Birth Of A Princess

Female foeticide is a practice in India from the time of advent of technological advancements in medical field like prenatal sex determination in the 1990s. However, earlier to this, female child was killed after their birth in many regions of the country. In the Indian society, female child is considered as the social and economic burden to their parents so they understand that it is better to kill them before birth. In a country where, as per scriptures, Gods reside in places where a woman is worshiped, female foeticide is an ironical but sad truth. It has become a grave social issue across the country. Female foetuses are killed in the wombs of their mothers through Medical Termination of Pregnancy by a ruthless society that prefers sons over daughters. Same happened with George and Nora but they eventually save their little heart.

Nora is a woman of ambitions and practicality while George is a man of modern approach and good education but his parents were not like him. They both are bonded with love and expect a child. Nora’s mother in law is an aged woman with a patriarchic approach. She said Nora that ‘I want a boy to be the extension of this family. I will not accept a girl child’.This worried Nora a-lot and she decided to have a conversation with George. Things were discussed and George with utter aggression said to his mother that ‘Mom this is not the way to talk to a pregnant woman. How does it matter if it is a girl or boy, all we wish is for a good and healthy child’. George’s mother replied in an imperative way that ‘A boy is important in a family as without him there is no extension to the generations. A girl child is a burden and pressure on the parents. Girls get married one day and all the investment done by parents in bringing up a child gives no returns’. These lines rolled tears in Nora’s eyes and she kneeled down and started shattering by cloaking herself with the stomach. George had immense respect towards his mother and he could understand the thoughts of her mother because it was not her fault it’s the generation she belonged to had the same thoughts, approach and the surroundings she was brought up in. So he calmed her down and made her understand things and said that ‘Mom it is not important to have a girl or a boy. Having a child is the most precious thing in the world and feeling the essence of being a parent. There are many people in the world who don’t even have a child of their own. We need to build up a good thinking for the new member coming to our family and create a beautiful environment‘. He also added that ‘I am your child, how does it matter, I’m a boy or if I was a girl, you will love me the same way always and forever. My gender doesn’t change the endearment you have for me and the way you adore my good deeds in life‘. Listening to him, got tears in eyes of George’s mother and she apologised to Nora for being a pathetic mother in law to her. This incident changed their perception of each other. They both started staying happy with a bond of love and affection for each other. Soon time passed, after nine months there was a good news of the birth of a cute little princess and it was beautiful to see that George’s mother accepted the baby girl with intense happiness and gratitude and named her as ‘Sunshine’ as she was a bright hope for everyone and always stood beside her at every time of life. This gave a beautiful closure. 4This is what happens mostly in many families and the root cause of the still prevalence of female foeticide in the 21st century is the age-old patriarchal mindset where sweets are distributed after the birth of a baby boy but the birth of a girl plunges the family into unexplained sadness. Female foeticide can never be reversed and leaves people with utmost grievances, but all we need to make sure is to spread the word of kindness and affection which helps in changing the mindset of people and enhance the glory of a child birth as its crucial for a child to be healthy and nutritious, be of any gender.