Did we say it was a Monday?

Champa, our maid, simply ordered us to remain seated in the bed so that she can mop the floor without all of us flopping around. I do not know if maids elsewhere have the same habit of either talking to themselves or addressing someone throughout the process of their sweeping and mopping. In India, they do. Particularly if you have hired a Bengali housemaid, DBS comes as part of the package, whether you asked for it or not (for the uninitiated, DBS is Daily Broadcasting Service that doles out essentially unconnected news, randomized depending on the mood of the broadcaster, and aired whether listeners are tuned in or out). Today the broadcast was about mothering children in the 'modern, tech savvy world'.

And, as is perhaps typical of every mother, she complained about her fourteen year old son's addiction to smart phones. 'Chapat, chapat (indicating the key pad beeps his phone makes), chapat , chapat, all the time'.

'You know, he kept asking me every five minutes "mom, has it become alright?" throughout the other day when his phone had some glitch and I had given it for servicing. Till it came back, every five minutes it was "mom, mom and mom". Now that it is back, for the past two days, mom simply doesn't exist'.

The half hearted way in which she made the complaint brought smiles on our face. It was wonderful to feel the pride that her son was tech savvy and the 'loss' of attention he gave her before the smart phone arrived perfectly balanced in her tone. But that was not all.

Addressing my niece sitting on the edge of the bed, Champa continued.

'Look at my daughters. Twenty four hours (round the clock) it is cartoons and more cartoons on the TV. It is as though movies and other soap opera do not exist. Walking into my own house, do you know how I feel? As though I am a cartoon myself.'

I just couldn't stop myself. My niece was actually trying to avoid Champa's gaze. Giggling happily at the niece's cost, I told  Champa that she should repeat the last dialogue to my niece's mom.

'Why?'

'Because you are telling this to a person whose mom feels exactly the same way you feel about cartoons on TV' I said.

'Ooi, maa' she exclaimed the way only a Bengali can. 'Look at who I am complaining to'.

By then, the entire household was laughing. Can you ask for a better start on a Monday, I wonder.