The News

The News

Avinash’s life had been on the happiest curve ever since he had met Ankita. A business seminar was all that it took to introduce them to each other. Then a series of events took place, one thing led to another, leading to their first kiss and eventually a happy married life. Both of them were married for almost 4 years then and everyday passed like another fairy tale. But that particular day had been worth a silver memory. That day brought The news that changed his life forever!

Ankita called in to inform him that they were both soon to be the parents to a baby girl! Well yeah, Ankita had been pregnant for 3 months and sadly Avinash had his official commitments in the form of various meetings, seminars and trainings that had forced him to leave Ankita with their budding child at their home in Delhi and had since been away at Bangalore for almost 2 months then.

However Ankita’s call in the morning filled Avinash with new energy and new hopes. She had gone for the sex-determination and found out about the baby girl. He agreed that sex determination was a legal offence, but he had no problems as long as it made them happy. So as planned, he booked the first flight to Delhi from Bangalore, for the very next day.

‘Daddy will be home soon Angel,’ he said to himself or rather to his yet to be daughter, as he switched off the hotel room lights and went to sleep.

The next day was after all the day that he would be seeing his life- Ankita and their yet to be daughter- Angel. Well, yeah he had named her Angel, even before she was born out of the curious love of a father for his daughter, we all agree! 

The next day started well as usual. Avinash along with Ajay, his colleague, checked out of the hotel and went straight to the airport. Ajay congratulated him for the obvious good news and then they were inside the plane.

‘Look at them Avinash,’ Ajay said, ogling over the group of air-hostesses. ‘What a beauty, what a figure and what a… you know what I mean right? And don’t forget the tight blouse and skirt, oh my god!’

‘Well yeah, sexy ladies, I must agree,’ Avinash joined in the ogling spree and both had a great laugh and all the manly talks that do follow after such sprees.

They landed in Delhi and after bidding goodbye to Ajay, Avinash headed straight towards his home in a hired taxi. He had been planning all sorts of things for her Angel: from her career to her marriage, from her first toy to her prince charming. No surprises why the daughters have special affinity in their fathers’ hearts! But, the scenario at the home shattered all his dreams.

‘We have been trying to convince Ankita for an abortion, but she wouldn’t listen, son,’ Avinash’s mother said after he freshened up. ‘Now only you can convince her of the same. Do it now!’

‘Wh..a..t!!!!’ Avinash freaked out obviously. ‘What the hell… are you talking about? I mean… what abortion? Why should she abort the child?’

‘Don’t freak out my dear,’ she said. ‘You very well know that she is to deliver a girl. And girls are nothing more than a neck breaking responsibility!’

‘What the hell ma??’ he couldn’t stop freaking out. ‘We are in 21^st century, 2015! What era are you living in?? Grow up!’

            But her mother didn’t listen. All she could argue was how girls were just a piece of crap on the family and how she wanted a boy to make them proud in future! She babbled what most of the people in the country do. She warned him of the girl’s education and dowry expenses and all other crap. And he couldn’t believe his eyes and ears! So frustrated, he went inside his bedroom to console Ankita. And yeah, he by no means was to listen to his mother’s hideous advice!

‘Oh my dear,’ he hugged Ankita, as soon as he entered the bedroom. Ankita was sitting on the bed, taking support of the vertical extension that the beds generally provide.

‘So, your mother asked you something, didn’t she?’ Ankita asked him calmly.

‘Oh, forget about that sweetie,’ he said, as he place his palm over hers and hugged her tightly again. ‘She is just not in her right minds right now. But don’t worry; I am with you in your decision.  Angel will see this world anyhow.’

‘Oh, I don’t think you are with me in my decision Avinash,’ she said. ‘I want to abort the child!’

‘What!!!’ he was shocked, for obviously he didn’t think a mother could anytime say something like this about her child. ‘Hey, don’t worry dear, don’t say such things. Nobody is forcing you for a damn abortion. I am with you!’

‘I am not under pressure from anyone for this, you get it??’ Ankita screamed. ‘I just want to abort my child for I don’t want to see her suffer!’

‘What?’ Avinash was broken. He wasn’t registering anything around him and nobody was making any sense in whatever they said. ‘What are you talking about sweetie? Why are you talking like this?’

‘I don’t want to see my daughter suffer!’ she said, with broken voice and tears in her eyes.  ‘I want her to die at once rather than dying every day that she lives.’

‘Why is everybody babbling nonsense here?’ Avinash said, broken completely. ‘What has happened to every one of you??’

‘You want to listen that? Ok fine then,’ she said.

‘I don’t want my daughter to see the face of the world that still considers girls as a burden. I don’t want my sweetheart to start compromising from the day she gets a bit mature and still get unnoticed.  I don’t want my child to accept every pain and every injustice as her destiny. For what would she face when she comes into this world? The first lesson that I myself would be giving her is to stay away from unknown boys and men, why? Because I would fear my angel getting sexually abused everyday that she would be outside the home for her school, playing, coaching, college or even for her work! I can’t ask the bastards out there to stop considering my baby or any other girl as a chance to calm their hunger!’ she burst out.

‘What are you saying Ankita?’ Avinash was still unable to comprehend the situation.

‘Why? What else do you think happens to every girl here? What else do you expect from the country where an unknown and alone girl is considered an opportunity to attack rather than a responsibility to protect? What else can I expect with my daughter’s future in a land where a sister or mother is remembered more in the cheap expletives than in prayers and care? And what should I expect my baby to do? Just cover herself from head to toe just because there are thousands of rascals waiting to grab her and rape her? Or avoid having male friends because either she will be considered a slut by the society or one of her those friends would themselves maul her in their spree of satisfying their needs?’ she said.

‘But these are your mere assumptions aren’t they?’ Avinash said, in a bid to convince her.

‘You really think so? Then ask your sisters or your mother of how many times since their childhood they were nearly molested or ran from being ogled by someone. And wait! Forget about them. Just ask yourself how many times have you ogled amorously over a girl and stripped her naked in your imagination? And how many times haven’t you passed any derogatory remark on a random girl being a slut when either she wore short clothes that she was comfortable with or was seen with a group of male buddies, having fun? How many times did you had the temptation to grope a girl at a crowded place and even randomly touched her somehow, getting the crowd as a cover and an excuse???? You know you have done this all a lot. And not only have you, but all the men have done this at one point or another in their lives. I will kill my daughter before she gets killed every day after her birth!’

Avinash felt ashamed remembering all those incidents that Ankita mentioned, the most recent being the air-hostess one. Are the situations so worse that a mother is ready to kill her own daughter before her birth??? With all guilt and shame, his head hung low.

‘You know what? We live in a society where a Sita is asked to prove her integrity through agneepariksha even after enduring the wrath of the Ravana and still remaining faithful to her husband and the Ravana is not even questioned of a why! Where a Draupadi is publicly ridiculed and deprived of her self respect and the greatest of Bhisma Pitamaahs watch her suffer silently. Where a boy is considered macho if he has more than one 1 girlfriend or female friends but a girl is considered a slut for the same reason. Where a women or a girl feels scared every time and everywhere of losing her modesty to the wolves lurking around! And where a girl is considered a doll to fondle, undress and play with!’

‘But not every girl goes through this, I suppose,’ Avinash said meekly. ‘We still have had Smt. Indira Gandhi, Rani Laxmibai, Kalpana Chawala, Madhubala and more recently Saina Nehwaal, Shreya Ghoshal, Smt. Pratibha Patil and what not?? And we are proud of it. We are the nation that supports women empowerment upfront!’

‘I don’t disagree with that. But tell me, how many news channels continuously showed Saina being the number one in world badminton rankings and how many of them covered the Indian Cricket team being kicked out of the world cup? Forget about empowering women, first make sure that they aren't deprived of their birth right of being safe and being respected!! You belive it or not, but this is the stark reality! And I can’t let my daughter die every day so I will let her die for once and all!’

‘But this is illegal!’ Avinash protested.

‘And raping her isn’t? Insulting her isn’t? Killing her for dowry isn’t? ’ she asked.

It turned out that his mother and Ankita got Angel aborted and Avinash couldn’t do a thing to protect her! All his dreams were shattered and he saw his sweetheart die in front of him and saw his life- Ankita dying every day thereafter. But he was helpless! He was crying and suddenly the world started swiveling around and he fell into a trance, where he could only hear his cell phone ringing. He at once woke up on his hotel bed, sweating badly and wheezing. He saw his phone ringing and it was from Ankita.

‘Where are you? Did you checkout from the hotel?’ the phone went alive with her voice, as soon as he picked up the call.

            ‘Huh… what?’ he said, unable to comprehend what just happened. ‘Oh, yeah, I’ll be checking out soon and have a flight to Delhi in 4 hours.’

            ‘Oh, great,’ she said from the other side of the phone. ‘Come soon both Angel and me are waiting for you, love you!’

            ‘Yeah, love you my dear and can’t wait to feel Angel around me. Bye, will see you soon, take care and love you both!’ he said as he cut the call.

            So, all this turned out to be a nightmare and Avinash was still to leave for Delhi from Bangalore. He smiled and thanked god for the nightmare and decided to change himself and others around him for the sake of his Angel and may other Angles that suffer, being a girl.

            Now, for Avinash it was just a nightmare, but this can be horrendous reality to some of us. So let’s change and let’s make the women around us feel safe and loved. Let The News like this bring happiness to every would be parent and not nightmares! Let every women feel how important she is and how loved she is! Change comes from within and it can be brought for sure!  Let me take this opportunity to thank all the women in my life.  Yeah, you are all special and will always be. Be proud to be a woman and feel safe, for we all are with you. With this, and a hope for a safer and lovely future to all the women, I bid you all a goodbye with a promise to return with another story and another chain of thoughts. Till then keep reading, stay safe and be happy! 

                                                   Happy feminism!