Three Women

Three women were enjoying coffee at the coffee table in the kitchen of the youngest woman , Ishita a software engineer married for 6 months...... It was a saturday evening and Ishita was looking forward to this day as she had planned to spend the weekend along with other two women, one her mom, Shubhangi, Prof of chemistry and her Mom's Mom (Nani), who had been a home maker all her life but very alert and aware and well informed .

Shubhangi asked her daughter, ” Ishi, What would you like to have for tomorrow's b'fast? What does Abhijeet like?” Abhijeet, Ishi's husband was also a software engineer, was yet to be back from his work.

“Oh , Do not worry Mom, Sunday B'fast is Abhi's tension. He will fix it.” Ishita said.

“What? Then what do you do?” Nani asked her surprisingly.

“Oh Nani, I have to get up early and leave for the office 2 hrs before him on weekdays. So he makes sure I get my morning sleep on Sundays” Ishita smiled and explained her Nani.

“How thoughtful and understanding!” Shubhangi's chest swelled with the pride for her son-in- law.

“I had to cook both the b'fast and lunch for the entire family single handedly, before I left for the college” Shubhangi remembered the days when she had just joined as a lecturer in the science college.

“Ma, why didn't you ever insist that Dad helps you in the kitchen ?” Ishita asked , who had seen her mom slogging for her and her brother be it their school meetings, cooking and her own job.

Shubhangi took a sip and said “Getting your Dad to make a cup of tea was far more difficult than fixing a breakfast for four of us. The spilled milk, asking 100 questions like where is sugar, how much to be put.....and all....So I just became faster than a robot, doing everything by myself” Shubhangi smiled and ruffled her daughter's hair lovingly and said, “You are lucky beta, this new gen husbands understand and help a lot. Isn't it?”

“Oh yes, Mom but I call it sharing of the jobs. Don't I earn too? But we hardly get time to spend with each other, we are so exhausted everyday, and stick to laptop on the weekends, as we both want to achieve more.” said Ishita matter-of-factly.

“We never faced any such problem in our times.” said Nani who was quietly hearing the conversation going on between the daughter and the mother . Our roles were fixed and jobs were decided....and probably we got enough time for each other in spite of having no gadgets and machines to do household chores!!

“So it was my generation who suffered the most , We had a job and still slogged at home too. May be it was a transition period, when men were learning to live with the working women....and they learnt it just the half way through.....only up to the salary , I guess” , Shubhangi said.

“ Yes , but Ma and Nani, we , today's gen put our foot down. As we can do every that thing that a man can do and I just can not take things lying low.” said Ishita and poured some more coffee for herself and continued, “Tell me Nani, Is there any job that we can not do? We even take pains to deliver the baby.”

Nani watched her face, smiled and said, “ Yes beta, as an intellectual human being, a man and a woman , both are equal....but nature has its own definition. I know women take a lot of pains to deliver a baby, but I really do not understand , why to make such an ado about it? Nature has made both man and a woman with significant characters to each and  added extra emotions, feelings and tenderness to the woman so that she can nurture.”,  Nani  paused and took a deep breath.

Ishita and Shubhangi were listening to her sincerely and remained quiet expecting more coming from her, “Well, tell me dear, whenever there is an unfortunate incident of death even in the neighborhood, does ever a man go to his wife and say, “Now I have helped you in the household chores, you go for the funeral. Never, it is always a man's shoulder to carry many such uncalled responsibilities.”

“Of course this example may sound quiet weired.....but I just want to point out, that men too do their part and are learning to do what their kind did not do earlier like rearing the children or cooking....May be Shubhangi's gen did suffer ....but Ishita, you should be happy about yourself, and learn some time management, to be with each other. So, tomorrow's breakfast will be from Nani to all of you, even Shubhangi will enjoy her morning sleep !” - Nani concluded and got up to keep her cup in the sink.

Both Shubhagi and Ishita kept looking at her back, while she walked away, straight and smart at this age of 70.

“But, Nani what about the financial independence? Like me and mom have our own salary cheques. You never thought so?” Ishita asked.

“Well, in our time our husbands never claimed anything as their salary cheques, still if they ever got difficult , ......” , Nani winked at her grand daughter and said ....“ We had our ways!”