Latest news with #NainaPathak
NDTV
31-07-2025
- Business
- NDTV
Woman's Post On Chennai Vs Delhi Maids' Work Ethic Draws Backlash: "Biased And Irrelevant"
A LinkedIn post comparing the work ethic of domestic help in Chennai and Delhi ignited a heated online debate. In the post, Naina Pathak, who moved to Delhi after living in Chennai for four years, claimed that maids in Chennai displayed greater professionalism and ambition. In contrast, she described maids in Delhi as frequently taking unannounced leaves, offering excuses, being sensitive to feedback, and reacting negatively to suggestions of salary cuts. "In Chennai, whether it was professionals or household help, I saw sincerity. My maid started her day at 6:30 AM, worked in 5–6 houses till 1 PM, and then joined an MNC from 2 PM to 9 PM for cleaning. On weekends, she'd take up extra work — tailoring, garland-making — to earn more and give her children a better life. What amazed me was their honesty. On day one, she told me: 'I'll take two fixed leaves. If I take more, cut my salary.' No drama — just accountability," Ms Pathal wrote. " But then I moved to Delhi. In just one year, I hired six maids. Despite getting the salary they asked for, there were constant unannounced leaves. When questioned, I got excuses — 'someone died,' 'I fainted,' 'a relative is in hospital.' It became routine. Forget saying 'cut salary' — here, even suggesting it offends them. Boundaries turn you into the villain. Even accepting leftover food was an issue, often rejected with ego. That's when I started wondering: What's different?", she added. She attributed these differences to a broader "mindset and ambition" gap between the two regions. She further noted that many domestic workers, despite lacking formal education, speak English with confidence, prioritise time, and aspire for a better future. Meanwhile, some in the North seem content with surviving on subsidies like cheap rice and dal, lacking ambition. "This is not about North vs. South. It's about how values, systems, and environment shape people. Where work is respected, people thrive. Where support replaces ambition, growth stops. It's time we rethink our approach — not just as citizens, but as a society. Government aid is important, but when it replaces ambition, the whole system suffers," she concluded her post. The post divided opinions. Some supported her observations, noting cultural and economic factors influencing work attitudes, while others criticised her for generalising and stereotyping, arguing that individual experiences vary and such comparisons fuel regional biases. Some also pointed out that Delhi's urban pressures and diverse migrant workforce might contribute to the perceived differences, rather than inherent regional traits. One user wrote, "What's the purpose of this post? Apart from being hugely problematic. Firstly, why should anyone be expected to accept leftover food? You realise how entitled and wrong that is, right, Naina Pathak? Secondly, why are we dissecting our house-helps on this forum, where they have no voice or opportunity to share their side of the story? Thirdly, house-helps in India, south-north-east-west, are mostly exploited. How are we empowering them? Now that can be an ethical post." Another commented, "I found workplace culture in Chennai far more progressive and constructive than anything in northern part. There is a stark difference and that shows also why many giants across the world have South Indian CEO , Chief Architect , Head Of IT , etc." A third said, "I think it depends upon person to person. When I stayed in Bangalore we had a maid who used to lift money from my wallet. I got to know much later when one day she emptied my wallet. In Delhi our maid gave us 500 Rs note lying under the sofa and is very kind and punctual. It is not good to generalise. You could have just shared your experience rather than generalizing." A fourth simply said, "Such a #biased & #irrelevant post for LinkedIn."
News18
30-07-2025
- Business
- News18
‘Someone Died, I Fainted': Post Reveals How Domestic Help Excuses Vary In Delhi And Chennai
Last Updated: A woman described how her years in the South and the North helped her notice sharp differences in work culture, especially among domestic workers. An Indian woman shared an insightful post on LinkedIn after living in two different cities—Chennai and Delhi. Her experiences highlighted how workplace habits, attitudes and approaches to responsibility can vary significantly depending on the region. In a LinkedIn post titled 'What a Tale of Two Regions Taught Me About Work Ethic and Social Mindset," Naina Pathak described how her years in the South and the North helped her notice sharp differences in work culture, especially among domestic workers. In Chennai, what stood out to her was the sincerity of people, not just among professionals, but also household help. According to Naina, her house help would start working at 6:30 AM in the morning, go through 5–6 houses by 1 PM and then report to an MNC from 2 PM to 9 PM for cleaning. On weekends, she did additional jobs like tailoring and making garlands to increase her income and support her children's future. 'On day one, she told me: 'I'll take two fixed leaves. If I take more, cut my salary," No drama — just accountability," she said. There was also a deep respect for food. Once, when some leftovers were thrown away, the house help said, 'Akka, if you can't finish something, give it to us. Don't throw it away." 'That respect for food and values stayed with me," Naina noted. Delhi: 'Missed Days And Unclear Lines" When Naina moved to Delhi, the contrast was clear. She mentioned that she had to hire six different house helps in just one year. 'Despite getting the salary they asked for, there were constant unannounced leaves. When questioned, I got excuses — 'someone died," 'I fainted," 'a relative is in the hospital." It became routine," she continued. And unlike in Chennai, here, even bringing up the idea of salary cuts caused offence. 'Boundaries turn you into the villain," she wrote. 'Even accepting leftover food was an issue, often rejected with ego," she added. A Difference In Mindset After living in both regions, Naina began noticing that the core difference was not in effort alone but in 'mindset and ambition." 'In the South, many domestic workers, even without education, speak broken but confident English, value time, and dream of a better future," she observed. In the North, the focus seemed more on survival, 'seem unwilling to rise above the 'garibi Rekha"," according to her. 'With free rations like Rs 1 rice and dal, survival is covered — but dreams are sidelined. Education is often a means to mid-day meals, not growth," she added. And despite language being a barrier in the South, she found communication respectful. In Delhi, even without a language gap, she experienced 'ego and resistance." Not A Comparison Naina made it clear that her experience wasn't about comparing regions; it was about understanding how people respond to their surroundings. 'Where work is respected, people thrive. Where support replaces ambition, growth stops," she wrote. In conclusion, Naina mentioned, 'It's time we rethink our approach — not just as citizens, but as a society. Government aid is important, but when it replaces ambition, the whole system suffers." But Naina's Post Didn't Land The Same Way For Everyone One user commented, 'Maids rejecting the leftover food is an assertion of their self-respect. You should appreciate it rather than expecting them to be submissive." Another said, 'This feels considerably shortsighted, Naina. Framing the 'good" domestic worker as someone who agrees to salary cuts for extra leave or gratefully accepts leftover food just trivialises the profession altogether. Why is it too much to expect self-respect across all professions?" 'What's the purpose of this post, really? Apart from being hugely problematic. Firstly, why should anyone be expected to accept leftover food? You realise how entitled and wrong that is, right Naina Pathak?" someone questioned. Meanwhile, an individual agreed with her, writing, 'I too endorse work culture cutting across all strata is far superior in south! Period." Naina's post touched upon one of the country's most complex and ongoing debates about the divide between North and South mindsets. About the Author Buzz Staff A team of writers at bring you stories on what's creating the buzz on the Internet while exploring science, cricket, tech, gender, Bollywood, and culture. News18's viral page features trending stories, videos, and memes, covering quirky incidents, social media buzz from india and around the world, Also Download the News18 App to stay updated! tags : Chennai delhi viral news view comments Location : Delhi, India, India First Published: July 30, 2025, 09:09 IST News viral 'Someone Died, I Fainted': Post Reveals How Domestic Help Excuses Vary In Delhi And Chennai Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Mint
28-07-2025
- Business
- Mint
Woman notes ‘stark difference in work ethic' of domestic help in Chennai & Delhi, ignites another North vs South debate
A north Indian woman who recently shifted to Delhi after living in Chennai for four years noted a 'stark difference' in the work ethic and mindset of people, especially domestic help, in the two regions. In a lengthy LinkedIn post, Naina Pathak shared 'what a tale of two regions taught her about work ethic and social mindset'. Naina said that after living for almost four years in Chennai and then spending a year in Delhi, she witnessed better professionalism in the southern city than in the national capital. 'In Chennai, whether it was professionals or household help, I saw sincerity,' Naina said. She shared that her maid in Chennai would start her day at 6:30 AM, work at 5–6 houses until 1 PM, and then join an MNC for cleaning from 2 PM to 9 PM. On weekends, she'd take up extra work, such as tailoring and garland-making, to earn more and give her children a better life. 'What amazed me was their honesty. On day one, she told me: 'I'll take two fixed leaves. If I take more, cut my salary.' No drama — just accountability,' Naina wrote. She said that when she ever wasted food unintentionally, her househelp in Chennai would politely ask her to give it to her instead of throwing it away, as respect for food. 'Once, when I wasted some food unintentionally, she gently said, 'Akka, if you can't finish something, give it to us. Don't throw it away.' That respect for food and values stayed with me,' Naina shared. Naina noted that after moving to Delhi, she has hired six maids in just one year. 'Despite getting the salary they asked for, there were constant unannounced leaves,' she said, adding that they also had excuses ready when questioned. 'I got excuses — 'someone died,' 'I fainted,' 'a relative is in hospital.' It became routine,' Naina wrote. She also noted that the househelps in Delhi get offended by the mere suggestion of a cut salary and reject leftovers. 'Forget saying 'cut salary' — here, even suggesting it offends them. Boundaries turn you into the villain. Even accepting leftover food was an issue, often rejected with ego,' she shared. After observing closely, Naina said she realised that the real difference was the 'mindset and ambition' of people in these regions. 'In the South, many domestic workers — even without education — speak broken but confident English, value time, and dream of a better future,' she said. 'In contrast, in the North, some seem unwilling to rise above the 'garibi rekha.' With free rations like ₹ 1 rice and dal, survival is covered — but dreams are sidelined. Education is often a means to mid-day meals, not growth,' she added. Naina also noted that despite language barriers, communication was respectful in the South. However, in the North, with no language gap, she often faced ego and resistance. Naina claimed that her post wasn't a North vs South rant but 'about how values, systems, and environment shape people.' 'Where work is respected, people thrive. Where support replaces ambition, growth stops,' she added. However, social media users felt differently and said that she was wrong to compare. 'This feels considerably shortsighted,' a user said. 'Framing the 'good' domestic worker as someone who agrees to salary cuts for extra leave or gratefully accepts leftover food just trivialises the profession altogether. Why is it too much to expect self-respect across all professions?' he said justifying his comment. 'Domestic work is still work - it deserves dignity, fair boundaries, and wages that aren't subject to casual penalties. Comparing two regions by reducing their workers to who is more 'compliant' is problematic,' the user added. He also slammed the AI-generated imagery she used alongside her post, saying it 'only adds to the tastelessness of that framing.' 'There's a bigger conversation to be had about systems, opportunity, and social equity - but it needs to be had without romanticising deference or penalising self-respect,' the user added. This comes at a time when hundreds of domestic workers and sanitation staff have left Gurugram, fearing police checks and detention. This sudden exit has severely disrupted waste collection. Garbage has been piling up on streets while door-to-door waste collection systems have literally collapsed.
