Aurangabad: These are very troubled times for them. Marriage functions and celebrations have been affected by the strict Covid-19 protocols in Maharashtra and this has affected them financially. Women cooks, who used to earn a living by preparing food at marriage hall kitchens here have been severely affected. This is due to the government’s new order restricting the timings and number of people at wedding events. These women say they are staring at a dark future as they are hardly getting any orders to prepare food from wedding caterers. Hence these women cooks are unable to meet their daily needs. They have now appealed to the government to provide them financial assistance.
Hirabai Pawar (60) is in this profession here since the last four decades. She lives with her daughter-in-law and granddaughter. Pawar said she had never seen such horrifying crisis in her life.
“My daughter-in-law worked in a beauty parlour, but they are also shut now. Till last year, I used to earn Rs 200 to 400 a day, but now that has stopped. I need at least Rs 2,000 per month for my medicines,” Pawar said.
Another local culinarian Jyoti Kathar also said she has no work and is in a dire situation. “My husband also does not have any income as the cloth shop where he worked is closed. Now, we cannot even provide milk to our two children as we have to curtail our expenses. They drink black tea now,” she stated.
Kathar said amid the COVID-19 pandemic, they also had to shift their children to a government school. This is because they were not able to afford high fees of their private educational institution.
Another city-based cook Jijabai Pawar (45) said she never went to school. However, she always felt proud when handling food preparations at big kitchens of marriage caterers.
“I used to take charge of things even if the caterer was busy with other functions. But, now my earning has stopped. Our family comprising seven members is surviving only on the salary of one of my sons. A major portion of his income goes in paying our house rent,” rued Jijabai.
Sharing similar woes, cook Sumanbai Suryavanshi (70) said she has been unable to pay her house rent for the last two months. “We live in Sanjay Nagar which was declared a COVID-19 hotspot last year. We took all care and none of my family members have got infected so far,” she said.
“But, I am not getting any food orders now. The state government has announced that marriage ceremonies may be conducted only as a single event not extending beyond two hours with maximum of total 25 people attending the same. So who will order food under such circumastances,” she lamented.
Cook Anita Khajekar said earlier when she used to work at marriage hall kitchens she would bring the leftover food at home. It was sufficient to serve as her family’s meal for the day. “Now, I neither have the job nor that food, while my grocery expenses have almost doubled,” she informed.
