Calm se kaam

Presenting The Antics Of Our Very Own Kaam Wali Bai

Arshya Gupta & Saanvi Vaish, AIS PV, X B

Despite all the ranting and heated arguments, one simply cannot manage without the beloved kaam wali bai. In case you are looking for one, here are some profiles you might want to consider browsing through.

PROFILE 1
T&C Applied
Objective: To work only for people who are ‘qualified’ as potential employers. Strengths: She’s skillful with her demands. They range from not working for more than six hours with a tea break every two hours  to a mandatory Holi and Diwali bonus. Also, every holiday on the calendar is a holiday for her too in addition to the essential Sunday off. Characteristic phrase: “Itne paise mein itna hi milega”

PROFILE 2
Gossip Girl
Objective: To acquaint you with all the juicy gossip of the neighbourhood.
Strengths: She is familiar with every strand of detail about the society residents, the recent happenings  in their lives along with that of their relatives. Even though her cellphone is busier than a PCO, she’s never available on the phone when you actually need her.
Characteristic phrase: “Aapne suna aaj Gupta ji ke upar rehne waale ki chhoti beti ne uss din kya kiya?!”

PROFILE 3
Strategic Didi
Objective: To develop new excuses and avoid the difficult part of her routine chores.
Strengths: Her brain works faster than an Intel processor for excuses when she gets caught in the act. She skillfully leaves the places which are invisible to broad daylight, unswept. But eventually, her strategies grow old and apparently blaming the sandstorm for every speck of dirt on the floor doesn’t work.
Characteristic phrase: “Arey memsaheb, main bass yeh saaf karne hi wali thi”
PROFILE 4
Drama Queen
Objective: Presenting every situation as if out of a daily soap, with of course, the unmistakable dramatic effect.
Strengths: Her Bollywood reference game is strong and she  knows the whole TV schedule by heart. With a wide assortment of exclamation marks and dramatic pauses, she can give you the most complicated answers to the simplest questions.
Characteristic phrase: “Haaye re Daiyya”, “Ram Ram” or “Haaye Bhagwaan!”

PROFILE 5
Vacation Hobbler
Objective: To extract a holiday out of every single six-pence of an occasion.
Strengths: She is also part time wedding organiser for all her family weddings and needs advance every other month for the supposed ‘preparations’. She’s got 99 problems but excuses ain’t one. Even has the ability of attending funerals of the same family member every month, who to no surprise, remains immortal. Her poor immunity system props up every week with  new ‘life-threatening’ diseases.
Characteristic phrase: ‘Ultiya’, ‘Kamar dard’ and ‘Paon main moch’.

Whichever is your pick, life is always full of colours, and sometimes they exist in the most unthinkable of  places - even in our beloved housemaids.

The fashion uprising 

An Evolution Of Fashion Trends Through The Eyes of War, Born Out Of Necessity

Aditi Suresh, AIS PV, XII

War is a time associated with armed conflict, rebellion and insurgency. The conventional stories heard during this time are of warfare and bloodshed, but the stories of women and their wardrobes sometimes, go unnoticed. We bring you stories from 20th century, when and where bequeathed amidst bloodshed and war, was style.

The revolution of new facades
Before World War I, makeup limited itself to actresses and street workers and was seen as a taboo. Until one fine day, when women had to fill in the shoes of their husbands and fathers and stepped out to work with regular everyday jobs. These hardworking women opened the doors of makeup for it helped them stay rooted to their femininity, while they took on masculine roles. When capitalists realised the significance of makeup in the lives of women, they gave rise to an entire industry and created brands like Maybelline and Rimmel. Initially what began as a way of upholding gender norms later became a symbol of patriotism and feminism, and eventually items in every woman’s handbag.
The revolution of haute couture
War meant liberation, and sometimes it was announced through fashion as well. As women were forced to take up jobs outside their homes, they were also forced to make another choice – that of their clothing. Stepping away from uncomfortable corsets, long and heavy skirts, they moved on to more practical and comfortable forms of clothing. As hemlines went up, ‘war crinoline’, which basically were calf-length skirts came into use. These skirts, a striking contrast to the full volume, feet covering skirts of the Victorian era gave birth to the popular slogan ‘The war is long, but skirts are short’.

The revolution of the trench coat
Before Burberry and Aquascutum went to their rescue with the trench, army personnel wore greatcoats made from heavy wool. Not only did these coats restrict movement, but also made it difficult for the soldiers to use their equipment. The arrival of trench coats was a saviour. They were often worn in the trenches, hence the name. They provided a lot of utility in just one piece of clothing – from being awfully light weight to being extremely spacious, whilst at the same time offering the much needed warmth in hostile climates. The trench, that made its debut in bloody battlefields, didn’t have to try hard before being featured on silverscreens and fashion runways. Today, after completing over a 100 years of its origin, it still manages to bring charm to any #OOTD.

The revolution of ‘short hair’ and light jewelry
During war, most women favoured neatly chopped hair as they were working and didn’t need their hair to become  a distraction. In France, this hairstyle came in vogue and was called ‘mode à la garçonne’, ie hairstyle of a man. Nurses and ambulance drivers were in great demand at the time and owing to the endless casualties of war, adopted this hairstyle to prevent hair infections. This later inspired bobbed and binge hairstyles. Misery has its own pros; it compels you to think on your feet and knock the door of innovation. The misery of war had similar effects. With scarce resources, buying jewelry was only a figment of imagination, which made people look in other directions. Paris came in limelight for its artistic use of shell fragments in making rings and bracelets. Funnily enough, the precious fashion jewelry used now dates back to these rough times.

The lessons learnt from war are not restricted to ruling lineages and their legacy; they are also about the trends that emerged from basic and practical clothing to statement makers on runways and the basis for perhaps, every piece of fabric that is worn today.