Mummy, please reach Bangalore by day after tomorrow without fail. I am going to get admitted tomorrow to the hospital and the next day I will get operated.”
Vaishali got worried after listening to her daughter Ananya.
“What happened, Ananya? There are 17 days left for your delivery. What is the sudden urgency?” asked Vaishali in a frightful tone.
“Mummy, everything is fine. Actually, there is an important project in the office, which I want to take up. If I wait till the due date of my delivery then I won’t be able to join office by the expected date and I will lose out on the opportunity. This project is of foremost importance for my career,” said Ananya. “What?” Vaishali got tense. “You’re going to forsake the birth of a child for a mere project? It is a premature delivery, are you out of your mind, Ananya?”
“Mummy! Don’t worry. I spoke to the doctor, the infant is fully developed, and there is no danger. Yes, if there is any, then the baby will have to stay in the incubator for two to three days,” said Ananya.
“Are you a mother or a butcher! You’re taking away the basic right from an innocent child to grow in its mother’s womb,” Vaishali said with anguish.
“What do I do, mummy? I am forced to do this. If I don’t do so, my professional progress will be hampered. You know very well, how hard I worked, and the difficulties I went through for
a successful career. Please come on time.” Ananya hung up.
Vaishali was anxious. She began to worry about the unborn child. She went out to the veranda to sit with her husband. He was reading the newspaper. He asked, “What happened? Whom were you arguing with?”
“With your lovely daughter,” said Vaishali.
“Why? What happened?” Her husband’s eyes were fixed on the newspaper. Vaishali narrated the conversation she had with their daughter. Shekhar was taken aback. He kept the paper aside and sat pensively.
Vaishali reached Bangalore on the fixed date. The next day, everybody reached the hospital in the morning. Ananya was taken to the operation theatre. Forty minutes later, the nurse informed that it was a boy.
“How is the baby?”
“How is Ananya?”
“When will we be able to see him?”
Everybody showered the nurse with questions.
“The baby is fine; the doctor is getting done with Ananya’s check-up. It will take a while. She’s completely okay. She will get shifted to the room in some time.”
In no time, Ananya was shifted to the room. The nurse asked the others to go to the nursery to see the child. Vaishali and Ananya’s mother in-law, Aruna, went to the nursery room. Both of their hearts were throbbing. The little boy’s grandfather, grandmother, father and nanny were present here but not close enough to him. Vaishali did not want to talk to her daughter.
After six days, the doctor said, “The infant is fully healthy now, you can take him home.” The doctor left the baby in Vaishali’s arms.
Meanwhile, Ananya continued to remain absorbed in her work. She resumed office in the next 20 days itself, and did not have any time for the baby. Ayush on the other hand, spent time with the baby whenever he could.
With time, Vaishali too wanted to get back to her home town. She suggested taking Ananya and the baby with her, but Ananya refused. She asked Vaishali to leave for home if she wished to, and that Ananya would manage with a nanny. Vaishali was surprised; the thought of letting a nanny take care of the baby was not acceptable to her. She tried to make her daughter understand the importance of being a mother, when Ananya replied back saying, “Mummy! Right from childhood, it was you who stressed on the importance of a career by citing various examples of successful women around the world. And now suddenly you want me to leave everything and care for the baby. You’ve always been by my side and encouraged me to study. Now that I am facing a hard situation in my life, be by my side for this too.” She paused, sighed and continued, “Don’t misunderstand me. I love my child. But I know for a fact that I have given the responsibility of my child’s care and security to those who love him more than me. In your presence, I am content and calm. It is just a matter of a few months, please support me.” After she completed her sentence, she grabbed her bag and left for her office with weak steps.
Vaishali and Aruna glanced at each other while she walked away.
…………………………………………………………………………
“It is true that we gave birth to the current Hi-tech generation. Right from their childhood, we have only injected into their minds the importance of getting various degrees and being placed at high postions in multinational companies. We should surrender and accept that we are responsible for some amount of it. We encouraged them to break the customs and fly high. Now, can we expect them to come down to earth and be found in a cage?
“I was tense about Ananya’s health. We have to lose something to gain something. Both of them and the current generation have to give up on something or the other,” Aruna sighed, while standing in the verandah.
The infant broke her thoughts with a cry.
Vaishali rushed.
—Vinita Rahurikar
