Child infanticide : Why people kill girls before they are born?

I was expecting.

My first baby.

I believed a first baby was precious to everyone no matter whether it was a boy or a girl. But very soon I was disillusioned.

I spent those seven eight months with curiosity, questioning, confirming glances of friends, family and all those well wishers who were known to be well educated, professionals and considered to be modern.

I was surprised; everyone wanted to make sure that I deliver a BOY. I wondered if carrying a girl a sin?

And I was living in a hospital residential campus; all my neighbors were medicos or Para-medicos. I was surrounded by well informed gentry, who read newspaper, watch television and comment and protest on any and every wrong doing in the world around us.

The time when I was wondering about this miracle called life growing inside me day in and day out; my near and dear ones were concerned about my getting the gender detected ‘on time.’

Many of them gave me references; many of them gave me contact numbers and some of them also told me the ‘success stories of their own.’

On a daughter’s day my little daughter came in this world.

When her gender was revealed to me I couldn’t react. In any way, I was just awe struck, myself being a medium of bringing a life in this beautiful world.

I knew I shattered the hopes of many. She was unwelcoming. She was received as a ‘Shock.’ The news of HER birth was swallowed. It was not rejoiced. She was not expected.

I knew she was the most precious because my parents did not decide to ‘choose’ me despite having two daughters and gave me gift of life.

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Many Decades Back…

It was mid of January.

Cold, dark midnight. The clock had just struck twelve.

The lady was lying on the floor for past many hours.

The blind man was sitting beside her, comforting her now and then.

She was in acute pain, moaning and groaning.

Suddenly, a spark went off. The electricity fuse had gone off.

The whole house got pitched dark. A small lamp of hope had also gone off.

For the blind man, this world was dark anyway; electricity or no electricity; light or no light. He had lost his eyes about six years back and with them he lost his oh, so envious working life too.

Now he was living off his savings only and he already had one son and two daughters and a wife to feed with his meager resources.

‘Aaaaaah’ his wife cried, ‘please go and get the midwife, it’ll come out any time now’ she gasped.

She was in acute labor and expecting the baby any time soon.

The blind man reached for his stick in that dark, which did not matter him much anyway. His life had been so dark for a long time now.

He stepped down the stairs and started walking on the narrow lanes of Mayapuri leading to a small government dispensary run inside a small school in Subhash Nagar, which was opposite the wide road.

Dogs started barking and chasing him for a long time but when they realized the shadow approaching on the road is no harm to them and their territory, they became friendlier, knowing a regular walker with them.

About half an hour later, he reached that dispensary in Subhash Nagar where an old lady opened the gates reluctantly with a questioning glance, at this unearthly hour. Who could it be and for what?

‘Who do you want and why’ she shouted.

‘My wife expecting a delivery soon, will you be generous enough to accompany me?’ He requested most humbly with folded hands.

‘Do you have a car?’ She frowned.

‘No.’

‘Taxi?’

‘No.’

‘Scooter?’

‘No.’

‘Then, how did you come.’ She seemed surprised.

‘By walking.’ Hope was leaving his voice and his heart too.

‘Oh!’ she lost interest in accompanying him.

‘I can’t come with you like this. Why do I walk so much and that also in this cold and dark?’ she snapped.

The blind man turned towards the road hearing her reply and started walking to his fate.

‘Ok, listen! I come’. She paused and handed her medical box in his hands.

Holding his stick in one hand and the medical box in the other, he gratefully walked the long distance with her to his narrow lane and his small dark house in Mayapuri.

‘How do I see anything, it’s so dark?’ She was displeased, reaching the house.

A candle was lit and in that tiny flickering light she saw that the lady had already delivered a baby. 

A flesh in blood all over the floor.

‘A baby girl!’

‘You already have two daughters, why you increasing your poverty?’ she shouted with disgust.

‘My kids are my treasure; I love them from bottom of my heart.’ He talked to himself.

‘Can you get some hot water fast? The midwife ordered and got into cleaning and attending to the mother and the baby.He called for Mrs. Kaamath, the middle aged bad tempered landlady, who in no likelihood pleased with the demand of hot water at this time and that also on birth of a girl.The mother and the baby were made to sleep on the cot after cleaning up.

  

The blind man was happy. He gave thirty one rupees to the midwife and dropped her home, the way he had brought her. He was thankful to her for coming and attending to his wife.

It was chilly, cold, dark night in mid of January but it seemed like onset of spring to him. He could never see her but he allowed her to blossom with education and good values.