And how would she
be? There were no trees, not even bushes, in the courtyard. In fact there was
no courtyard. Only few unhealthy Rose-bushes in the balcony. There were no
photo-frames, no vacant-unused places, no storehouses, no gaps under roof in
the houses.
There were not
even grains in the houses. Only ready to use Atta packets Roti packets or
bread/Pizza from the malls.
Crows were
somehow surviving. But where were Raghus (Parrots), Mainas, Bulbuls? And where
were Cunning Fox, Wicked Wolf, Brave Waghoba (Tigars) and King of the Jungle –
Lion? But there were no Jungles.
There was a man.
He was grandfather now. Sitting on a chair in front of TV or Computer screen,
while feeding noodles or cornflakes to his granddaughter, he would tell her the
stories of Chioo-Kau, and Raghu-Maina. At first she used to listen. One day she
asked, “what is Chioo?” He tried to explain, then showed her animated cartoons
on internet. Then she asked, “where is Chioo?” from that day he stopped telling
her stories.
She didn’t asked,
but how on earth could he possibly answer the question of irresponsibilities
and sins done for many generations?
Now he tells her
the stories of Tiger-man, Falcon-man, Frog-man, Whale-man and Werewolf or reads
her their comics. Or tries to make her laugh with the … of Heman-Superman or
Zobot-Tobot-Robot. If nothing else, there are lots of cartoon networks.
There was a man.
But he was alone in deserted world.
Once he was
Omnivorous. Now He was Omnipotent and Omniscient God of Nothing.
Or, was he there
in his own creation of Nothingness?
Suddenly she disappeared. No
“bhurrrrrr-bhurrrrrr” around, no “chioo-chioo” in the courtyard. No straws
scattered in the rooms, in fact there is no place in the rooms to build a nest.
On the walls, there are even no frames of photos of grandpas and grandmas and
pictures of gods and goddesses.
There is no chioo to show to the
baby while telling him the old, now irrelevant, story of “chioo and kaoo”.
She was a part of his life and she
disappeared as if sliced off from his existence.
How did it happen, and when, and
why?
They were self-dependent and free
birds, un-disturbing, living by themselves. Why did man touch them?
Did he really know nothing or was
he ignorant?
Was he imbecile enough to
understand nothing or was he indifferent enough to refuse to understand?
Or was he selfish enough to
pretend that he knew nothing?
There was He and there was She. He
chioo and She chioo.
He said, we will build a nest. She
asked, Why? He said, I don’t know. I
feel like it … and I thought you will like to … She said, okay, yes, I will
like to.
He brought one straw. She brought
another straw. He said, you are tired, I will bring the straws. She said, you are tired, I will build the
nest. Then together they built a nest-home.
Then He brought one grain. She
brought another grain. Then “bhurrrrrr”, he went and drank some water. She also
went and drank some water. Then both brought one more grain each. They said,
these are for our babies.
Then came the little baby Chioo in
the nest. Days became small and “bhurrrrrr” they passed while bringing grains
for her and taking care of her. She got little wings and she used to fly
around, always twittering. The nest was always filled with her existence. Full
to the brim with happiness. The home was home because of her. It existed and
had meaning because of her. He and She didn’t realized how fast the days
passed.
Baby chioo grew and her wings
grew. The nest became insufficient and the piece of sky around the nest became
small for her. When she found her He Chioo she flew away with him in their
unlimited sky.
Heart throbbed with concern and joy
when she was in the nest and while she was learning to fly. And then there were
tears of happiness of fulfillment and pain of parting when she flew away … .
Now again, only He and She remained
in the nest. Once in a while He would say ‘Chiu-Chiu’ and She would say ‘Chiu’.
Then sometimes She would say ‘Chiu-Chiu’ and He would say ‘Chiu’.
Then, sometimes, baby Chioo (now
she was also a grown-up) would call over the wind. While she was on air the
nest was full of her continuous twittering, as if she was flying around. Then there were only memories.
Still, as usual, reminding all
these past things, the real sparrow “chioo” was twittering “chioo-chioo” and
was flying ‘bhurrrrrr’ around. Her existence was a matter of fact. She was so
familiar, that she was a part of his life.
But he didn’t know that. He still
could understand nothing really.
She met him again in the college.
A girl with dancing eyes and flying mind. Always twittering and bubbling with
enthusiasm.
She sparrow “chioo” in the story
of “He-chioo and She-chioo”. And was he the He-chioo? Wandering around, trying
to attract her? Would they build a nest-home together?
Thus he felt. Did she feel the
same?
He didn’t know that. Such thoughts
had never come to his mind before. Such intensity of feeling, such longing,
such anticipation and hope. … And such apprehension and unknown fear.
He knew nothing really at that
time.
There was He and there was She.
Was she Chioo?
Chioo; who would clean and feed;
would protect and take care of the baby and would help the baby to develop. Who
would keep the house and make it a home and take care of everything.
And was he “Kaoo”?
Kaoo; who would be a vagabond,
wandering here and there, doing nothing; coming and going at odd times; thoroughly
irresponsible; always demanding; voracious eater with unhealthy habits;
shitting at odd places and spreading filth everywhere.
Why they got together and got
involved? But it’s like that, most of the times.
This he didn’t know. He knew
nothing really.
But the story should not be like
that. That’s what he felt.
Once, all the frames of ancestors
and gods were removed for cleaning. He and she chioo flew bhurrrrrr away.
Chioo’s nest-home behind the photo-frame came down to earth, straws scattering
on the floor. One chioo baby, injured and frightened, was trying to fly, but in
vain. Then, loosing hope and engulfed in fatigue, it was lying there with beak
wide open. He ran to bring some water. When he tried to pour few drops in the
wide-open beak, somebody stopped him.
Sparrows won’t accept the
baby-sparrow if he touched it. If any man touched it, it would be a castaway.
He was shocked.
Sparrows were twittering
helplessly. He couldn’t listen.
He witnessed the death helplessly.
He couldn’t do anything.
One nest-home was shattered
forever. What does that mean?
But then, he didn’t realize that.
He knew nothing at that time.
There was a man and a “chioo”.
Always flying and twittering around him, she was a constant member of the
environment since his childhood. She was so familiar and homely that she had
almost become a member of the family. She and many others like her. There were
“kaoo”, “raghoo”, “maina”, “bulbul”, “bagale” and “moar”. Those self-dependent, self-sufficient and free birds.
But they didn’t like a man to
touch them. They didn’t allow it. If a man touched them, ---
He was shocked.
So much alienation, distrust and fear in
the familiarity? Why?
Misuse of diagnostic procedure - Ultra- Sonography
Misuse of diagnostic procedures like
Ultra-Sonography for prenatal sex determination and selective termination of
pregnancies of female fetuses – and their long term effects and social
consequences.
In
selective female feticide there is generalized and widespread misuse of both USG-Ultra-Sonography
(diagnostic procedure) and MTP-Medical Termination of Pregnancy (Therapeutic Procedure and Law related to it).
This
misuse is done by both - Service Providers and Service Seekers. Both are
equally responsible because both parties willingly do it AGAINST LAW and get
benefited.
What
is the Benefit? – ‘Few Dollars more’ for doctors and getting rid of unwanted
girl child for general population.
But
there are minimum chances of exploitation (as against corruption where general
population – service seeker is always exploited). There is a great demand for
such services and some service providers are taking advantage of it. (There is
some exploitation in increased charges of USG done for sex determination but
the patient is more than willing to pay).
If
there is no exploitation and everybody in the society gets benefited (?) then why
there is law against it? – Previously there was no law against it. Here
the question is not of exploitation or of so called benefit but of the long
term effects and social consequences of such misuse.
Man
is expert and infamous for misuse and exploitation. He uses his intellectual
capacities (not wisdom) to find as many ways as possible to misuse anything; to
exploit the situation for selfish desires and to satisfy greed. And he can go
to any (lower) level and length to do this. Man is an intellectual animal but
he refuses to be an animal, who behaves strictly on instincts and natural laws,
and he refuses to be wise and human.
USG: It is basically a diagnostic
procedure that is useful in many important ways like detection of growth,
maturity, defects and anomalies of fetus. In fact it tells us almost everything
about the present condition of pregnancy. It also helps us to predict normal
outcome or possible problems and complications. Sex of the baby is an
incidental and least important finding. Knowing it beforehand during pregnancy only
satisfies our curiosity at an early stage. It is customary, in foreign
countries, to tell the sex of baby, along with other findings of USG, to the
parents. After all we will know it after delivery.
MTP: Medical Termination of pregnancy, as
a procedure and the Law related to it, is only to terminate problematic or
abnormal pregnancy by standard and safe procedures. It is strictly done only
for medical reasons and the purpose is the safety of the mother.
When
both are linked, there is a possibility to use USG to determine sex of baby and
to use MTP to terminate female baby. And considering that the thought is already
present in the minds of people and they are more than willing to pay, there is
a huge potential of earning extra and out of proportion money.
BUT
THE THOUGHT OF KILLING FEMALE BABY AND NEGLECTING AND EXPLOITING WOMEN IN
GENERAL IS ALREADY PRESENT (FOR MANY CENTURIES) IN THE MINDS OF PEOPLE.
Who
started it first? Doctors or people? – This question is like “egg first or hen
first”.
Doctors:
The
word Doctor (from Latin) literally means ‘to teach’ and the title Doctor (Dr.)
means ‘one who has a license to teach’ and who (therefore) teaches by the
virtue of his academic and professional knowledge and experience. With time the
word now also refers to the one who treats, gives advice and counsels. So Doctors
have a right to advice and are expected to give right
advice. But, unfortunately, it seems that some of them have forgotten
to give Right advice (against misuse of USG for sex determination, MTP of
female fetuses and many other things). Some think that keeping mum or
noncommittal is allowable and pardonable. Some think that they are expected to
give only treatment whenever patient comes with complaint and charge them for
that and teaching / explaining / advising right things to the patient is not
their duty. (E.g. some doctors keep mum and don’t give contraceptive advice to
the patient after delivery, not even after Caesarian Section operation. The
patient invariably comes for MTP - now wrongly considered as contraceptive
method - after few months.) Some genuinely think that if patient gets wise then
he will not come to them. Some go beyond that and intentionally give Wrong
advice. Some even justify such malpractices in the name of changing times
(everything is allowed in love, war and Earning Money).
When
the Doctors are expected to be wise, know all the consequences and give advice
against Sex determination and selective female feticide, they just keep mum
(and use sign language to tell the sex) and do something (abortion of female
baby) on patient’s demand. Some even tried to justify such practices before the
law was enforced.
This
is not to say that doctors are solely responsible. Initially, at least, they
yielded to the public demand and thought that this will help to reduce the
population. Later some of them continued to do it with the fear that the
patient will go to other doctor and will get it done anyway. So it is better
that they will do it? And some continued to do it to earn more money. The
consequences were apparent after some years and they are dangerous. So the law
was enforced.
But
they are responsible because they are supposed to be a
responsible part of society, they are Wise and they know the consequences.
People:
It
is surprising, how even illiterate, careless or ignorant people, who even
refuse to do USG for diagnosis or Immunization of their child or even antenatal
checkup, come to know such malpractices and run after them? ‘They are
illiterate, careless or ignorant’, may itself be the reason. They try to behave
according to prevalent social norms and do what is traditional rather than
think for themselves. They try to do what they like and what is convenient
rather than what is right. And they do what they are told. So there must be
someone who is telling them the lies that such people like and that are
convenient (for both). And they individually are selfish. They don’t think about
society and log-term effects. They think that I WILL HAVE A SON, I have nothing
to do with the society. And some people take advantage of this way of thinking.
Age-old
Rotten way of thinking:
previously girls were killed after birth, or neglected to die of malnutrition,
diseases or deliveries. But this was murder. There was some sense of guilt in
the minds of those who did it. With abortion (and legalized) there is no such
guilt. And USG is a simple, harmless investigation. The linking of both, though
rotten and horrible is very simple. Now there is additional and more effective
and so called lawful and socially accepted way of killing girls before
delivery. This is 2 + 2 = 400. And this is only a part of generalized attitude
and behavior of population towards women. This is part of low familial and
social value of women; no rights; no value for their efforts, labor, work and
hardships; no value for their sacrifice and no value for their life. Majority of
women also think in this way is the most horrible thing about it.
If
this type of thinking and behaviors based on such thinking persist in the
society, people will always find ways to misuse and kill women.
So
it is not enough to target and punish only Doctors. If the law is against
female abortion, the message should go very clearly to the Society that the
Couple who does female abortion and all other family members who directly and
indirectly force the couple to do female abortion should also be punished.
Unfortunately,
at present, only Doctors are being trapped by sending dummy patients and there
is no such system to trap other service providers (quacks, horoscopists –ज्योतिषी, religious
workers, Mantriks and Tantriks) and involved people (couples and relatives).
Consequences:
Two
types of consequences are possible. They depend on how one (individual) and
people in general look at the problem of ‘Less number of females in the society”.
1)If
the Society matures, women have equal status and they are valued (at least
henceforth).
Increasing
Value of Women –
a)Increase
in Market value –
·This
will be according to basic rule in economics – If there is scarcity or shortage
of females, their demand and hence their market value will increase.
·The
males will have to prove themselves.
·They
will have to pay and pay more and more for wife.
·Only
rich, strong and/or intellectually superior will have a right to marry.
·Excess
and low quality males will only have to work as servants.
·There
can be systems like polyandry (one woman with many husbands) or one woman
keeping many men for various functions.
·The
power of women will increase and the society will be female dominated.
b)Increase
in real Value –
·Women
will be valued because of their real Virtues – the society will be mature, equal,
calm, contented and at low stress level.
·In
this situation there will, of course, be no practices like female neglect and
female feticide. There will not be any need for such unnecessary laws.
·The
females will have the chance of natural survival and … then … there will be
real increase in the number of women to achieve Natural Balance.
At
present both a) and b) appear to be a Day-Dreams.
2)If
Society refuses to mature and if the female population is NOT valued (as is the
present case)
·Prostitution
(one female satisfying many males) and rape will be common.
·There
will be fights for females.
·Fathers
and brothers will increase the price of their daughters and sisters and they
will exploit them in many ways (this is a present situation in some races and
tribes).
·Possession-by-force
and marriage-by-force (Rakshas Vivah – राक्षस
विवाह) by strong (physically, economically and politically)
and cunning (intellectually) males will be common and socially accepted. And
these strong (?) males will
treat women as an object in their possession and will abuse, exploitation and
torture them.
All
these things are prevalent in present society and there is nothing New. But now
the proportion of these practices is less and they are not accepted socially.
But with less number of females without any value, these practices will be very
common and may be socially (society of strong males with females as their
slaves) accepted.
Long term
effects
·Apparently
these effects and consequences is a distant future – NO! The future is very
near.
·Apparently
they are not related to us – NO!Your own daughter is already
dead and your son will stay unmarried for life.
·Apparently
the effects are social – NO! They are personal. Your daughter
will be precious and will be valued above everything or her market value will
be high or she will be shared by many (polygamy) or she will be raped. And Your
son will stay unmarried or he will be one of many husbands or he will be
the rapist.
Why
man thinks in a rotten way and misuses almost everything?
Probably
he is intelligent and immature. He has failed to raise his value above a monkey
with a burning torch in his hand. In Marathi it is aptly said, “माकडाच्या
हाती कोलित.”
So,
the real question is not of number of females (in proportion to number of
males) in the society but how the society (both males and females) treats them.
If women are not valued by their virtues they will always be abused, exploited,
harassed and raped whether their number is less, equal or more in the society.
In
the rotten society of many … and … it is not enough to say, “all women, except
one (wife), are mothers and sisters”.
There are two
extremes in animals.
1)Dominant
male keeping a harem (lions and monkeys).
2)Dominant
female eating a male after his function (of fertilizing her) is over (spiders).
Where is (and where should
be) our place in between these two extremes?
There was a man. And there was a sparrow named “chioo”.
First she met him in the story of “chioo and kaoo”.
He was a baby at that time and she was as if his mother. She used to sit in her wax-house that wouldn’t get washed away in rain. She cleaned and bathed him, clothed him, fed him, protected him and cared for him.
But then, he didn’t realize that.
He knew nothing at that time.
There was a man. And there was a sparrow named “chioo”.
She met him in the courtyard. Always twittering chiu chioo- chiu chioo, hopping and jumping, flying away bhurrrrrr and coming with bhurrrrrr. Sitting on the lap of his grandpa, he then used to throw grains and chioo would come near to eat them. When he learned to walk he tried to run with clumsy feet, trying to catch her. Then she would fly again with bhurrrrrr. She was real, now in his courtyard, materialized from the story of“chioo and kaoo”.
But then, he didn’t realize that.
He knew nothing at that time.
There was a man and there was a “chioo”.
Now she came through another story. Grandpa’s favorite “unending story”.
There was a large godown. Many men used to bring huge quantities of grain and stored it there every year. The godown had a small window. Through it one sparrow came, took one grain and flew away with bhurrrrrr. Only one grain, enough for her small beak and small appetite. Thus many sparrows would come and go. This went on and on forever.
In that story, that godown never went empty and everything was always enough for men and sparrows and everybody for that matter. And there was a hope and assurance that the story would never end. There was safety and security. There was a faith that till the time you hear the sounds of sparrows twittering “chiu chioo”, and the sound of their flying “bhurrrrrr”, godowns will never be empty and everything will be enough for everyone.
But then, he didn’t realize that.
He knew nothing at that time.
There was a man and a sparrow named “chioo”.
He was a small boy then. He would be studying or playing in his home.
She would bring hay in her small beak, one straw at a time. She would sit on a bar of a window and peep inside. Then she would enter. Thus she would wander, bhurrrrrr in and bhurrrrrr out of his home all the day.
She chiu and He chioo had built their nest-home with the straws behind the photo-frames of Grandma and Grandpa. A home in the home. In those days, hanging on the walls, there used to be photos of grand parents, grand-grand parents and lots of framed pictures of Gods and Goddesses. In their omnipresence, families of their children and families of sparrows would flourish. Sweet homes were filled with continuous sounds of “chiu chioo” twittering, laughing and shouting. In that pleasant nostalgic mixture of sounds one sound was of his own.
