"What happened to you , amma? you are not normal " Asked kanamma sweeping the floor. Mekala was almost in the verge of emotional breakdown. She couldn't handle it any longer. She didn't feel like talking to kanamma. Kanamma is not the normal domestic maid, who works for money and gossips away the time. Kanamma is with her for last twenty years and more like a member of family. She knows all the happenings in the house, but never comments or pokes her nose into anything. "I must be looking terrible. "Mekala thought herself. She checked her face in the mirror. No wonder kanamma is worried. I look like a mess. She washed herself and settled down in the swing in garden. Her mind again drifted to what happened just now. "Have some tea,ma" Kanamma brought her some tea and snacks. Mekala was pleased. Kanamma knows what she wanted. "You too have a cup kanamma". Mekala poured some tea for kanamma. "I'm sick of everything kanamma. I think I need not fight for them anymore. what is the purpose of all this? "Mekala burst out. Mekala was working in a private company few years before. She always had an eye for the society. Recently she quitted her job and joined a ngo. Ngo was more into helping the people in slum area to lead a better life. The men in those families earned, but spent most of their money on drinking. Women struggled to educate their kids, make the ends meet. She along with the help of other members taught them new avenues of making money. Making craft items, fur dolls from the home. Ngo took some initiative in selling those items. As a result they saw some smile in women's face. But another problem crept in. Men started demanding that extra money too for drinking. Mekala tried to bring some sense to men, but it didn't work out. She started talking to women in each household. She asked them to be firm on not giving them money for drinking. There were many cases where men beat women for money. Mekala has given complaint to police on physical abuse. She also encouraged women to give complaint to police. Off-late, she is receiving threats from those men. Today morning one such man came before her house and shouted at her. "I'm going to give it- up kanamma" Mekala continued. Kanamma lived near that slum and knew the greatness of work mekala did. She was proud of mekala. "Don't talk like that amma..""You won't understand it kanamma. they came to my house and shouted at me, I don't know what next…""I'm not educated like you ; don't know to talk like you amma. but still….. have you ever cleaned those dirt from the fan or cob-webs in the ceiling? ""Yes" Mekala was not sure where the speech was going. "Mm.. when you do that half the dirt will come ; fall on you or things in the floor. but do you stop cleaning? no, probably you will put a mask around the face ; continue cleaning. same way here, amma. "Mekala was dumb-struck at kanamma's explanation. She was trying to say, when you do something good the bad surrounding it will come and hit your face. But you should not let that stop you. "Kanamma, I'm struggling with them for last one year. I don't think I succeeded in changing them….what's the point? ""Amma, you remember the time you got these cups right?""Yes""As usual I cleaned them with normal dish washing liquid. but coffee-stains didn't go off easily. later I learnt to soak them in bit of lime juice and clean it. same method doesn't work for all …"Kanamma was trying to convey that I should try a different strategy for dealing with men. The same strategy cannot be applied to every-body. "Amma just because floors will get dirty again, we don't stop sweeping it…"Mekala got the full picture of kanamma's thoughts. "Just because you believe something cannot be changed, don't quit trying for it. do the best you can. sometimes when you are correcting something, bad in it will hit back on you. that should not stop one from doing something good. at-times, based on the people, situation you have to change the way you work around the problems""You are a blessing kanamma" , a motivated mekala blurted out. 