We don’t want a baby girl!!!

When Jess was born I came across another incident that brought me face to face with stark reality...the crude, raw and naked truth about the status of women in India.

When I was in pre labour room, there was this patient's bed in front of my bed. To me she was sleeping...later on over hearing the docs' discussion, I came to know that she was in comma. Suddenly the docs rushed saying that the baby is coming out. They pulled the curtains on, and then after sometime the baby was born...but the child did not cry. After few moments, an elderly lady came into the room. Apparently she was the mom-in-law of the patient. The docs told her that the baby was dead, and showed her the dead body of the child. She was a baby girl...but that lady started shouting at the docs, saying that she won't take the dead body…the baby was supposed to be a boy. The doctors were shocked. She said they have never had baby girls in their family, and will not accept one...even if she is already dead. The Head Of Gynecology Department came in, and threatened her that the hospital authorities will get her arrested. Anyhowz her family accepted the baby's body, and God knows what they did with her. I doubt if they gave the child a decent funeral

The day next to the one when Jess was born, Renu (the patient) passed away. In the waiting room Renu's mom was in a bad condition. She had not had a single drop of water from the time Renu had been admitted. On the other hand Renu's husband and parents- in-law had no signs of grief on their face. Sometimes, I even spotted her husband laughing. He looked so callous.

Somehow I empathized with Renu's mom and went to express my condolence ...and what she told shocked me. She told that Renu had fallen off from the roof of her house. An hour before the incident, Renu had called her mom telling that she was feeling dizzy after having her lunch. She sounded upset, as after her ultrasound test her in-laws were in a weird kind of mood. An hour later, the phone call came from her in laws informing her about the mishap. Would a nine month pregnant lady go to the roof of her house especially after she was feeling dizzy? Was it a well calculated murder...and perhaps they knew Renu was carrying a baby girl...I asked aunty whether they suspected a foul play…but she looked too scared to answer in affirmative. She just shook her head and said that there was no use in thinking over such things as their child was gone now.

I am pretty sure Renu's hubby would have got married by now, and who knows is a proud father of at least 3 sons...but my heart goes to Renu's old parents who married off their daughter, their only child to this man...thinking that he will be her life companion, not knowing that he will be the one who will kill her. What kind of life would they be living now...I don't whether they are still living; but if they are, it must be a life where every moment is worst than death.