THE ECHOES OF CHANGE
The morning sun unfurled its golden tendrils across the tranquil village, casting a shimmering light on dew-kissed petals and awakening the world from its nocturnal slumber. Muskaan, with her friend Ammu in tow, was absorbed in her task of reaching for the fruits hanging from the tree near her home when her grandmother’s call pierced the serene silence.
“Muskaan…Come now?” her grandmother’s voice rang with a sense of urgency.
“Coming, Dadi!” Muskaan replied, her words rushing out as she bounded toward the house, her excitement barely contained.
Entering the home, Muskaan was greeted by the sight of her mother holding a plate of her favorite dish. With unrestrained joy, she leapt into her mother’s arms, her delight momentarily overshadowing the gravity of her own impending motherhood.
“Muskaan, you must be more cautious now,” her grandmother chided gently. “After all, your brother is on the way.”
Muskaan’s eyes sparkled as she clung to her mother, oblivious to the underlying tension in her grandmother’s voice.
As night fell, a cacophony of voices jolted Muskaan from her slumber. Her mother, tear-streaked and frantic, burst into the room.
“If it’s not a boy, then you won’t keep the baby,” Muskaan overheard her grandmother’s words, laden with finality.
Confusion gripped Muskaan as she sought solace from her mother. “Mumma, what was Dadi saying about not keeping the baby? What did she mean?”
“You’re too young to grasp such things,” her mother sobbed, her voice breaking.
Determined, Muskaan declared, “I’ll speak with Dadi. Mission Muskaan is on!” She zipped around the room, her laughter masking her resolve.
The next morning, while getting her hair plaited and humming a song from a school competition, Muskaan asked, “Grandma, don’t you love me?”
“I do, my dear,” the grandmother said, placing a gentle kiss on Muskaan’s forehead.
“Then why did you say you don’t want the baby if it’s not a boy?” Muskaan inquired, her tone both innocent and probing.
“These are matters beyond your understanding,” the grandmother retorted sharply. “Children should not concern themselves with such things.”
Muskaan, feeling a sting of betrayal, refused to eat until her grandmother capitulated. “Alright, Muskaan. To prove that girls can match boys in every respect, you’ll need to win a bet. Are you ready?”
“Yes!” Muskaan exclaimed, her spirit undampened.
“Then start eating, and we’ll discuss it tomorrow.”
The following day, Muskaan embarked on her quest with determination. Her grandmother challenged her to find a girl who could drive heavy motor vehicles. Muskaan’s search led her to a poster of Kalpana Chawla, the astronaut. “Dadi!” Muskaan exclaimed, holding up the poster. “She charted her path across the skies, not just vehicles!”
Her triumph was overshadowed when Ranjana, a neighborhood girl, returned late from college. Her mother, filled with anxiety about her safety, had been waiting for her. When Ranjana arrived, accompanied by Saket and a lady constable, her mother’s anger boiled over, resulting in a painful reprimand. The constable’s intervention revealed Ranjana’s bravery in defending herself from an assault. Her mother, now filled with regret, apologized, while the grandmother’s face fell into distress.
The next morning, Muskaan’s family visited the hospital for a check-up and final decisions about the baby. Muskaan, overwhelmed with emotion, felt she had failed to change her grandmother’s mind.
At the hospital, as the nurse reviewed the reports, Muskaan’s father was approached by her school principal, who congratulated him on Muskaan’s selection for a national singing competition.
When Muskaan’s parents and grandmother received the doctor’s report, the grandmother cut off the doctor’s words, demanding only to know that the baby was healthy.
“The baby is fine,” the doctor started.
“That’s all I need to know,” the grandmother interrupted. “If the baby is healthy, nothing else matters.”
Muskaan’s parents exchanged relieved smiles, and with a mixture of trepidation and hope, announced to Muskaan, “Muskaan, look who’s here! The baby is fine, and you won the bet!”
Tears of relief and joy streamed down Muskaan’s face as she embraced her parents. She had not only won the bet but had also challenged and subtly shifted the boundaries of a tradition that had been unchallenged for too long. In this small victory, Muskaan’s resolve had transcended the constraints of her grandmother’s rigid beliefs, opening a space for new possibilities and questioning the value of age-old prejudices.
Muskaan’s journey, though simple, posed a profound question to her family and to the world: Can the value of a human being truly be measured by gender, or does true worth lie in the courage to confront and redefine entrenched norms?
By: SHOBHA ARORA CHUTANI
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