Odd takes all of Laundry

Well that’s a heart –rending 20th century, when everybody is trying out their hands on some amazing gadgets from a 2 year kid to 80 year old, with some incredible innovation going across, it still answers as “yes” to the question if Laundry /household chores are the tasks of women? Well that’s the ugliness of mind-set in lovely Indians even today. I do acknowledge the fact that I was born in a typical family with a “gender equality” outlook ,where I did see my dad & uncle working in kitchen to clean the dishes ,leave Laundry ,which seemed to be their favourite time pass twice a week;) ,but the surroundings differed drastically from our family . I could always see aunties in neighbourhood brushing thoroughly kids dresses, ironing them, polishing their shoes, cleaning the house.

What we wish to achieve is Gender Equality; Men can do the laundry, they can even cook, they can stay at home & nurture the babies, who say’s they can’t? Women can pay for their bills, they can propose a boy, they can be CEO of a company, they can go all in Olympics & be what a man can be…It’s just a matter & game of mind-set & willingness to opt for feminine role & excel in it 🙂 .Women are not born working their house hold chores but they are trained, so can men get trained, if their parents wish to make them master of all instead of feeding them till throat & asking them to relax & gain kilos ;)!

Well for me, my man has been a boon in life. Looking at my tight schedule ,juggling between house sold chores to managing 1.5year kid to working out everything on my job ,I’ve always found him besides me. Yes ,he has shared an “Odd-Even calendar” when it comes to laundry ,not regularly but whenever we feel it is comfortable or on weekends. All thanks to Ariel Matic in this direction who are not only promoting Men to do the laundry & share the load but even a scoop of this detergent makes you happy & boast of good deed . It’s been so rare of me doing the laundry now a days, just close to once a month. Men are great managers, when left completely to them, they manage things beautifully & same has been my case. Instead of sorting by “n” categories (formal /casuals/bed-sheets/white clothes/Kids clothes) & making laundry a painful task, my better half made his own segregation definition. I see machine running twice a week & there remains no pile of dirty clothes, all come out shining with their original colours. No harshness & all freshness! Yes that’s the new Laundry regime in our house! Guys believe on me, that gives a women ample support to develop the skills she had lost due to house hold chores burdened heavily on her. It gives her ample space to nurturing her thoughts ,to re-live the moments she wish to & the most important ,some time when she can relax & be just herself! Family support ensures equal division of work, more of quality time amongst all which will always strengthen the bond of the family ,double up the love in life time relationships! That’s the importance of #SharingTheLoad.

So guys, isn’t it a perfect time to break upon all the deeply rooted stereotypes in our minds? If women can multitask & excel in all fields why can’t these gentlemen prove & have a sense of sharing the load? Leave the older generation who won’t agree & arrest all our thoughts of seeing their boys work, but don’t leave them in blind fold with these “labels”. It’s our moral responsibility to inculcate these values in our kids minds right from the beginning.

Kids learn & do what they see, so be a role model to them, give them the right values of “Gender Equality” ,make them hands on to do laundry when you are occupied, let your boys clean their dishes only , let them tidy their rooms ,make them a responsible citizen of a growing nation. Let them not take the bun , sit & relax but ask them to share the pie.

I’m damn sure we all have watched the below mentioned Ariel video on TV as well as on you tube multiple times ,a lovely video which makes us realize of our responsibility!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xogBz71IHAo

I am taking part in the #LaundryGoesOddEven Challenge by Ariel India at BlogAdda.’

 

 

 

 

Hyderabadi Biryani -With secret spices!!

“What ..How can you expect my son to help you out in kitchen. He is the king of home. He’ll just sit back ,relax & enjoy his life.. It’s you who ought to do your daily chores & keep your men happy!!

A distressed Sonia on hearing out these words went back to complete her routine life ,a life which starts with giving her better half, Kareem & in-laws a cup of bed tea ,cleaning the house ,preparing breakfast for them ,serving them hot breakfast & then it’s when she gets time to take breakfast herself. But not in a relaxed manner. It’s hardly 10-15 minutes time as here comes the voice.. Do remember you need to wash the clothes & then prepare sumptuous lunch for us on time!! It had just been 3 months of her marriage & she was completely exhausted .

Oh. What the hell. Am I a work Machine? Don’t I want some special time for myself? Am I not a human & don’t have the right to sit back & relax like Kareem? Why is this male dominated society so self centric? Why are these men not so poignant? Will a small helping hand at cleaning the dining table or washing the clothes not lower down her pressure & she may attribute more time towards her family, a quality time to look at some creativity she has within?

Half day passed on with such thoughts lingering her minds ,when she finally got an hour to relax .Switching between the TV channels restlessly ,she broke into laugh ,when her restless mind saw something unusual…A lovely narration of #Sharing the Load …Instantly she hopped ,pounced ,sat back & started hearing to the poetic lines —

My Better Half, is my best half,

He loves to make me merrier,

He loves encouraging my creativity,

He loves “my quality” time,

He loves my social indulgence,

He loves my poignancy,

He loves discussing matters with me,

& all this is feasible as,

[ “Soniya couldn’t resist…Tring Tring..Tring..Yes soniya, What’s up ?Kareem ,hear out something unusual on the TV & believe me your mind will be forced to accept the truth ,stand for it .But Soniya ,what is it all about? Kareem for just 15 minutes, quietly sit in a closed room & watch…Beep…Beep”]

He is there to give me morning tea, while I’m high time with my kitchen spree,

He is there to cut my veggie, while I’m hunting after our kidzee ,

He is there to clean the dust, while I’m cooking lunch at my best,

He is there to do the laundry, while I binge on the utensils cleaning & drying,

While I pounce on fresh veggies, he is there to catch on Fruits ,

Be it night ,be it day, Be it hot ,be it cold, Be it Rainy ,Be it Dry,

Be it alone, Be it in family,

He is there for me in every need, every pain..

Just to give my life a beautiful name… With #Sharetheload

[Huh!! What was Soniya pointing at? What a home it would have been, where all members do the work equally…How & why had I closed my eyes & mind towards her pain? I took so many vows with her. Why have I left her in a lurch? It had been very mean of me..I’ll apologize, for sure …]

“Tring Tring..Hey mom!! Give receiver to Soniya Pls..Kareem Baba, you are aware that at this time she is busy preparing snacks & tea for us, I cannot ask her to leave it & have a lovely gala time with you!

Mom, pleading..Just once…Here came Soniya with a hiding smile..Yes Kareem, I’m there to listen to voice, I’m there to listen to your Orders..

Soniya ,No…Pls I apologize ,I heard ,I thought ,I co-related & I felt your pain terribly..You will no longer face all this, as I’ll be there for you from today itself..Hung up!

Couldn’t believe her ears …Will have to wait & watch, just then door bell rang.Kareem..So early ..Yes dear, I’m there to cook special Hyderabadi Biryani for you today…”[And the secret Spices were that of Love ,Care & respect for Soniya]

Tears fell from her eyes ,with a heavy heart ,Kareem & Soniya hugged each other & again vowed for a new start!

From that day till today ,Kareem has held Soniya’s hand to make their struggling house a beautiful home ,to part away their miserable lives with enchanting ways ,they watch movie every week & dance together every night !

Such a bliss has their life become ,Soniya’s Treasure Hunt “Smile” has become an all time “Shine”. Every minute is a rejoicing moment whether they are working separately or together!!

Well ,It would have had been such a lovely family ,if all Indians would have come out of the mental blocks & recommended the #ShareTheLoad initiative. But still behind in the society in many towns & cities ,many such Soniya’s reside ,for whom this is a brilliant initiative taken by Ariel.

Me, a working mother living in a nuclear family has seen ample of challenges with respect to prioritizing house chores or Managing office work ,there has been many moments wherein you have in-laws & relatives coming over to spend a quality time & then it becomes a task to manage but with support ,its so easy to manage!

Well, every female including Soniya deserves a partner/household who is there to share her load physically as well as emotionally. With the changing times, when women is multi-tasking, when she has started ruling corporate life, there has to be an environment of equality within the household, be it a nuclear or a joint family.

My better half #SharetheLoad 🙂

Sharing the load is not just between a husband & wife ,rather it is between a family ,every member of the family ,It is the very beginning for the foundation of a happy home ,a basic seed which grows into the tree of care ,love & mutual respect .Be it Joint or Nuclear family ,all basic chores as Cleaning ,washing ,grocery ,Kids need to be divided amongst the couples/members basis the time & life style.

All these acts need to be mutually decided & carried on with a consistent “SMILE” which would ease up the load of life & make it more enjoying!!Such a house would definitely be called a “Paradise on earth” ,wherein the space is occupied by “Love” , “care” , “Compassion” & is devoid of “Rude” , “Jealousy”, “Self Centric” !! Let’s enliven our HOMES:)

“I am writing for the #ShareTheLoad activity at BlogAdda.com in association with Ariel.”