Winds of change
- drsarojsalelkar
- Sep 2, 2024
- 2 min read
In this world we cross paths with many kinds of people. The egoist, the kind, the misogynist, the courageous and so on and so forth. Given the patriarchal society we live in few people from the older generation rejoiced the birth of a girl child. However, things have changed rapidly and many individuals now do not overtly concern themselves with the sex of the baby.
Thus given the scenario we live in I had an elderly couple in my clinic yesterday. They were not very educated but had a great sense of understanding. They being my regular patients share a personal bond with me. We discuss issues beyond their health concerns. They often tell me about their farm in the native place which is an orchard of mangoes and guavas. Along with coconuts and lemon plants. They visit the place for months together to work on the farm and in the field.
This time they had to cut their visit short as their daughter in law was due for delivery. They are a family of two brothers and both of them inturn had sons. Hence, they were yearning for the birth of a girl child in the family. The girl child in Indian traditions is believed to be a manifestation of goddess Lakshmi herself. Thus they were very anxious as the goddess had not graced their family for two generations!
Finally, after the delivery when the doctors brought the baby to the eager relatives and announced the baby to be a girl. Tears of happiness flowed down their cheeks.
When speaking to me they said,” doctor both of us cried out of happiness as goddess Lakshmi had finally graced our humble abode”. There was so much love and tenderness in their voice and expression that a tear flowed down my cheek too.
The point of telling this experience is not to favour a particular sex of a child over another, but to make us realise that where there used to be killing of a girl child at birth, the present time showcases how much of the lost glory the girl child has regained. When a girl child can also be the sincere desire of grandparents in a patriarchal society, it signifies that the winds of change are blowing in the right direction.
What brings a tear of joy to your eye?
