Housemaids working in high-rise buildings revealed some startling truths about India's urban rich...
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00:00He says that this is not a service leap, this is a service leap
00:05When I came to work, he asked me why I didn't give him a pot
00:09I told him that I won't give him a pot, this is not my work
00:13They grind black chicken in front of our eyes
00:18But we don't even have an enemy
00:20He has money, he has a pot. He doesn't have money, he has no heart
00:50We were brought up in a small village in West Bengal
00:53We never thought that we would go to another village and work
00:58We never thought that we would go to another village and work
01:20Sisters go to different places and wear nice dresses
01:30We feel that we can do the same, we can go to big weddings
01:36We can wear such dresses and we feel good about it
01:40But we can't do that
01:42Our brothers don't let us do that, they feel bad
01:46We feel that we can speak in English, we are humans, we can do this
02:16And yet, they are one of the most vulnerable groups of people living amid and around us
02:22Without any law protecting them from abuse, exploitation and discrimination
02:27We are not allowed to get out of the lift
02:35Because the lift gets full
02:38Sometimes the maids leave the lift
02:42The maids leave the lift
02:45We are objected to that in the office
02:48My only question is that
02:50When we go to cook at home, we are the ones who touch the food
02:55Why don't they let us get out of the lift?
03:07We met a few of Milam Didi's friends while they were taking a break after their day's work
03:13After 5 minutes of their break, they started talking
03:17What did they say?
03:21When I came here for the first time, I was told that I should wash the bathroom with soap
03:28One day, I washed the tiles with water
03:32The next day, when I came to work, they asked me why I didn't wash the pots
03:37I told them that I won't wash the pots, it's not my job
03:41They didn't even pay me for the work that I did for a day
03:44When I work, I take a few days off
03:48If I take 3 days off, I don't get paid
03:53I don't get paid for taking days off
03:55But I don't take days off because I am sick
03:58I don't take days off out of compulsion
04:00But I still get paid for that
04:03I get paid Rs. 2000
04:05If I take Rs. 500 from that, what will happen to me?
04:09I work for free
04:11They never ask me to work for free
04:14They never ask me to take Rs. 10
04:16When they give me a massage, they give me Rs. 200-250 in an hour
04:21They give me a free massage
04:23I don't pay them
04:25If I take a day off, they give me Rs. 200
04:28Is there any respect in this work?
04:30There is no respect in this work
04:34You said it right
04:36Everyone says that this work is good
04:39There is no value in this work
04:41Go to your own house and call yourself a king
04:45I work all day hungry
04:47They never ask me to have a cup of tea
04:49In front of my eyes, I look like a chicken leg
04:55But I don't have even a drop of water
04:57There is a lot of money
05:00There is no respect in this work
05:03Those who have money, they get paid
05:06Those who don't have money, they don't get paid
05:09Not just class and caste bias
05:12Discrimination on religious lines is also rampant in elite homes
05:16If I go out to talk, they say that they want Hindus, not Muslims
05:21What do you say to them?
05:23It's okay
05:25If I become a Muslim, I will change their caste
05:30That's what I say
05:32That's all I say
05:34What else can I say?
05:42How important is their work for us?
05:45It's very important for me
05:47Because I am a working woman
05:49It's very important for me
05:51I can't spend a day without them
05:53I don't know how to manage
05:55We need them as much as they need us
05:58As an employer, we need to be aware that they are humans
06:02They have their lives just like us
06:05They are also struggling to make their ends meet
06:08We need to take care of them
06:12Whether they are getting proper leave or not
06:15We feel bad when we are denied leave
06:18Similarly, we need to develop an understanding towards them
06:21We need to help them
06:25Milind didi is a mother of four
06:28And after finishing her day's work of cleaning, cooking, dusting in other people's homes
06:33She goes back to her home to do exactly the same things again
06:39On one of the days, I accompanied her after her first shift of work got done
06:48What all household chores do you have to take care of?
06:51I have to take care of all the household chores
06:54I have to do all the household chores
06:57A boy might need to do the marketing
07:02But he doesn't have time
07:05So, I have to do everything myself
07:08Don't you feel tired?
07:10Yes, I do feel tired sometimes
07:13When I feel very tired, I don't go to the gym
07:21Otherwise, I have to take medicines
07:28Look at me
07:31Wow!
07:33Look at me
07:35Look at me
07:37Look at me
07:39Look at me
07:41I have only one dream
07:43I want my children to study well and become successful
07:51This is my dream