Digital Girls

“Hey! Aarti, what are you doing? You are always with your mobile”! Vimla elbowed her.Meetu when are you going for your next work? Come let’s sit here for a while.

Aarti, Vimla and Meetu went to the society’s park and made themselves comfortable on a bench.

“Aarti! Don’t you think we need to do something? Yaar! With so little money there is always a shortage at my home. Both of us work very hard. My husband and I do everything for our children. Yet, I need to work even more”. Vimla said in a tense tone.

“That’s true”! Admitted Aarti.

“Hey, Meetu! What’s up? How is your life? You are the youngest among us. How many houses do you go for cooking? One of the ladies from the next block was praising your cooking”. Vimla said smilingly.
Arrey! I am looking at all this. It’s a Facebook page opened by my brother and his friend. They have joined their hands to cook a variety of dishes and post them on their Facebook page. They take orders for cooking also on that page. Isn’t it fantastic”?
“Oh! It’s great”! Said Vimla.
“Hey! I have got an idea! Can’t we also start our business and sell through fb page. ” Vimla asked

Meetu frowned. She was surprised at this suggestion. “How didi”?

“Let’s plan. We can if we are determined. Our household problem will be solved too”. Said Aarti.

“Yes! We can manufacture some handicrafts after our working hours. We can craft whatever we know. Then we will post the pics of the items on the fb page. Let’s see if we get any orders. I will ask Geeta and Damayanti too”.

“But what can we make Vimla”? Asked Aarti.
“I can make jute bags”. Vimla replied.

“Oh! I think I can make some pottery. I used to help my father before marriage”. Aarti added.
“And I will colour it didi”! Meetu quickly uttered.
They all giggled and looked at each other with twinkling and sparkling eyes.

They joined their hands, “Let’s do it!”

After going home, Vimla called Damayanti and Geeta. She spoke about this venture of theirs. Both of them were astonished at the idea. It was all new for them. But the agreed gingerly.

“We are with you, Didi”.

Soon the five of them joined their hands for the new setup.
Eventually, they all met and started making handcrafted stuff. Every day they finished their respective housework and all domestic chores. They work hard for making all stuff.

The jute bags looked very pretty. Tiny clay pots and the painted vases were beautiful too. Geeta and Damayanti made handmade soft toys and handmade artificial jewellery.
After a month.

We are done. Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! They all gave each other a high five. “Unbelievable”! Aarti shouted.

“Let me start with the fb page”. Meetu said excitedly. She painstakingly made the fb page. It was a basic one but it had neat pictures of all their stuff.

“Di! Can we tell our Madams too”? Damayanti asked referring to their employers.

“Yes. but only if you think they would be good”.

Geeta murmured.
Everyday Meetu looked for the orders. They kept their fingers crossed with hope.
“Vimla are you doing some business”? Mrs Dhrite asked.” But you never told me”!

“Yes Madam”. Vimla said hesitatingly as she washed the few leftover utensils.
“Its great Vimla. You are our digital girls. Last night Gautam found your page. Both of us were amazed at the stuff”. Siya joyfully patted her back.
“And yes! We have ordered one jute bag”. She winked mischievously.

“Thank you, Madam. Convey my thanks to Saheb as well”. Vimla folded her hands, as she only knew what gift they had given her.

“Oh, please Vimla! You all are so brave and enterprising. We will help you in whatever way we can”. Siya smiled back.
Siya made a graphic poster and forwarded it to all her WhatsApp groups. She also shared it on her Twitter and Pinterest. She was super excited as she always wanted to help such persons who needed support and wanted to help them grow.
“Oh! Mrs Dhriti why are you helping these maids”. Neha said as she sipped her drink and threw her cards.
“Have you seen their page? I would urge you to visit it once and you will definitely fall in love with it”. Siya replied as she threw in her trump card.
” And Bingo! I won”.

She stood up and looked at each kitty member.
“Friends! Let’s help them yaar. They are so talented! So, what if they are our maids! They are our digital girls. Even we have not thought of such ideas which these girls did. Ladies! Let’s support them rather than belittle their efforts”. Siya chuckled and smiled at Neha.
“Yes, Siya. Let’s order our kitty gift items from them”.

Mrs Dewangan stood up and the rest of the ladies looked at each other.

“Why not? Let’s try”.

************************************
Tring…… tring … the phone rang
“Hey Siya … What’s up”?

“It’s very serious Siya. Can you help me”?

“For what”? Siya asked quizzingly.

“Someone has made a fake account of me on FB and put some morphed fake pics of me. I don’t know what to do. I am not able to handle this. I can’t tell this to my husband. He will only suspect me. I am very worried”.
“Well” …

Siya looked around for a second and then exclaimed.” I have got it. Meetu can help you”.
“Meetu? Who? That cooking lady”? She just rolled her eyes.
“Okay. if you don’t want “… Siya hesitated.

“No, no … Please, go ahead … I want help”. “Whoever can help me”!! Neha pleaded.
Meetu came immediately and Neha explained to her what had happened.
“Ok, Madam! I think we should report it to Facebook”.
“But I don’t know how”? Neha replied.
“Don’t worry Madam, I will do it for you”. Meetu quickly reported it to Facebook. In fifteen minutes, they got a confirmation that the fake page has been blocked.
Oh my gosh!!!!!! Neha had tears in her eyes.” You just saved me Meetu”. She wanted to give money to Meetu. But Meetu flatly refused.

“Madam, I came to help you as a woman. Like we help any woman in our cooperative”.

Neha was speechless. Her eyes had welled up with tears. Her face had grown red. She said with a heavy voice, “Meetu today not only have you saved my honour but also taught me what a good human being you are. You are very talented. But I always made fun of you and belittled your efforts. Siya is right – you indeed are the digital ladies”. She gave Meetu a hug.
Tears rolled down Meetu’s eyes.

“Thank you, madam, we might not have the strength to move mountains but we have tiny wings to fly over them”!
Siya called up these five ladies were delighted to share the news that their kitty had decided to buy all their gifts from the digital ladies.
At the mention of the orders, all of them got excited.

They all started to speak simultaneously forgetting the cups of tea they held in their hands!

“Di our children eat at mid-day meal schools and husbands manage to eat at work. We go hungry on so many days”. Vimla said with tearful eyes.

“Though we work so much with so high rates we cannot afford much. So, we had joined our hands to make ends meet”.

They all thanked Siya. Siya hugged them. My brave ladies. You all are wonders in small packets.
Gradually, this group of five ladies grew to ten and then fifty. It came to be a women’s cooperative. They united. They climbed each step. Their Facebook likes button was in millions now! Millions created history.

History made by the brave digital ladies.