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          Imperceptibly though a new class of people is being added to the social structure. It is visible only in urban middle and upper middle class households.
Jhee, if this scribe is not mistaken, in Bangla means daughter. The term once assumed a derogatory meaning. The housemaids were once known as 'Jhees'. It is no more so. One cannot address the housemaids as Jhees anymore. There will be open rebellion if one ever attempts to do so. The term Jhee widely used for maid servant was replaced by a more respectable word 'Bua'. This was used for middle-aged and older ladies working in various households. There is a generation gap now. The younger girls have replaced the older women.
The older women have been laid-off, some of course have been retained. The pay, perk and other facilities for the present generation of housemaids are much higher and fairly fat.
First, one cannot call the present generation of housemaids either as 'Jhee' or 'Bua'. You must address them by their name.
They must be allowed to watch TV according to their choice without any interruption. They would not conceal their annoyance, if they are not allowed to do so. Some households have separate TV sets for them. They must be given off-time between lunch time and time for afternoon tea. They are all bilingual. Their proficiency in Hindi is amazing.
They must be allowed to receive personal telephone calls after 10 pm when the masters of the house have retired to bed. The phone calls are after from their suitors.
They are free to use fans (even air-conditioner is provided in some households). They sleep well past eight in the morning.
They would wear dress matching the current trend. Although, they still do not go to parlours, their hair-do is as trendy as the ladies in the house. They would not accept, even resent, dress made of coarse materials. There are households were everything is left to the responsibility of the housemaids, often with disastrous consequences.
They demand, 'dissert' (for dessert) after dinner. They have become a part of family life in urban areas. It will be an engrossing issue for the sociologists to work on.