The Surrogate Mother

Mansi had always dreamt of working in the corporate sector. Her dreams were given wings by the glorified TV programs where she would see a corporate sector girl with an attention-seeking beautiful smile, smartly dressed up, well paid, possessing a personal car, and freedom to enjoy the way she wants.

After her higher secondary, she went to Mumbai. However, initially, her parents were not at all convinced to allow her to go alone to another city. They were extremely concerned about the safety of their only daughter. After a lot of negotiations, her parents agreed. Her mother said, "We will come with you and stay for few days. You are our only daughter and only hope, we care for you a lot". Hugging her mother with a wide smile, she said, " Of course maa, even I would love to have you both with me". Mansi's father had worked as a clerk in a private bank and had taken retirement on health grounds.

She enrolled herself in a college and did really well in her academics. In her final year, she was elected as the president of 'Women's Emancipation Team' and won lots of accolades for her untiring efforts. With her work, she gradually started inclining towards feminist ideologies. She continuously supported underprivileged women and created awareness regarding their rights. Her parents encouraged her to continue the noble cause.

Committed to her golden dreams of working in the corporate sector, she joined Unitech Limited in Pune. She was excited about her new job. She knows that she was the only support system for her family and had to pay for her father's treatment as well.

With her stupendous work ethic, she developed a good reputation among her office mates. In fact, no one could stop them from appreciating her.

One fine day, while entering her office, she noticed her manager's car and on the bonnet of the car, an unattended envelope was lying. She thought to herself, "Maybe this is an important envelope, I think I must give it to sir". She picked it up and kept her belongings at her workstation and went to his manager's cabin. The manager said," Good morning Mansi, too early to be in my cabin. What brings you here?". She replied with her praiseworthy smile, "I know sir, I shouldn't have been here too early, but I found this envelope on your car's bonnet, so I thought of handing this over to you". She passed the envelope to him and he too was surprised and preferred opening it in her presence. He thanked her and said, "Mansi, thank you why don't you sit in the meanwhile let me see what is this". She obeyed his words and sat, while she sat, she could see that the manager's facial expressions had changed. Mansi craned her neck and tried to overlook what was written there in the letter, she could see only two words that too in bold letter, 'SURROGATE MOTHER'. He suddenly folded the letter and told Mansi to leave. 

When she was back at her workstation, she talked about this small incident to her colleague Megha. She said, "Megha, today while entering the office I found an envelope on sir's car's bonnet when I went to give that letter to him, he opened it and there was a sudden change in his expression. Why could that be?". Megha sarcastically smiled and said, " He didn't give us an appraisal last month, so maybe a warning letter from the head office". Megha said, "No Megha, that was something different I could see only two words in his letter". "Really, did you read the letter?, asked Megha. Mansi said, "No but it was visible and it was written, surrogate mother". Megha was quick to react to this word and said, "Oh, Mansi you are new to this office, so maybe you don't know, he's been married for many years now, but doesn't have kids. Everyone knows about it. So maybe he is willing to have a child through surrogacy. It's ok as long as both partners agree". Mansi felt little annoyed and said, "How can people take advantage of a woman, pay her huge amount and rent her womb like this. This is utterly a matter of shame. They shouldn't be doing it".

After this discussion, Mansi and Megha both started working, but Mansi was a little disturbed.

She went back home and the thought of surrogacy kept on lingering in her mind. Next morning, she went to her office the moment she reached her office, she received a call from her mother and she was crying over the phone. Mansi couldn't console her mother and said, "Maa, what has happened please tell me. Mother tried to calm herself down and replied, your father had a paralytic attack last night, with neighbour's help we admitted him in a hospital. Now doctors have advised for surgery otherwise, things will not remain the same. I have been able to deposit only fifty thousand". Mansi was half broken. She had just joined the office and thought how will I arrange the money. 

Panting, she went to her boss and asked for help and he denied it. As per the terms and conditions, she could not be given any salary in advance.

Megha could see that she was in trouble and told her, "If you need money, then why don't ask sir about that letter and go ahead with"....she stopped here, she didn't know how would Mansi react. Mansi thanked her and went to his cabin. She told everything and mentioned her father's urgent surgery. The boss told her that he will give her the money after legal signing of the bonds which would take at least a week. Without thinking she had agreed. Within that week, her mother constantly kept on calling her for money and Mansi kept on telling her to have patience.



When everything had settled Mansi got the first amount which she deposited at the hospital. His treatment had started well and on asking from where did she arrange the money, Mansi would hang up the phone. During her father’s treatment she didn’t go to meet him, as by then, she had conceived.

She didn’t want to tell anyone not even her mother. Later, when her bump was visible, she realised that people have started commenting on her on being a mother without father. She felt embarrassed and at times was demeaned. She started withdrawing herself from society. So, she thought of shifting with her friend. There also she was confined within the four walls of her home. She kept on receiving the leftover payment, but then she suddenly thought of quitting her job. She was under the impression that she will be able to manage her expenses with the money she had received. She stopped going out, she stopped talking to her parents. After some time, she limited her conversation with her roommate too.

After six months, her father was back to normal. They thought of coming to meet her. They wanted to fix a plan so that she could take leaves and spend quality time with her. Even after several calls, she didn’t respond to their calls. They were immensely worried so directly went to her place.

After reaching her flat, they saw a big lock outside her door, they contacted the owner, the owner was oblivious of her absence. Helpless parents sat at the owner’s place for sometime and luckily, they heard screeching of a door nearby, they got up in no second and saw her daughter sobbing and opening the lock of her room. They were shocked to see her big belly but couldn’t say anything.

They went inside her room and asked her several questions, but she couldn’t utter even a single word. As per the bond, she wasn’t supposed to share about her being a surrogate mother, otherwise she wouldn’t get money. Her father constantly kept on asking her but she said no more. They felt insulted as if she had brought shame on them. She didn’t accept their own daughter.

She was already taunted too much by society, so thought of seeking peace with her parents, but they also didn’t understand her. She couldn’t see herself like this. She loved her parents so much so that she started blaming herself for bringing shame, for making them cry, for bringing tears. Her parents left her forever and told her, “ Don’t ever come back to Lucknow, it is unfortunate for us to have a daughter like you”. These words broke her to the core. She decided to put all these things to an end. One night, when Megha wasn’t in her room, she grabbed her favourite dupatta that was gifted to her by her father on last Diwali and hanged herself on the ceiling fan and she succumbed to the injuries.

When Megha returned to her room, she was flabbergasted to see her pregnant friend hanging on to the fan. She informed her parents first and then informed the police as well.

When her father saw her, he cried inconsolably. He recalled the day when she was gifted that dupatta and how excitedly she jumped. After losing her daughter, he got to know about the truth. He thought “Why did I not support her, why did I not understand her situation. He further said, “it is my fault”. He felt as if he is an inanimate object. He was still. Her mother was shocked to see her daughter lifeless. She cherished her memories when she held Mansi for the first time when she was born and now she is holding her lifeless daughter and her baby inside. In a moment, things changed drastically for both of them.

Society tortured her, she was traumatized. She couldn’t even get support from her parents so that they could work as her shield to protect her from society. She could have been living and would have given birth to a little baby only if she could have got acceptance from society. Only if she could have shown the courage to speak and confront, she could have been living today.