As I was working in my bedroom-cum-office I became aware of voices coming from the ranna ghor, the kitchen. Two of them I knew to be Surola and Hiramone, our ayahs.

Technically speaking, an ayah is a nanny and looks after the children but at LAMB the title has become the normal term to use for all housemaids whether or not there are any children. I suspect this has happened because so many families – like mine – have come to work at LAMB from abroad over the years.

Anyway, there was a third voice in the kitchen and I went to look. It was another ‘ayah’ who I knew and a regular visitor to our home. I often have no idea how many women are in my house or who they are at any particular point. These are working women who, once they finished cleaning and washing our floors…