Househelp's request

"Madam can you lend me some money?" My house help Shanta asked me with a very polite tone.
"How much do you need?" I asked her. It was the month of May. I assumed that she wanted to go to her native place. She wanted to take something with her to be given to the relatives and that is why she wanted some money. Maybe she will ask for 1000 or 2000 rupees. I would pay her advance salary that way.
"I need 20000 rupees", said Shanta in equally polite tone. As if it is a simple favour that she is asking me.
"Shanta is my last name Ambani? It is not. I do not have that kind of money with me. I am not that wealthy that I would immediately have 20000 rupees with me. It is not a small amount. Besides why do you need 20000 all of a sudden?" Of course 20000 was a big amount even for someone who works in the corporate. It was important to know why did she require so much of money.
"Madam I thought you would understand," she was still calm. 20000 was not a joke. It is a huge amount. My monthly groceries and my other expenses do not even amount to 20000 rupees. The way she was asking it as if she is asking for a chocolate.
"I do not understand Shanta. It is a big amount. I don't have it and I won't be able to give you so much," I said in a stern voice.
"How much can you give me?" She was persistent.
"2000 maximum," I replied with a firm tone.
"And when will you pay me the remaining 18000 madam?" The audacity of this woman.
"Do you think I am a bank Shanta? As I said I do not have that much of money. And I am not going to pay you that much of money. I am paying you 2000 as your advance salary so we will adjusted in the upcoming months," I was shocked at how can she even think that asking for 20000 was fair request.
"Madam this is for my family's wellbeing," said Shanta.
" 20000 is completely out of question. Whatever be the reason maximum I can give you is 2000. Either take it or leave it. Besides you haven't even told me why do you need so much of money. Have you started gambling Shanta?", I had to start somewhere.
"No madam it is not that," Shanta told me.
"This conversation is going nowhere. I don't have so much of time to ask you again and again. Come in the evening and take Rs 2000 as your advance salary. That is it." I told her and started working.
Shanta had not left my house yet. She was still standing in the same place holding the same posture. She was neither speaking not moving.
"Madam please pay me just one time," she pleaded this time.
"Shanta you do not want to understand what I have said 10 times earlier. I will give you 2000 rupees as your advance salary not even a single rupee more than that," by this time I was furious. I have already wasted 30 minutes of my precious time on a conversation which was going in circles.
Shanta wiped her eyes and said, "My father had a stroke two days ago. He is right now in the hospital. My brother and sister do not have much of money. I have already sent them 5000 for the treatment. He will need to be in the hospital for at least one more week. I need money for his treatment."
So that was the reason. I empathized with her situation. I had a relative who also got stroke and was paralyzed. Yet the money was still out of question.
I said," in that case I will give you 5000. I cannot help you anything more than that. My budget is tight too".
"Thank you so much madam. This will help us" Shanta smiled a bit.

I gave her 5000 and she left shortly after. Few minutes later my phone rang. It was a neighbour from upstairs. She asked me, "did Shanta take any money from you?"
I said, " yes I give her 5000 for her father's treatment. Why what happened?"
"It's she still there? I wanted to tell her that I have found an NGO who would raise some funds for her." The neighbor said.
"That is amazing. It will definitely help her financial crisis," I said. So finally the problem was sorted.

I hung up the phone and the doorbell rang. Shanta was at the door smiling. She said to me, " madam thank you for your help. Joshi Madam spoke with the NGO and had arranged some funding for me. I came back to return the money." Santa handed over the cash to me.
"No you keep it just in case something else comes up, " I said.
"No Madam they are going to cover everything. Thank you so much for being so generous." She returned the money and left.

This made me realised that how honest she was. She could have kept the money and later would have returned it to me. Or she could have even kept the money and told me that it was spent in the treatment. But she did not do that. That showed the honesty and integrity. She was needy but not greedy.

This was another beautiful angle of the people of Mumbai. Integrity is in their blood. Honesty runs deep. That is something keeps the heartbeat of the city alive.