"....The most divine thing for a woman is to become a mother. And there is no better boon than giving birth to a girl child"
She ended her speech amidst loud cheers and applause at the Conference on saving the girl child. She was one of the chairperson of the NGO which worked towards protecting the interests of the girl child and their development. They worked in educating rural folks against female infanticide and to nurture importance of the development of the girl child.
She was very tired after a hectic day hoarded with meetings and conferences. She came to her room, decided to take a nap. She lied down, started feeling her stomach and silently wished for a boy.
hehe awesome:) Good one.
ReplyDeletehumm, i feel a mother might wish for a boy,only coz she doesnt want her girl to suffer like her.
ReplyDeleteBut at least she has done some work towards saving the girl child. Wishing(boy/girl) for own can be a purely personal thing. Surely, she won't sniuff out poor foetus if it were a girl. But the horrible society might try to hurt her little girl just to hurt her. There are too many horrendous males around. Nowadays, they even don't let little boys be - paedophiles, gays( b'coz it in) and what not.
ReplyDeleteEXACTLY.. double standards...SAD though , because of our culture women are enemies of women..
ReplyDeleteI was reading the news whereby the number of womenin relation to men is very low.. and especially in Punjab side the guys are actually BUYING wifes from bengal or nepal and place like that...
So this is becoming another problem .. I hope people do get educated and know what is going on and do something about it ..
BUt WOMEN need to help Women... because beleive it or not .. but as far as my experience is .. its mostly the women in the house who want there daughter in laws to have a son .. or there daughters to have sons.. Men are happy with daughters.. thats why DADDY's GIRL phrase.. a thought ot think about ...
great one..this is one of the best micro fictions I have read..message well conveyed..
ReplyDeleteInsignia, can you edit your post and add PS please? you can copy paste what I have written:
PS: This post is a fiction.
PPS: I am trying to portray the hypocrite side of a lady.
I agree with Neha about the PS thing.
ReplyDeleteThis is how it is, you know. Most us of talk but when it comes to us, we dont follow what we say.
I dont really care for the NGOs who put in such work to get publicity otherwise this lady would not be wishing a boy for herself.
ReplyDeleteBut, in today's world where the girls are doing equally well or better than boys, does it matter---boy or a girl.
Very nicely written. Conveys the meaning clearly. Looks like the woman has double standards.
ReplyDeleteAt the same time, some people might think that she does not wish a girl be born to her after witnessing the sufferings of other girl children….but once a girl is born then it is our duty to protect that child.
what an irony? It's doublespeak and hypocrisy. Why preach what you yourself can't practice? Why wear the fake veneer of righteousness? Does it take so much to be one's self? Why we can't be what we actually are? So many questions actually.
ReplyDelete@ Neha,
ReplyDeleteNo need for that PS. We all know it is a fiction.
@ SG, I don't think you got my sarcasm! Next time I will mention it specifically that my comment is sarcastic!
ReplyDeleteAnd let me correct you - not all think it is a fiction. My comment has some purpose and meaning which you missed out completely!
ithula intha kalathula this is the situation.... as always double minded, external behaviour... ithu lyke me... veliya humor , inside ore serious nan :)..! tc ...nice one mate
ReplyDeleteGood one Insignia...
ReplyDeleteIt is a fiction and the hypocrisy applicable to the character in it!
Because the way I see it, most people nowadays who adopt, hence have a choice over the gender adopt girls... three of my girl-cousins are adopted. :)
Really, really loved it....
Kish,
ReplyDeleteThank you :-)
ZB,
ReplyDeleteMaybe, maybe not. This is just a fiction and I am throwing light on one dimension of a woman.
Holy Lama,
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comments. My point is would you preach effectively in what you dont believe in? Or you are doing it just to earn some bucks?
Yeah, society is there only to break things, ironically its present to make things. But is it not stupid if she is scared of the society?
Nice one.. The words have been beautifully etched in a beautiful ensemble of this micro fictio.. This piece rocks..:)
ReplyDeleteBik,
ReplyDeleteTrue, women are enemies of women. There are so many women I know who dont want a girl child themselves. What if their mother had thought the same?
I agree with what you say.
Neha,
ReplyDeleteThank you. I am glad you liked it and understood the intent.
Hehehe, I believe people will understand its a fiction :-P.
But thanks for the PS and the PPS :-D
Harini,
ReplyDeleteWelcome to B Log. :-)
Oh 1 more to support about the PS thing. Thank you.
Exactly, we can only talk, when it comes to us, we are all cowards!!
SG,
ReplyDeleteThank you. I m glad you understood what it meant.
Most woman or for that matter most of us have double standards.
We preach, but when it comes to us, we cant implement.
Dont you think she must be the first one to wish for a girl child so that she brings up that kid in such a beautiful manner after seeing all those sufferings?
Chowla sir,
ReplyDeleteYes exactly!! Maybe she doesnt believe in what she does. She does it just to earn her bucks.
Not many would readily approve of the fact that girls are equally and most cases doing better than boys. Kudos to you on that. Yet, there are many many women who dont wish for girl child and who abandon them, kill them!!
Its horrendous!
ajay,
ReplyDeleteYes, slit tongue. You have asked all the questions that must be asked.
Thank you very much. Glad you liked the comment.
Hary,
ReplyDeleteYes, and its sad. :-) Glad you liked it.
Guria,
ReplyDeleteThank you very much. Its the hypocrisy definitely.
And kudos to your family who have adopted girl children.
:-) I am so glad you loved the piece.
sushobhan,
ReplyDeleteThanks. Glad that you liked it. My attempt with a social message :-)
True for so many things. Practice what you preach just doesn't cut it these days.
ReplyDeleteThough it is fiction, human beings are complex characters. Women can do everything possible to protect the interest of female children and on the same time desire a son. I don't think it is double standard.
ReplyDeleteMy wife is a feminist and very active to protect the interest of females. She desired a GIRL CHILD. She wanted a girl and she got it. But she would have been equally happy if she had a boy. She was happy when her brother had a boy.
Well, for a change could guess the plot quite accurately. :)
ReplyDeleteJust curious, would you consider it alright if a couple/prospective parent desires girl child instead of a boy?
Is it fundamentally wrong to desire child of one gender over the other?
Does such desire necessarily lead to suboptimal nurture once a child of gender other than the desired one is born?
Above ones are not rhetorical questions at all. I know, I'm taking this discussion along an entirely different tangent, & not even talking of hypocrisy & double standards that are so prevalent in our society!
But I wanted to point out, our politically correct society is overburdening young, educated people with 'readymade' ideals. Humans must not be transformed into machines to lose all their preferences.
Parents, like first-time lovers fantasize about their child - right from rocking the cradle cradle, through naming the child, through their getting top ranks, through their having crushes, to their kids' marriage & themselves becoming grandparents. Is it possible all these fantasies be unisex (genderless)? I believe, obviously every parent would find one set of fantasies involving a particular gender more endearing than the other. If (please note the emphasis) it's such psychic processes that lead to gender-preferences, then we must extend normal human-empathy to them & not paint them as narrow-minded or prejudiced in our attempt to be politically correct.
All this is not to deny existence of blind preference for male child & evils like infanticide & discrimination against girl child it has led to.
BTW, I'd not read others' comments before publishing above comment. :) Found A's comment above to a quite practical.
ReplyDeleteActually it happens to us all, right. Fear to follow what we ourselves preach..
ReplyDeleteNicely portrayed.
And, it tuly becomes complete with the PS. =D
Also also, get the bloggy award heer!
ReplyDeletehttp://eternalthinker.blogspot.com/2010/05/award-friday.html
Shaunak,
ReplyDelete:-) Yes, you got my point.
A,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your views. Its the complex and unpredictability of the human mind that I am talking about. Its for readers to interpret the way they want to, the choice is open. Double standards, hypocrisy, feminism....its all left open. I have left it to the readers.
But ultimately its a piece of fiction.
Ketan,
ReplyDeleteLong time no see. You are back with a bang!!
Well, let me re-iterate that its just fiction and entirely been looked at from different perspective. I accept everyone's view.
"Just curious, would you consider it alright if a couple/prospective parent desires girl child instead of a boy?"
Does my writing give an idea as if I am propagating that what the lady desired was wrong? All I am trying to say is few things is life stays the way it is, few things are tough to be implemented in read life, however it is preached.
Is it fundamentally wrong to desire child of one gender over the other? - No
Does such desire necessarily lead to suboptimal nurture once a child of gender other than the desired one is born?
YES!!! And mind you, YES in bold. Have seen this, witnessed this, and more than that. Dont want to go into the details.
How many parents are ideal?? One doesnt beome a parent just because he/she has a child. There's more to than just being called a parent. Not many!!
"our politically correct society is overburdening young, educated people with 'readymade' ideals" - Arent the young and the educated intelligent enough to guage what is right what is wrong?
Why follow something thats a convention? Who is forcing on them, no one but themselves.
Again, these are all my personal opinion based on what I have witnessed. I am not trying to be politically correct here, I am not even saying such desires is due to narrow minded and double standards.
After all, it IS a fiction!!!
et,
ReplyDelete:-) Fear!! yes, what would others say. :-)
Exactly. Oh oh!! you too feel I should have added a PS?
:-D
Thanks a ton for the award et boy!! I shall pick it up.
This is the contradiction in people at its best.
ReplyDeleteI have always been a feminist of different kind, I dont believe in literal equality, but I wanted a girl got her and then gave her lots of love and all that I could, and today she is an accomplished person in her own right and bringing happiness to two families, mine and her inlaws
This is equality for me..being the best in your own space, instead of trying to be like a boy or changing the equations of family.
nice one...
ReplyDeleteand yes please add the PS as neha said...I think it is required.
Nice piece of fiction. Short and very real.
ReplyDeleteBut, why do people create this big ruckus of "boy" or "girl"? It should rather be "I want a normal healthy baby", bcoz the more complex our lifestyles, the more complex the pregnancy and delivery. I think we take too much for granted!
Samvedna,
ReplyDeleteThank you. Oh yes the idea of gender equality is misinterpreted.
Gayathri,
ReplyDeleteThank you. :-D I still believe people are intelligent :-D
RGB,
ReplyDeleteThank you. Glad you liked it.
Yeah, but thats not the case always.
That was something very well pointed and giving a message for sure.
ReplyDeleteBut that can't be the case in general. My mom tells me that she wanted a girl and I was born and so she made me dress like a girl in my childhood.
It may be about priorities and likeness.
Human brain is really a very complex machine. The complexities are ever increasing and sometimes we contradict ourselves on those thoughts which happen to be the strongest in our nature.
Awesome work anyways..
Cheers
Nuts
Lot of writers believe if they understand what they wrote, the readers will/should/must understand their writing. That is not correct. If a reader does not understand the writing it is the fault of the writer.
ReplyDeleteNipun,
ReplyDeleteIts just a fiction and my one dimensional thinking. But thanks a lot, I am glad you liked it.
As you say human brain is so complex that words cant do any justice to explain it. It could only be partial
awesome... what contradiction...
ReplyDeletepowerful post :D
in a few lines you said truth about India.
ReplyDeletevillagers or towns or metro everyone has one wish baby boy or keep trying.
Insignia,
ReplyDeleteMy questions were not related to your story. I'd asked them only because I had thought about them myself. :)
"Arent the young and the educated intelligent enough to guage what is right what is wrong? Why follow something thats a convention? Who is forcing on them, no one but themselves."
Nobody forces, but we must remember peer pressure is a strong factor.
SG,
I feel we should use the word "fault" if something harmful happens. A reader not interpreting story in the same manner (if at all) as desired by the author is hardly harmful to anyone, so why invent a crime-less guilt by invoking "fault"?
@Ketan,
ReplyDeleteI do not think “fault” means something harmful happened. Also, it does not mean a crime is committed. I meant it as an “error”.
In tennis, they use the terms “double fault” and “foot fault”. It is only a game and nothing harmful happens in a tennis game.
Rajlakshmi,
ReplyDeleteThank you. Glad you liked it :-)
sm,
ReplyDeletethank you. Thats true. :-)
Ketan,
ReplyDeleteThank you for it. Oh yes, peer pressure. Its always there at any point in time. Its left to us as to how to handle it. I strongly believe that its what you decide ultimately.
Awesome ! The dilemmas of day to day living ! Where modern day vocalisations coexist with traditional thoughts !
ReplyDeleteSigh !
@SG:- or maybe the reader should take a few lessons .. or not READ what they cant understand ..
ReplyDeleteHow can you justify the level of a reader to a writer.. The writer while writing has his/her own chain of thoughts .. If you as a reader cant understand how can it be a writers fault..
It just shows the level of the reader who can never come up to the level of the writer...
SO until you can reach that stage it would be best to shutup and think before you write .. you are just capable of identifying the word fault with that being used in tennis.. IS THAT IT
a double fault or foot fault ..
there are others faults tooo
the cracks in walls and land are also caleld faults .. but i guess you knew that already did you not and if not then blame your teachers...
Kavi,
ReplyDeleteThank you. You put it across appropriately :-)
:)... I want to write some thing..
ReplyDeletebut its not flowing....
on same lines....
nice one from you...Keep smiling..
:-) Think about it and write. you will surely write something nice :-)
ReplyDeleteThanks :-)
Oh Oh That reminds me once again, My bhai and bhabhi got a girl child yesterday and they wanted a girl child. :)
ReplyDeletePratik,
ReplyDeleteThats so sweet :-)
SG,
ReplyDeleteEven in tennis, a fault leads to a harm - of losing a point one wanted to win. Moreover in tennis, there's a restricted area to hit the ball in, whereas in case of communication gap, both the writer & the reader could be at fault (provided some harm is done). I'm baffled how you could so convincingly state fault always lies with the writer. There's an apt saying in Hindi - bhains ke aage been bajaana. Yes, if one repeatedly plays the organ before the buffalo, I would consider it a 'fault' of the 'buffalo-charmer' (a la snake-charmer!), but if the obdurate buffalo sits in a musician's concert uninvited, I'd consider it 'fault' of the buffalo.
Insignia,
Following is largely unconnected to what we'd discussed priorly.
I was talking from perspective of the peers, and not one experiencing the pressure. I feel, we as individuals have become slaves of society to such great degree that we forget society is composed of individuals. Not to offend you, but to make you think, why do we stress so much on tolerating the peer pressure? When will we start stressing on need of individuals to empathize with each other so as to not exert a peer pressure in the first place?
Due to exam-pressure children commit suicide. We talk of coping techniques, but hardly we chastize or at least try to counsel those who create such pressure!
Why can't we all be better human beings rather than trying to evolve coping techniques, taking sadistic intentions that give rise to peer pressure as a given? Does our world really need to be dog-eat-dog & a rat race?
Sorry, this was a rant, but this is something I feel strongly about.
Why do we want people to conform? Why do we not try to understand the underlying reason for someone's aberrating before ridiculing them?
That active peer pressure exists is a strong indicator of collective sadism in the society. Usually, I use my apathy to shield myself against the pain such sadism causes - not because it affects me, but because I'd envisaged better humans & a better society. At other times, I rant like this.
I'm afraid, the comment I just left on your newer blog talks of tolerance, but of course, ideally I'd like respondents to not deliberately hurt each other.
Take care.
Ketan,
ReplyDeleteThank you. Havent read your comment yet to be honest . I shall read them when I find time and peace of mind as I do like to read your view points with apt concentration.