Exploitation - Home Style

Communists often attack capitalists that they exploit the labour for their selfish ends. The capitalists also do not lag behind. They say that the word "proletarianism" which is the watch word of communists, is in fact a myth.

 I complain against both the communists and the capitalist. The two groups which practice divergent political theories forget the exploitation of labour at home. Home is the place where all the political theories converge when it comes to exploitation of labour at home. At home it is often the lady of the domestic empire who exploits the poor man who bravely calls himself the "master of the home" of course in the lady's absence.

 The exploitation of labour is subtle and an iota of evidence could not be found to prove it in the International Court of Justice at Prague!
 While I leave for office, my wife orders me, "Dear, fetch me a good book on recipes from Lata when you return."

 Lata was my colleague's wife and their house is just half mile away. My wife can herself walk to Lata's and get any book she wanted. Since the road was recently declared one way traffic, I had to take a circuitous route while returning home to do my wife's bidding. Isn't it a clear case of exploitation of labour at home?

 Now a days the children are very intelligent. When they see the empress of the house order me about as if I were her page, they will take the cue. My two sons are the first and second in command to her.

 On any evening if I happen to return home early and recline on the easy chair, with the evening daily in hand, either of them command, "dad, could you please go to "uncle Murthy's and get me Sravan's algebra text book?" Before I could reply, the younger one joins in, "dad, tomorrow I have unit test in English, Don't forget to get Kishan's English reader." I pooled up some courage and asked them, "sons, can't you yourselves go and get the books you want?" Before my sons replied, the queen of the house yells from the kitchen," our children are busy with their lessons. So you better go and get the books they wanted. Your news paper can wait."

 During the cold war in the 1970s, America was afraid of the small country Cuba because the giant Soviet Union was behind her. So I have to think twice before I could venture a 'no' to my chidren's command.

 Unfortunately, this exploitation of labour does not stop at home. It spreads to neighbourhood too. On a Sunday morning, when I start for the wholesale vegetable market, my neighbour greets me with a broad grin, "Raju," he says, his grin becoming even broader, "it seems you're going to buy vegetable, would you mind getting me five kilos of potatoes, two kilos of onions and one kilo of garlic?" Before I could utter any word either in the affirmative or in the negative, he thrusts a big bag into my hands.

 Wise men say that if something is unavoidable, it must be loved so that it gradually appears to be normal and good. Though I did not observe any penance at Gaya under the shade of a peepul tree as Buddha the great had done, yet, wisdom dawned on me; I began to love 'home work,' I mean 'exploitation of work - home style. And now, with a light heart, I am  ever ready to do any bidding by not only my wife, but by any neighbour. It is up to them to summon me.