In Gaya, my host family had a fourteen year old maid named Kanchan. She was very sweet but refused to believe that I couldn’t understand her when she spoke in Hindi. I asked my hostess if she went to school, and Dr. Mrs. Narayan said that she taught her at home, and was completely responsible for her, all the way until she got married. My hosts in Giridih encouraged one of their grown servants to complete his Indian equivalent of a GED, and told him that he had to send his daughters to school, too — not just his sons.I haven’t been in a house yet that doesn’t have servants. They’re not quite members of the family, but they have all been treated with respect and responsibility. Are you listening, John? Can you have people lined up to do my cleaning, laundry, and 7:30 a.m. bed tea making? (Of course, we’d have to pay them in rupees…)

– Arleen