Sunday, July 24, 2011

Why Only Boys!!!!

Why aren’t people happy when a girl child is born? Why is girl child such a big taboo in our society? My questions are never answered and I know they will never be answered till our society decides to widen its scope of thoughts and acceptability. And will that happen anytime soon? Well, I doubt that too…..

There was a lady in our neighbourhood who compelled me to write this article. She was blessed with 3 consecutive girls. Blessed is solely my adoration for the girls as they weren’t so much of a blessing for the family in reference. The youngest girl had probably sensed her family’s desire of a male child because she was growing up to be a complete tom-boy. Right from her gender goof up in sentences, her hairstyle, her clothes (that were primarily blue in colour) to her choice of games, she could easily fool anyone for being a boy. This is one part of the story of desperation. Here comes the other part.

As the lady was married in late 20’s, she had entered her late 30’s by the time she delivered the 3 girls. Any sane person would have thought that ‘this was it’ for her and her family. But we all were appalled when we came to know that the lady was pregnant for the fourth time. Being pregnant for the fourth time was not shocking. Being pregnant at 39, primarily to have a boy was. If rumuors were to be believed, the family had got the sex of the baby determined through influence and money. Well, they didn’t leave any stone unturned, did they?

This lady was on complete bed rest from day 1 of her pregnancy. I am not sure about other medical complications (if any) but we used to hear about her being sick most of the time. Finally, she delivered a baby boy. I’m sure that would have been the happiest day for the entire family. After all, they had risked a woman’s life for the heir of their family. The boy got 2 mothers. One biological and the other through his biological mother: his eldest sister. I left for my higher education and time went by.

On one of my vacations I saw that family again. There was an old man, an old fat lady, 2 girls and 2 boys. Oh, I realised there were 3 girls with one of them transformed into a boy (only outwardly). And then, my heart went out for the boy….

The boy was not normal. One could easily tell there was something wrong with him. His movements, his facial features, his gait… something was not right. On inquiry from my mother I came to know that the boy had Down syndrome….

I felt sad and angry at the same time. Was the family happy now to have a handicapped boy? Wasn’t this boy a bigger liability than the girls? Would this boy be able to bear the responsibilities of a family man? Was the family justified in robbing the girlhood of a small child for their selfish interests? Would this girl turned onto a boy ever be able to adjust well into a society eclipsed with so many social taboos for her?

When God created this universe, he didn’t create an inferior or a superior being. He simply created a male and a female who had to undertake the journey of life together, walking hand in hand, not one following the other. Let’s not destroy the delicate balance created by him by obliterating and humiliating the very source of life’s origin.

For reference (as taken from the internet)

Down symptom:

Down syndrome (also called Trisomy 21) is a genetic disorder that occurs in approximately 1 of 800 live births. It is the leading cause of cognitive impairment. Down syndrome is associated with mild to moderate learning disabilities, developmental delays, characteristic facial features, and low muscle tone in early infancy. Many individuals with Down syndrome also have heart defects, leukemia, early-onset Alzheimer's disease, gastro-intestinal problems, and other health issues. The symptoms of Down syndrome range from mild to severe.

Although no one knows for sure why DS occurs and there's no way to prevent the chromosomal error that causes it, scientists do know that women age 35 and older have a significantly higher risk of having a child with the condition. At age 30, for example, a woman has about a 1 in 900 chance of conceiving a child with DS. Those odds increase to about 1 in 350 by age 35. By 40 the risk rises to about 1 in 100.

2 comments:

shaista dhanda said...

i think the problem lies within the woman..she needs to understand first n she can only make the others understand..SHE ought to stand for herself..n the woman should stop being sexist

Divya Singla said...

I agree.....