Mumbai domestic worker’s English message to employer sparks online debate
A domestic worker’s message to her employer is winning hearts on social media for its near-perfect use of the English language
A domestic worker’s message to her employer is winning hearts on social media for its near-perfect use of the English language. X user Richa, whose bio states she is a resident of Mumbai, shared a screenshot of the message she received from her maid – and it has quickly garnered half a million views on the social media platform.
In the WhatsApp message, the domestic worker informed Richa that she and her sister would be taking the day off from work tomorrow.
“Didi this is madhuri we forgot to informe that we are not coming we are taking holiday tomorrow [sic],” the domestic worker wrote.
Sharing the screenshot on X, Richa wrote: “My maid is succha cutie”.
(Also read: Bengaluru mom defends viral video of domestic worker’s son eating on floor: ‘Doesn’t need your pity’)
The English language is often seen as a marker of class and education in India. Perhaps that is why social media users were surprised to see a domestic worker texting her employer in English.
Lack of punctuation and minor spelling mistakes aside, the domestic worker’s use of English to text her employer, along with her politeness, won her many fans.
How social media reacted
“Itni achi english toh mujhe b ni aati (Even I don’t know so much English),” wrote one X user.
“Maid knowing that much English is an amazing event,” another wrote. One person quipped about having a job for the worker.
However, not all the comments were complimentary. Some people objected to the employer’s use of the word “maid”, while others used the screenshot to reflect on India’s social problems.
“I'm not sure what to worry about more, the fact that some of my colleagues don't know even this much English, or the fact that India fails to provide enough job opportunities for people who are at least good at basic level English resulting in them taking up the jobs as maids,” X user Prakash said.
“Am I being too woke, or should the word ‘maid’ be completely removed from the dictionary? Use house help,” another suggested.
Some raised doubts about the authenticity of the message. “No Indian maid is ever gonna introduce herself with the phrase ‘this is …’. Do better,” one X user claimed.
