“Madam, Mr. Salil Verma died last night.”
“Any major complications regarding any issue ?”
“No Madam. Will you be there at the funeral ?”
“No.”
********
“Mamma, Jeet is a nice guy.”
“You need a lot of time to decide that. Not now.”
“Mamma…..”
“No more discussion. You are getting late. You are supposed to assist me in the multiple fibrosis case.”
“Mamma…you know what ? You are making a mistake. I can take my decisions now. Just because you weren’t happy with your marriage……… “
“ You can slap me but cannot change my mind. Dr. Rekha Mistry – mark my words.”
********
“Rekha, I think we don’t need this.”
“ Salil, are you out of your mind ?”
“Rekha, it’s a girl.”
“You did an amniocenetesis ? Do you realize what have you done ? ”
“C’mon Rekha, its ours. I wanted to know. My parents wanted to know. And I don’t think they will be happy with a ……”
*********************
“Baba, how is my child ?”
“She survived. My girl is a fighter.”
“Don’t cry Rekha. She is your daughter. You have to be her mother and her father as well.”
“Baba, you always told me education is my greatest weapon. I have a degree. I am a gyneac . Yet I feel so defeated. ”
“Never say that my child ! Your education will stand in your stead now. You were emotional while you took your decision. Sadly the world does not run on emotions. But don’t worry, you have not lost anything…..”
“Except an illusion…..Baba, I mistook Salil for the man I dreamt of.”
*******************
My dear Richa,
……………….. I think you know all that you needed to . I leave it all to you to decide. I am with you. But please ensure first that Jeet is not like the man I fell in love with and married.
Not Dr. Rekha Mistry
But
Your loving Mamma.
***********************
“Jeet, I guess I need some more time.”
“Any major complications regarding any issue ?”
“No Madam. Will you be there at the funeral ?”
“No.”
********
“Mamma, Jeet is a nice guy.”
“You need a lot of time to decide that. Not now.”
“Mamma…..”
“No more discussion. You are getting late. You are supposed to assist me in the multiple fibrosis case.”
“Mamma…you know what ? You are making a mistake. I can take my decisions now. Just because you weren’t happy with your marriage……… “
“ You can slap me but cannot change my mind. Dr. Rekha Mistry – mark my words.”
********
“Rekha, I think we don’t need this.”
“ Salil, are you out of your mind ?”
“Rekha, it’s a girl.”
“You did an amniocenetesis ? Do you realize what have you done ? ”
“C’mon Rekha, its ours. I wanted to know. My parents wanted to know. And I don’t think they will be happy with a ……”
*********************
“Baba, how is my child ?”
“She survived. My girl is a fighter.”
“Don’t cry Rekha. She is your daughter. You have to be her mother and her father as well.”
“Baba, you always told me education is my greatest weapon. I have a degree. I am a gyneac . Yet I feel so defeated. ”
“Never say that my child ! Your education will stand in your stead now. You were emotional while you took your decision. Sadly the world does not run on emotions. But don’t worry, you have not lost anything…..”
“Except an illusion…..Baba, I mistook Salil for the man I dreamt of.”
*******************
My dear Richa,
……………….. I think you know all that you needed to . I leave it all to you to decide. I am with you. But please ensure first that Jeet is not like the man I fell in love with and married.
Not Dr. Rekha Mistry
But
Your loving Mamma.
***********************
“Jeet, I guess I need some more time.”
~~~~
P.S. : Wishing the female readers a happy International Womens' Day (March 8).
P.P.S. : This post is a fictionalised account of a real incident . Its about Dr. Mitu Khurana, a Delhi based pediatrician. She is the first woman to have filed a case under the PC-PNDT act against her husband and in laws. She also filed a case against a Delhi based hospital and the doctor who did an ultra sound on her to determine the sex of her twins fetuses. Mitu’s in-laws who wanted her to undergo an abortion tortured, her. She endured the abuse and harassment. She gave premature birth to twin girls. Her ordeal didn't end there. Mitu's attempts over 3 years to get her husband to accept the girls failed. Instead, she was thrown out of the house, so that her husband could marry again. Mitu is now trying to fight the case under the PCPNDT Act that clearly states that hospital and doctors should neither conduct sex determination tests nor disclose the sex of the fetuses.
Comments
Happy women's Day dear in advance.
happy women's day girl! :)
This was a beautiful piece of work.
1)Neither transparency nor clarity in the functioning of the Act.
2)Wrong-reporting regarding the number of court cases filed.that is around 5%
3)Lack of accountability and will to enforce the law.
4)there is no monitoring of actions prescribed in the act
and women are involved in many cases violating this law.so as long as it continues who's gonna solve this problem?
Can't comment more on this though I want too...
Well-done.
It moved me so much.
Should appreciate her for her determination..
Yes...someday....
Thank you !
Thanks dear :)
She is still fighting. For the cause of half of the world.
Thanks !!
The thrust of this post was on the plight of an educated woman and her struggle.
I am a novice in legal matters and would not like to comment on those aspects right now.
You really can't....after a certain point one becomes really impassive.
Thanks !
It moved me too. Hats off to the lady !
Yes, certainly.
And yes the struggle continues. The Government and authorities have joined the accused and are shielding them. The authorities are asking me to settle the cases and withdraw my cases- and either give my husband a son or a divorce so that he can remarry to have sons.
u can know more on -www.mitukhurana.wordpress.com .
thanks a lot for bringing this out so beautifully.
I can't tell you how glad I am to see you here.
I saw on CNN-IBN the other day and was moved by what you said. This post is a story based on your experiences.
I hope that you win this battle - not only for your daughters but also for those 50 million missing women - I am with you in your struggle.
Give my love to your girls.