An excellent tribute to
all House Wives and particularly to Indian Housewives.
Ode to the
Indian Housewife (written in prose!!)
An article was
recently in circulation that had appeared in The Hindu Newspaper on the
Marriage Caterers and how they could be an apt case study for the IIMs on
their excellent Management skills.
Just like
Businesses calls for qualified IIMs and the like for running the show, has
anyone thought of Home Management particularly of a
traditional Indian household ?
Has anyone
thought of the Conventional middle-class Indian Housewife? Is she
not the best Manager that could ever have set foot on this earth - in real
life???
Is ever
get thought of or appreciated ? She is the "unsung
heroine", her services always taken for granted.
Although many
are of the opinion that women are relegated to mundane household functions, has
anyone ever thought of the activities that she carries out 24 x 7?
Most
management skills that are taught of which the IIMs boast and for which
they are highly paid, are also essential for running a traditional home.
The Indian
traditional middle-class housewife is the CEO here.
The husband
is mostly a (literally) sleeping partner - only financing the
requirements. He comes into the picture mostly as a Consultant or
for major Project Planning needs like Purchasing a house or for
children's marriage.
Let us look
at some major skill sets:
Planning:
The housewife
plans all daily/weekly/monthly/yearly actions for the benefit of the
household / her family
All her
plans are her "MIND" - mind that.
Forget a
Business's Annual Plans and Long Range Plans - everything relating to the
future requirement of the family is already well thought out in her mind
and she goes about executing it with her meagre resources,
including all course corrections.
Organising:
She is the
best organiser that you could ever come across not only for the day to day
cores for her and her family, but also for the future actions
Directing:
She directs
all actions relating to the household every day
Staffing:
Whether she
has servants or not, whether other family members help her or not. whether
her finances would help her have additional hands or not, all daily needs of
the househild are met without fail - thanks to her.
Co-Ordinating:
She is the
main center-pin for coordinating for all the actions of the family - for
getting things done, for complaints resolution etc. Everything/everyone
revolves round her.
Controls:
Very rarely
does the husband ever know or get involved in controlling things at home - it
is the wife who is the monarch of all that she surveys - directly or indirectly
Time
Management:
She could
probably be the best Time Manager. Her duty hours are 24 x 7 all the year
round life long. She does not get Casual Leave or Sick Leave or Annual
Leave nor does she get paid for Overtime.
Budgeting:
She manages
the finances, all the expenses ensures that the monthly requirements are
met. Whatever her husband gives her, she manages the entire show within that.
She also creates reserves for the future major expenses like
education/marriage/medical etc
Man
Management:
Every
housewife could be an example of an excellent Man Manager - she has to
tolerate her husband and his office worries that he carries home, her
children's problems, her inlaws' etc., resolving all issues without any
demur and to the satisfaction of all.
She could
beat any HR Manager hands down in Human Relations
Sense of
belonging:
Who can ever
dispute her selfless dedication to the well being of her family ? She is
"there" always partaking in everything whether it be happiness
or sorrow.
Love and
compassion:
Who can ever
dispute the love and compassion that she showers on her family. Her shoulders
are always available for all the family members to lean on. She is the best
solace be it for the children or the husband.
Kitchen:
Mother's
cooking is the best - isn't it ??
She knows the
likes and dislikes of everyone and satisfies one and all. She meets
surprise demands of visitors/guest as well.
With whatever
is available within her resources/budget she meets all demands, the best Works
Manger you could come across.
Her
Inventories which include many pershables are always well controlled. She does
not know ABC Analysis or EOQ or JIT.
Most family
members do not even know what is in the kitchen.
Quality:
Her food is
always appreciated for taste and rarely does she waste or produce
rejects.
Shee
maintains the entire house very well and in an orderly fashion.
Has she
undergone any special training on TQM or Six Sigma or 5S or qualified for
ISO or other Management concepts?
Different
Caps:
She has to
wear different caps for different roles that she plays every day from morning
to night:
As a family
member - as a daughter ( daughter-in-law), as a wife to her husband, as a
mother to her children, as the housewife to meet all her daily cores etc.
As the CEO,
as a Works Manager, as a Works Manager, as a Materials Manager, as a HR
Manager, as an Admin Head, as a Quality Head, etc etc.
Whatever be
her woes she rarely exhibits them - probably her only solace is the Puja room!
Education:
Most earlier
housewives never got the so-called Degrees - She probably could never go
to a Bank or a Post Office or use a computer . ..
So what
- her deeds are far far greater - her Universal Knowledge is far far
superior
The typical
Indian Housewife not only manages the household exceptionally well, she
also brings up her children as good citizens inculcating all good values, see
to it that they settle properly in life and above all ,continues to
serve one and all for ever in life, tirelessly without a
demur.
The greatest
thing about her is that her actions are never for "Returns"
except that she longs and prays for the well-being of everyone
- to be Healthy and Happy in Life.
....... This
list is never ending.
I may further add that this is applicable even more
to our Indian Wives who are in USA / Canada / European Countries.
In these countries they have to work much Harder than
India. No maids and No Drivers available unlike India.
Sent by MG
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