NEW DELHI, Feb. 19 -- The other day, a banker friend phoned me to ask whether I could help her search for a good housemaid. A good housemaid! Therein lies the crux of the whole matter! When it comes to maids, the quality of being good or bad is a perception. Otherwise, they are generally what they are made out to be.

Moreover, these searches are usually tantamount to a literal 'combing operation' where the quest for reliable help involves spreading the word. As rare 'commodities' whose demands have only gone up with the changing times, searching for a maid is a challenging task and one that could be grouped as one in the realms of impossibility.

These are not so much about the ramblings of a distressed heart as they are of the pangs of ...