India’s masters suffer the ‘Downton’ effect

Servants are beginning to realise what their place could be, says Ranjani Iyer Mohanty

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On a recent overseas flight, I had the chance to see several episodes of the famed British television series Downton Abbey . As I watched pre-dinner drinks being served, I realised that the English 1910s master-servant relationship portrayed on the show is reminiscent of 1990s India. Both seemed to be eras when masters and servants still lived together peacefully – with masters magnanimously waiting to be served and servants grateful for the chance to do so.

In 1990s India, for a monthly salary of Rs2000 ($36) plus room and board, one could get a live-in maid who was basically on call 24/7. Like the Dowager Countess on Downton Abbey, the Indian maid too may well have asked, “What is a weekend?”

Today, however, the Indian domestic labour market is undergoing a quiet but noticeable change: the servants no longer want to serve. First, they would rather work part-time than live-in. Second, they are asking for more money. Third, even when offered four times what they were making in the 1990s, they soon want to leave.

The reason seems obvious. Due to the past 20 years of economic reform and growth in India, people who work as servants now have other opportunities. They can work at the multitude of offices, shopping malls, hair salons and restaurants that have sprung up across the country, even if just as cleaning staff. They can work a limited number of hours and therefore have a personal life. They can earn more money and afford better things for their families. And, most importantly, they can have a sense of professionalism and self-respect. Of course, the rise of Dalit politicians – led by Kumari Mayawati and arguing the rights of the “backward classes” – may also be supplying inspiration.

With India’s ancient caste system, there has always been a ready-made servants class just waiting to be used. Accustomed to unquestioning and long-lasting loyalty from their domestic help over the ages, many people (OK, the masters) now complain that servants don’t know their place any more. In fact, the trouble may be that servants are just beginning to realise what their place – or places – could be.

From their point of view, servants have heard of India’s tremendous growth, they have watched their masters’ increasing and often conspicuous wealth, and they have seen shiny new products advertised on TV. They too have dreams for their children, and these do not involve washing someone else’s dishes. And so, in most instances, they quietly leave the domestic labour market for greener pastures. But sometimes, the departure is violent: there are cases reported in the newspapers daily of live-in housekeepers who have killed their employers (usually elderly), stolen their money and run away.

We’re now in the middle of the transition. But while the servants may be ready for the change, the masters are not. We need them more than they need us.

India still does not have all the modern conveniences of the west or a reliable working infrastructure. Milk has to be boiled to ensure that it is safe to drink. Water has to be purified before it can be drunk. There is no formal refuse pick-up system. Electricity outages are common so inverters and generators need to be managed. Water supply is not consistent so water needs to be stored, pumps need to be turned on and sometimes water tankers called. And something is always in need of repair. On top of all that, of course, there are the factors of laziness and superiority. How nice – and princely – to be handed that drink without having to get out of your chair.

Some masters, though, sensing the winds of change, are increasing the salaries of their servants and helping them do things they could not manage by themselves – such as getting their children into good schools, providing them with healthcare and filling out forms to open their bank accounts and get identity cards.

At last, masters are trying to please the servants and their relationship is less top-down. Cora Crawley asks her mother-in-law: “Are we friends, then?” The Dowager Countess replies: “We are allies, my dear, which can be a good deal more effective.” In the same way, masters and servants work better together.

While Downton Abbey’s future lies in maintaining that old world for its audiences, ours lies in moving ahead. Not being able to find a full-time live-in servant is a sign of upward social mobility of the lower classes and therefore a good thing. Even if we have to get our own drink.