The spring cleaning had turned out to be a very long process for Bani. As instructed by her mother-in-law, she had to get to every corner of the house before Baisakhi, the Indian festival that celebrates a good spring harvest. So, firstly, she cleaned the kitchen; every utensil, every shelf, every box of masala. Next came the living rooms. Then, the mirrors and every other surface in the house got a solid wash and wipe as did the ten fans. The gadgets also got their servicing done. Bani did all the house work while attending to her professional engagements.
This spring cleaning was done every year, but it was especially important this year because her family was going to have guests during Baisakhi. And yet, Bani felt deprived of the joy that the spic and span house was supposed to bring. Surely it wasn’t that she couldn’t feel happy. In fact, she was looking forward to meeting the guests. But she simply couldn’t shake off how tired she was. Every night for three whole weeks, she plopped on her bed and slept out of exhaustion. There was very little she had the time for, other than the cleaning, so she forgot to buy that beautiful skirt she had been eyeing. Putting her desire aside, she made do with a lovely but old lehenga for the get together.
Soon the day arrived and the guests came and had a great time. But while her husband and rest of the family enjoyed wholeheartedly, Bani was busy overthinking. Was the house looking good? Would the elders of the family point out to something out of place? Was her work showing, at least to someone? She ran around, serving delicacies and chatting everyone up, but her mind kept her anxious.
By the end of the week, Bani realised the collective answer to her questions was a no. It all went gloriously well, but her hard work hadn’t been mentioned even once. That all this additional cleaning came from her time and energy yet the tiniest of acknowledgements didn’t come from anyone.
A few days later, her son rushed towards her from the school bus. Bani smiled at his unbridled excitement.
“Ma, see what I got you, a star sticker!”
Bani stared at the tiny golden sticker in disbelief.
She knew little stickers of stars were given to students in her kid’s school when they did something well. Bani let him paste the sticker on her hand. “But why am I getting a star?” she asked.
“You did a good job, Ma. You cleaned the whole house and everyone had a good time! So, I asked my teacher to give you a star,” he said, very matter-of-factly.
For the first time in weeks, Bani gave out a big laugh. She knew she had finally been appreciated, and with such child-like sincerity. More importantly, her work had been recognised by a child, who would one day be a part of this country’s future—a future where every effort would be equally acknowledged.
Bani suddenly felt light and happy from the very core of her being. “Let’s go home and celebrate my sticker by eating some sweets, little one!” she declared.