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It isn't easy to opt out of the rat race. The daily grind, the commute to and back from office, the perks and pay cheque, and lastly, the comfort of monotony, all of these are too hard to give up for most people. But some of us do give up, and opt for a different way of life. A life, where we choose how much and what work we do. Where we can balance our homes and family life with the need to prove ourselves professionally. We opt to freelance or work-from-home or work part-time.   It is not easy, trust me, to say no to lucrative jobs that demand you to be in office from 9 to 6 or more. Where you are expected to regularly travel for work and report to office on weekends. You know you have to take a call. Do you want the fat pay cheque, the regular increments and promotions, the steady rise to the top on the corporate ladder? Or do you want to spend time savouring moments of togetherness with your loved ones? Do you wish to spend the best part of your your life attending busine...

Homemakers in India are controlled by only one entity -  the kaamwali bai or the ubiquitous housemaid. India happens to be one country where manual domestic helps still run the show, unlike western countries where every chore is done through automation. We still prefer to be dependent on the daily help who comes for an hour or so, and mops, cleans and washes with machine-like efficiency. Some lucky, or unlucky ones, as you look at it, have cooks too, who come and do the cooking. And mothers of very young children, and conversely, children of very old people, have ayahs who assist in managing the babies and the infirm. I am sure that if these people stopped coming to our houses one fine day, our households would come to a standstill. In that way, you could say, they are the backbone of our domestic life. Our homes are spic and span, and we can go about our business with a free mind because of these people. Every housewife's ultimate nightmare is the moment she hears those dre...