Photo Courtesy of Lakshmi Bhat
“What’s the matter, Aditi?” Bavishni asked her friend. They were sitting on the verandah watching little Jaafar run barefoot about the yard.
Aditi sighed. “I’m pregnant,” she announced.
“Pregnant?” Bavishni got up and hugged her. “Congratulations!”
“Thanks.”
“You don’t seem happy that you’re pregnant.”
“What if it’s another girl?”
“So what?”
“You can say that because you have a son. Tahir and I already have a girl. What if this one’s another girl instead of a boy?”
“Aditi, it isn’t the end of the world if you have another girl–”
“You’ve been living in America too long, Bavishni. You’ve forgotten our ways. Back home having a girl is considered by many to be a curse. Don’t you remember what happened to Rekha? She had another daughter and her mother-in-law poured paraffin over her. She was about to strike a match and set her on fire in the bed when the neighbors rushed in. They’d heard Rekha screaming. I don’t want that to happen to me if this baby turns out to be another girl.”
Bavishni put her arm around her. “Tahir won’t let anyone harm you. He loves you.”
“But he wants a son.”
“I hope it’s a boy.”
200 Words
This story was inspired by the sad reality that still exists in India where according to Anju Dubey Panbey, of the Centre for Social Research, “if you are blessed with a son you are almost revered, and if you are the mother of daughters you are made to feel guilty and your status in your family goes down. It is very, very disturbing.” To read more about this, visit Here. Many Indians don’t want daughters who become financial burdens because the matrimonial dowry demanded by a groom’s family. Perhaps the best solution to this problem may be to do away with the dowry.
This was written for Sunday Photo Fiction hosted by Susan Spaulding. For more details visit Here. To read more of the stories based on this week’s prompt, visit Here.
Source: The Guardian
Notes to Women 
Hmm, since it is the males that determine sex of a child, if anyone is punished, it should be the man… Actually, doing away with the dowry might help.
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Yes, it is the man who determines the sex of the child. And I believe that doing away with the dowry might help.
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Horrible!
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It is.
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When children are reduced to how much material wealth they can bring in or take away from the family, then we still have our work cut out for us — especially as women.
And I hope women like Rekha’s mother-in-law are arrested for attempted murder.
Loving, appreciating and protecting one another as women, will go a long way.
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Yes, all children are gifts from God and both male and female were created in His image which makes both of great value in His eyes. Women need to support and validate each other. It breaks my heart that there are women like Rekha’s mother-in-law and you’re right, she should be arrested for attempted murder.
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