One life to live...

Every birth is a cause of joy and celebration, but actually that is not the case in my state, Punjab. It’s all an eyewash when they say, things have changed, advertisements, tall posters stating the statistics that the boy to girl ratio have improved and every health minister takes credit as if they only gave birth to increase the rate.

We had two case scenarios, both of them wanted sons, and this was their third try. One of the employees was a gursikh, adhered to all the tenets of Sikhism; his father was a priest in Amritsar. He had sent his wife back to her parents place, as they had not told them that she had a defect, she was giving birth to girls only and the girls being born had a hole in the heart.  After a lot of persuasion and the blessings of a local Babaji she was going to have a son.

The second one wanted a son too, they had two daughters, his brother had two daughters and he wanted a son. He needed a day off as his wife had some infection and he needed to look after her, take her to a doctor. I told him, why doesn’t he visit my gynecologist, who does a lot of cases for free and would gladly help out and he would save a lot of money. He just kept on dilly-dallying and would not reply back clearly. After much persuasion, he mumbled and said he wasn’t going to register her. I still couldn’t comprehend what he meant. On further clarification, he was going to take her to this shoddy, shabby, run of the mill clinic on the main highway that did a scan and he would come to know the gender of the baby.

One baby was born, and Babaji won and superstition had a victory over science and roots became deeper. The other baby lost her life to science and the greed and the manic obsession to have a son continues.

Where , what and when does it end? Calling up the authorities , cancelling the license doesn’t mean it is the end to this madness. It continues , in every village , every town , city and you , me , or them arehelpless. I wonder ,w hen will they consider girls to be equal.

When will she be allowed to live? What does she need to have to have that we let her live? It is a collective shame , we cant be oblivious and say oh we are not to be blamed. It’s a collective failure , none of us can be oblivious and shrug off that we are not a part of this disease that kills the child in the womb juts because one is a girl.

For all our tall claims of development , demonetization , ushering in the digital age, and going to Mars and back , we are sadly regressing in to an evil , wicked era where if we let her live , we rape , kill, mutilate , throw acid and treat her like chattel.

Let her live, let her grow , give her wings, nurture her and let her shine like the priceless diamond she is ! Don’t bargain your conscience in the desire to have a son , who would forever be tainted by the sister he lost .

This has been haunting me for a week , imagine the mother who loses her child at the mercy of science and family pressures , treated no better than a breeding animanl.