I worked at the sewing factory for 2 to 3 years. I worked at engineering factory for a longer time, and used to go to Seacroft. I used to wake up at 4 o’clock, and worked in the 6 to 2, and 2 to 10 shifts. For 8 to 10 years.

Then my husband wouldn’t like it if I was at work all the time. So, I reduced my work and eventually ceased altogether. My son is a lawyer. Since he’s already working, I don’t need to work any longer. My son looks after the both of us.

I get to spend so much time with everyone. It has been over 20 years that I’ve been part of this Vandan Group. A centre running upstairs, and I also used to visit this centre. This one runs on Wednesdays by Kusumben. But you know, I’ve look after my family in addition to the kitchen and the baby. So, then I stopped coming on Wednesdays. It was not convenient for me; ultimately, I would have to rush from one place to another.

Then I’m supposed to go to my child…well, that would be managed by the child-minder on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and the good thing is that my son handles that, and he lives nearby.

That’s why my son spends most of his day here looking after his father. And when he receives a call from the hospital, he must rush on the spot, regardless of the time.

Often, he tells me at the oddest of times that he needs to go to the hospital. That day both of my sons had to leave at 8pm and returned late at 1am. Naturally, if they visit the casualty, it would take a lot of time. If the condition is not stable, they have no choice but to go.

My son helps a lot with the baby. He manages everything with the doctor, the hospital, the medicines, the GP and what not…and that makes everything so easy. Ultimately, if the health is not up to the mark, what’s the benefit in all of this?

And it is something that must be done. We get to maintain our health in the midst of all of this. And it is such a delight to come here and meet everything. It gives us a reason to activate our bodies, exercise and enjoy our time.

It's been a long time since we visited India, and this is the very reason. I’ve visited India 2-3 times when my parents were alive. My mother used to be unwell. Now there’s no reason to visit. My brother lives there but then I have to look after my husband and my grandchildren. I cannot leave them alone.

My daughter-in-law is also quite alright. They both work and keep busy, and they manage to strike a balance between work and home. Tomorrow they’ll be working on-site. Sometimes they work at home too due to the Corona situation.