Her multitasking always amazed me, especially when it came to chemistry. It was 8 in the morning. In the kitchen, my wife was checking the viscosity of sambar, the solubility of chutney and the permeability of coffee, all at the same time. The huge number of multi-sized, multi-label bottles and cans on the shelf in front of her looked like a 17th century alchemist lab with containers of different shapes and sizes labelled in Hebrew and Arabic.
Hebrew and Arabic you can learn, but here it was a different challenge. The Horlicks bottle contained chilli powder, the Bournvita tin, salt, while the oats tin had turmeric. I won't be surprised if the rat poison cover had pickles in it. But even without the blink of an eye she confidently opens a container labelled Britannia biscuit, puts a little masala powder in one of the cookers, and puts it off. No watch for time, no weighing scales to go by.
But then suddenly, there was this call from the department of physics. The milkman has come. Without a lactometer, she predicted that the milk had the required specific gravity deemed fit for human consumption, adult, paediatric and our pet cat included. The simultaneous arrival of the old newspaperwallah needed supervision in the weights and measures department, which she did with the accuracy eligible to earn ISO certification.
Within the next 20 minutes, she noted that the particulate matter in tap water was alarmingly high (to me it seemed usual) and made sure that no one used it for drinking. By noon, she discovered an unusual biological phenomenon of slowing of the movement of our goldfish in our jerrycan-sized aquarium and predicted that the prognosis was poor.
With my postgraduate degree in medicine, I did not find the fish too abnormal but uttered a “yes-yes,” more to avoid an argument than anything else.
By six in the evening, the goldfish had died. She followed the exact norms of environmental safety in the disposal of the mortal remains with necessary prayers — for a new brand of fish food, identifying the cause of death confidently without autopsy. The arrival of the gardeners made her take critical decisions in agriculture, on which manure would suit the mango tree better. And the financial wizard happily manages to run the home with a fiscal deficit starting by the end of third week of every month!
It is said management skills go beyond what you are taught in the B schools. However top grade they are, you need some special senses. I agree.
Even if my salary check lies deep in my hospital coat pocket she smells it out by the time I park the car. Phenomenal, I say. Isn't it? Surprising that with all these qualifications, a working hour from 6 a.m. till 11 p.m., and on call 24 hours a day, housewives are still considered unemployed and have no organised trade union.
Today is the era of re-designation, where the department heads have become directors, managers rechristened as chairmen and owners as CEOs. Without call for a strike the good old, young at heart, housewife has been elevated a homemaker. Does she want more?
(The writer is Head, Department of Cardiology, PRS Hospital, Thiruvananthapuram. tinynair@gmail.com)
Keywords: housewives, homemakers, multitasking women
We donot call them housewives but elevated them to a more respectable position of Home-Minister with added portfolio of Finance Ministery also. Moreover it is much better to live as their subject and enjoy life; this is a secret that I learned in 45 years of successful married life happily. God bless the newly married couples.
Dear ..Dr.Tinynair...Really Awesome ....
Words are not enough to explain house wives values.You have lifted
their spirits to a higher level
Your appreciation regarding house wives must have definitively
triggered the hearts of many.
Well done doctor.You have treated the hearts of many..
Fantastic read...i was laughing my guts out, as i am able to relate to it so much and moreover while i was reading, i thought of all the housewives aka homemakers in my family..and the immediate thought was fantastic...the fact that they are still working with the same zest for years together and always giving...never asking anything in return...Respect!>
My salute to all homemakers. Please take a bow!
A very good read. Thanks Dr. Nair. I think its time home science is
given its due....
Really good.....
housemakers rock!!
Apart from the language, I didnt find this article hilarious or thought provoking. Not sure why the author is glorifying the role so much.
The houswife hereprobably has a lot of potential. But she's not contributing anything to the society or economy. What a waste of resource and productivity?
They are the C.E.Os of the family and if the woman is also employed, how
do you call it.Better a compiliation of their activities and an analysis of it
would unravel new concepts of management too
When the food is ready on the table and we sit and consume it, do we
think about the labour behind the arrangement ? A lady if she is
working outside and looking after everything at home, it is really
incredibly heavy multitask. If she is not working outside and if
children are schooling, she has plenty of work However we very
rarely realize the amount of tension and hard work behind an orderly
atmosphere in a home.
Wonderful .... ie the TRUTH .....Thank you sir for this article
Actually all Housewives are the real MBA holders ( as they know how to manage things nicely in our house with out any fail) . i too used to think about my mom the way she manages her time and work so all ammas knows all those concepts of management .
Time Managment
Team Management
Cost Management etc....... LOve you Amma
No patronising please. It does'nt help. Start sharing responsibilities
and give more time and space to the so called 'housewives' to develop
themselves as individuals.
Too Good and worth this be part of School English Curriculum, ppl can remember for years like the "Uncle Podger Hangs a Picture".
Dr. Tiny Nair's article is hilarious. Even though it is a well known fact that house wives face so many challenges everyday without complaining about it, this article was a fresh take on the situation. I had never imagined the physics, chemistry, medicine aspect of the house hold chores! We often fail to appreciate the hard work and dedication they put in their work. As pointed out clearly, they won't get promotions, salary hike and they can't change the company!! So at least we should learn to appreciate their many talents and intelligence and treat them great respect. Thanks for the wonderful article.
House wives are Home makers! It is not enough to say that but to recognize and keep reminding every married man in the country! But why the rate of divorce is increasing if this is required by either? Division of labour has always been the hall mark of Indian society;but forgotten over the years and neglected in the recent times imitating western culture! House wives or homemakers always had a prestigious position in Indian ethos! They also strike work,beware! They have a right to,no?
Awesome it is .....happy that there are people who notice all these things rather than being selfish and call themeselves that they work more tiringly and happy that you have written it Daringly....Cherrsss...Housewives definately rockkkkkk!!!!!.....
Thank you,Dr.Nair,for appreciating the skills of a housewife - skills
which are rarely recognised or understood or appreciated.May your tribe
increase.
Totally Agree; But am not sure what do you mean by the last line "Does she want more? "??
Well said and they deserve all the praise, even better would be a
helping hand from their husbands.
FANTABULOUS!!! housewives rock!!..
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