The Forbidden Daughter. Shobhan Bantwal
down, she already knew the answer. The tiny image on the screen was plain enough.
“It’s a girl.”
Silence fell over the examination room as Isha and Nikhil tried to digest the doctor’s casual announcement. Nikhil stood motionless, his gaze fixed on some unknown spot on the wall.
Another girl! That was all that went through Isha’s mind over and over again, although she’d known it in her gut. Official confirmation just made it harder.
Assuming their silence indicated disappointment, Dr. Karnik said, “It is not the end of the world, you know.”
Isha rolled her eyes. “Maybe not to you, doctor. My in-laws will be devastated.”
Dr. Karnik shrugged. “So…we can fix that.”
“Excuse me!” Isha stared at the doctor. Had he really meant to say what she thought he’d meant? Or had she misunderstood him? She looked toward her husband, wondering if he had read the same message. All she saw was a puzzled look on Nikhil’s face. “What does that mean, doctor?”
“We can easily perform a clinical abortion,” the doctor replied. “You’re only in the beginning of your second trimester, and it is a fairly simple procedure.”
“Fairly simple!” Isha felt like she’d been punched in the stomach.
“Simple, safe, and fast, with today’s techniques,” assured the doctor.
“No!” Glancing at the screen again, she saw the fetus move. The baby! “That’s not an option.”
Dr. Karnik eyed her calmly. “It’s up to you, of course.” He had thinning gray hair and steel-rimmed glasses. His thin mustache was all gray. His shoulders were beginning to droop. Dressed in mousy brown pants and a long white lab coat, he looked like a harmless old grandfather. Isha wondered how a gentleman could say such hideous things with such nonchalance.
Nikhil spoke for the first time, his voice sounding uncharacteristically shaky. “She’s right, doctor. As long as the child is healthy, we won’t discuss anything like…abortion.” Even the word seemed to be stuck in his throat. In fact, there was that familiar spark of anger in his eyes. He was clearly upset by the doctor’s outrageous suggestion.
Isha sent her husband a grateful look. Thank goodness he was in total agreement with her. But along with the annoyance she could also see the disappointment in his face. He was the Tilaks’ only son, and his parents were looking forward to two or more grandsons to carry on their name and inherit the prosperous family business of selling tires.
Instead Nikhil and Isha already had one daughter, and now they were going to have another. In its own way it was a nightmare.
Later, as they left the doctor’s office and climbed into the car, Nikhil turned to her. “Some nerve that idiot had, suggesting an abortion!” His eyes continued to gleam with suppressed anger.
Isha’s sense of shock was still lingering, too. “We often hear about female infanticide and feticide taking place in big cities, but I never dreamt that our own gentle doctor in Palgaum would suggest it so easily.” She shook her head. “I can’t believe how coolly he said it could be fixed!”
“Someone ought to report that man to the authorities,” said Nikhil through clenched teeth. “Doesn’t that old fool know that there is a law against selective abortion? He could end up in prison.”
“I’m sure he’s well aware of the law, but how many people in this country really and truly follow the law? Practically everyone we know does something illegal on a daily basis. You do it yourself when you grease the palms of the government people to get your import permits and licenses, don’t you?” She narrowed her eyes on him. “What about all the money you hide from the income tax people?”
A guilty flush suffused his face. “But killing an unborn baby is not on a par with black marketeering or bribing a government officer. Feticide is tantamount to murder!” Nikhil’s jaw seemed to work furiously as he drove them home, and Isha knew it was best not to feed his sense of outrage. He had a short fuse and a very righteous attitude about certain things, and he tended to react accordingly.
After that outburst they drove home mostly in silence. Isha looked out the window, wondering how they’d break the news to Srikant and Vidula Tilak—her father-in-law and mother-in-law.
As it was, their daughter, five-year-old Priya, got second-class treatment compared to Isha’s sister-in-law Sheila Sathe’s sons. Sheila was beautiful and she was married to a wealthy man. The proverbial icing on her cake was the fact that she had produced two beautiful boys.
And in the Tilaks’ eyes, the boys could do no wrong. They received lots of attention while Priya got almost none. Ayee and Baba, as the grandchildren called Isha’s in-laws, although not overtly abusive to Priya, never showed her any affection. She was kept at a distance and often subjected to stern discipline. Priya was now old enough to notice their behavior and had started to complain that the boys got so much while she got so little.
Isha and Nikhil tried to make it up to their little girl as much as they could, but since they lived in the same house as the elder Tilaks, and Priya saw her grand parents everyday, it was hard to explain to a child that her gender had everything to do with the way they treated her.
To offset the neglect, Isha often found herself spoiling her child. And that led to a lot of friction with her in-laws, too. They thought she bought Priya too many toys and clothes, and that she never corrected Priya’s behavior whenever she acted up. Occasionally Isha would try to explain to them that Priya acted up only when she noticed Sheila’s boys getting extra attention.
Ayee and Baba always brushed it off as Isha’s misguided perception.
Nikhil took his hand off the steering wheel for an instant to take Isha’s hand. “Don’t make yourself sick. It’s not a big deal.” It seemed like his rage had diminished.
Tears pooled in her eyes. “It will be a big deal when Ayee and Baba find out.”
“We’ll explain to them nicely. They’re not unreasonable. These things happen. Maybe we’ll try for a boy next time.”
“There won’t be a next time. Who in their right mind has more than two children in this day and age? You really think India’s exploding population can sustain one more child?”
“Honestly, when you think about it, what difference does it make whether one has a boy or a girl?” said Nikhil, obviously trying to rationalize a difficult situation. “They all get educated the same way and they follow similar careers. To me it makes no difference.”
“I’m not the one that needs convincing, Nikhil.” She tossed him a look of mild disdain. “Go explain that to your parents! Haven’t you noticed how they treat Sheila’s kids and Priya differently? While Sheila’s boys’ birthdays are such a big, fussy affair with a dozen gifts, they forgot all about Priya’s birthday last week. You and I had to go out and buy a cake and presents and lie to her that some of them were from Ayee and Baba.”
Nikhil took a long, tired breath. He had no response to his wife’s remarks. Isha knew he was fully cognizant of his parents’ petty biases. But he was a good Hindu son, one who’d never acknowledge his parents’ shortcomings. Those were never to be discussed openly.
Besides, Nikhil and she had no choice but to live with his folks. It was the old-fashioned Indian way. The son, especially an only son, lived with the parents, obeyed them, humored them, tolerated their foibles, and took care of them.
Isha dried her tears, leaned back and closed her eyes. She needed to prepare herself before informing her in-laws that there would be another female baby in the house. God, they’d be tearing their hair out. Or, maybe they’d toss Isha and Priya out and find another wife for their precious son. She wouldn’t be surprised if a thought like that crossed their minds every now and then.
Well, thank goodness at least Nikhil’s sister, Sheila, was a good woman. Despite her looks and