with autism and has special needs. His therapy costs Rs 1,300 per session, an amount that can paralyse lower middle class families.
Due to financial crisis, Shanti had to stop her son’s therapy for some time. But the doctor insisted that he needs therapy if there’s any hope of him leading a ‘normal’ life.
“Aaj bhi udhar gayi thi… thoda discount maangne (I went there today too to request for a discount),” she says.
Her husband (who works at a restaurant) and she collectively earn Rs 18,000 per month. From that amount, Rs 8,000 goes straight to rent. The rest disappears instantly into medicines, school fees, food; there's nothing left for anything extra.
Her dreams for her son are simple.
“Uske liye sab kuch chahiye Didi… doctor bol rahe bada kaafi kaam hai. Kaam karna padega (I want everything for him… the doctors say there’s a lot to be done. I have to keep working).”
She wants him to learn, to get therapy, to stand on his own feet one day.
“Usko haath se khaana khilana padta hai. Hamesha toh main nahi rahugi na uske liye. Bas woh khud ka kaam kar paaye, khud khaana kha sake itna chahiye (I have to feed him with my hands. I won’t always be there for him. I just want him to be able to do his own work, eat on his own).”
Shanti’s day starts at 9 am when she goes to drop her son at school. She then goes to other houses for work. At 1 pm she goes home to make lunch and picks her son up from school by 3 pm. After that, she again goes to houses for work and reaches home late in the evening. When she’s at work, her neighbours look after her son.
We see Shanti sweeping floors, dusting shelves, washing vessels. What we don’t see is the grief she carries, the debts she negotiates, the therapy centre trips she takes, the strength she gathers every morning and the dreams she keeps alive.
We don’t see the hero home workers become to survive.
This Women’s Day, do also celebrate the Shantis of India, the women who wake up and choose strength because there is no other choice. The ones who carry families forward on broken backs and burning hearts. The ones who lose children and still show up for the world. The ones who don’t call themselves heroes but absolutely are.
Shanti doesn’t want applause. She only wants her son to grow up fine.
“Bas mera beta theek ho jaye, Didi… aur kya chahiye (If my son becomes okay… what more do I need?)”
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