Sudha and I were walking back from our gym. Every day, we spend ten to fifteen minutes after our workout discussing day-to-day life. She is a homemaker in her early forties with two kids - a simple woman. Our routine talks usually revolve around the gym and our exercises. She is a suitable friend for my simple, introverted life. I work from home. Apart from my parents, who live far away, she is the only person I regularly talk to. Sometimes, I feel that having just one friend is a reminder of the so-called or forced belief that humans are social animals. Fortunately, I enjoy her company.
Today, she was talking about her past - about ten years ago, when she was pregnant for the first time. During that time, her husband had to go to Singapore for work. Initially, she was happy, but her happiness turned into anxiety within a few weeks when her mother-in-law began pressuring her to undergo a gender check-up.
"Abort the child if it's a girl," her mother-in-law would say repeatedly.
Sudha, coming from a background where her father was the principal of a renowned college in Mumbai and her mother was well-educated, never imagined such a situation could arise in today's era. She and her husband were going through a financial crunch, and her husband deeply loved his mother. Sudha's mother had passed away when she was very young, and the only joy her father had was seeing his daughters happily married. Sudha found herself stuck in a mixture of happiness she couldn't fully enjoy and sadness she couldn't share.
But she knew what she had to do. She stood her ground and adamantly said to her mother-in-law:
"I am not going for a check-up, and if you say this once again, I am leaving this house. I amcapable enough to look after my child."
She made this bold statement despite being financially dependent on her husband. Her mother-in-law was taken aback by the unexpected defiance, as Sudha had never disregarded her before. The dominance of her mother-in-law crumbled in the face of Sudha's fierce determination to protect her child.
Sudha gave birth to a baby boy four months later. She smiled with a heavy heart as she shared with me:
"She made her sister-in-law abort her girl child three times."
Sudha also has a daughter as her second child. Curiously, I asked how her mother-in-law reacted to the news of her daughter's birth. Sudha said that when she informed her mother-in-law over the phone, as per her husband's instruction, the latter initially said, "Laxmi aai hai" ("Goddess Laxmi has come").
In Indian culture, when a girl is born, she is considered to embody the presence of Goddess Laxmi, who is associated with prosperity. But Sudha soon found herself holding her one-hour-old baby girl in one hand while hearing her mother-in-law express sorrow on the phone, saying, "Laxmi nahi, panauti aai hai" ("She is not Laxmi; she is a bad omen").
After sharing this, Sudha fell silent, and I found myself in a similar state. The weight of the situation and the moment tied to it left us both speechless.
Today, Sudha takes care of her mother-in-law. Her father-in-law has passed away. Her mother-in-law never changed - she still gives preference to her grandson over her granddaughter.
It's been six months since we joined the gym, where we also practice martial arts. She finds peace and solace in that rigorous one-hour practice and hasn't missed a single day. No wonder she has a little smile of satisfaction on her face whenever she hits that punching bag.
Today, she was talking about her past - about ten years ago, when she was pregnant for the first time. During that time, her husband had to go to Singapore for work. Initially, she was happy, but her happiness turned into anxiety within a few weeks when her mother-in-law began pressuring her to undergo a gender check-up.
"Abort the child if it's a girl," her mother-in-law would say repeatedly.
Sudha, coming from a background where her father was the principal of a renowned college in Mumbai and her mother was well-educated, never imagined such a situation could arise in today's era. She and her husband were going through a financial crunch, and her husband deeply loved his mother. Sudha's mother had passed away when she was very young, and the only joy her father had was seeing his daughters happily married. Sudha found herself stuck in a mixture of happiness she couldn't fully enjoy and sadness she couldn't share.
But she knew what she had to do. She stood her ground and adamantly said to her mother-in-law:
"I am not going for a check-up, and if you say this once again, I am leaving this house. I amcapable enough to look after my child."
She made this bold statement despite being financially dependent on her husband. Her mother-in-law was taken aback by the unexpected defiance, as Sudha had never disregarded her before. The dominance of her mother-in-law crumbled in the face of Sudha's fierce determination to protect her child.
Sudha gave birth to a baby boy four months later. She smiled with a heavy heart as she shared with me:
"She made her sister-in-law abort her girl child three times."
Sudha also has a daughter as her second child. Curiously, I asked how her mother-in-law reacted to the news of her daughter's birth. Sudha said that when she informed her mother-in-law over the phone, as per her husband's instruction, the latter initially said, "Laxmi aai hai" ("Goddess Laxmi has come").
In Indian culture, when a girl is born, she is considered to embody the presence of Goddess Laxmi, who is associated with prosperity. But Sudha soon found herself holding her one-hour-old baby girl in one hand while hearing her mother-in-law express sorrow on the phone, saying, "Laxmi nahi, panauti aai hai" ("She is not Laxmi; she is a bad omen").
After sharing this, Sudha fell silent, and I found myself in a similar state. The weight of the situation and the moment tied to it left us both speechless.
Today, Sudha takes care of her mother-in-law. Her father-in-law has passed away. Her mother-in-law never changed - she still gives preference to her grandson over her granddaughter.
It's been six months since we joined the gym, where we also practice martial arts. She finds peace and solace in that rigorous one-hour practice and hasn't missed a single day. No wonder she has a little smile of satisfaction on her face whenever she hits that punching bag.
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