RIP: Devaki

I am still shocked by what I heard – Devaki was killed while attempting to cross the Sultan Qaboos highway near the Honda round about. She was hit by a brand new BMW.

That was a foolhardy thing to do – trying to cross a double carriageway where vehicles are hurtling past at speeds of over 120 kms. But then that was Devaki, this is just the sort of thing she would do.

Newspapers did not report her death. Such news is normally not reported. And then she was an Indian housemaid. That makes it even less likely that the news would be reported. Indians and housemaids seem to be expendable.

Devaki’s was a hard life. She was thrown out of her marital house one rainy night with her infant daughter. Her maternal home did not offer much succor so she left her small child behind and went to Qatar to work as a maid. She was there for 13 years. In all those years she only left the employers house to go to the airport or come to the house from the airport.

In the meantime she shifted her daughter to a boarding school where the young girl studied well and was a favorite amongst the nuns that ran the place.

Devaki came to Oman and then bought herself a ‘free visa’. She worked here for some 8 years. Last year she got her daughter over to Oman for a holiday.

In honour of the visit, Devaki moved to a self contained apartment and for the 3 months her daughter was here, pampered the girl. Made her drink milk and bought her chocolates and cake and biryani everyday. Those were possibly the happiest days of her life.

After completing her graduation, the daughter got a postgraduate degree in education. She just landed a job and was asking her mother to come back to India. Role reversal, the daughter said she would take care of the mother now onwards.

My heart aches for the young girl who never really knew a mother’s love even when the mother was alive. My heart breaks for Devaki who struggled all her life.

May Devaki’s soul rest in peace. And may her spirit guide the young daughter and help to fill the young girl’s life with hope and love and happiness.