New Baby

The other day Maga Ram called Vuta Ram to tell him that he was at the hospital because Radha's sister had just delivered her baby.  We went with Vuta Ram and Vimla-ji to the hospital to visit.  Vimla-ji took me with her into the ward to visit the mother and baby.  When we got into the room there were beds full of women, with guests either sitting on the floor or on the beds with the new mothers.  Radha was sitting on the ground with another woman next to the bed that her sister was lying on.  I could feel the weight of sadness as soon as I walked in.  I was given chai and as I sat there sipping it, I was told that she had just had her sixth girl, and so the mother was disappointed since she had wanted a son.  I asked where the baby was and was shown a bundle of blankets behind the mother's back.  The mother was lying on her side on the mattress and the baby was wrapped in blankets and lying behind her.  The mother sat up after a few minutes but faced the wall and not the rest of us or the baby.  I asked to take a photo of the baby and even then the mother didn't turn around.  The baby is healthy, but I could sense the sadness the mother was feeling.  It was so hard to see a mother so disappointed by her newborn baby, and this in the family of someone who works on the issue of female feticide and women's rights.  It just showed me how expectations are so deeply imprinted on women's lives and psyches.  I saw the father of the baby today in the vegetable market and asked about the mother and baby, and he said they are both fine.  I hope that the family can embrace and love this beautiful baby girl.