“I hope you are taking leave one day before Ganesh Chaturthi?” is a common question most working women have to hear, either from their parents, in laws or spouse, as the case may be. Preparations for the festival start well in advance, especially for the women in the house, hence making time for it while spending eight or more hours of the day in office can be quite the feat.
Getting leave from work during the festive
season is an achievement in itself. Says Suhani Amonkar from Marcel, “I always
wait for Ganesh Chaturthi because it is that one time of the year when the
entire family comes together. Earlier, all the ladies from our family used to
sit together and make neuros, completing a great number while chatting away.
But now I have a full-time job and getting bulk leaves becomes difficult.
Preparations are usually wrapped up in a hurry as others too are busy with
work.”
Vandana
Sardessai, an Assistant Professor in English from Miramar, shares her festive
routine: “We go to Narva, our native village, to celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi at
our ancestral house. We have to take all the ingredients required for preparing
food there. My father-in-law makes a list of all the ingredients and sees to it
that everything required is bought from Bicholim. We stay there for three days
and the food is prepared by me and my sisters-in-laws. During that time, I have
to take a break from work. I get back to my regular schedule once we return
from our native place.”
Café speaks to working women in Goa to learn how they manage to juggle both work and home during the festival season:
Being in the teaching profession, I get almost one week off, allowing me to focus on the festival. Ours is a large joint family so work is distributed evenly. And since we keep the Ganesh idol for five days, shopping has to be done for those five days in advance, which is taken care of with the help of my husband.
KAAJAL KERKAR, Teacher
As I work in a bank,
I am eligible for two days leave during Ganesh Chaturthi. I complete my grocery
shopping one week in advance and the shopping for vegetables and matoli happens
just before the festival. We have Ganesh for five days. Since I’m at home for
the first two-days, I manage things quite easily; for the next three days, I
have to get up by 5 am and finish most of the cooking before leaving for work.
It is quite tiring but something I enjoy doing.
MAANSI NAIK, Banker
I manage things with
proper planning. My work hours are from 9:30am to 5:30pm. Before going
shopping, I meticulously prepare a list and shop after work. Even when it comes
to decorations, I Google a bit to get some ideas so that I don’t waste time in
the market, deciding on what to buy. If at all I miss out anything from my
to-do list, I utilise the time I get during lunch break. With proper time
management, I can manage work and home without much trouble.
SUSHMA SAWANT, Service