Bajura, August 28

When Pana Guyal of Badi Malika Municipality-2, Bajura, complained of labour pain on Friday evening, her kin immediately rushed her to Jugada Health Post. Following overnight care, Pana gave birth to a son the next morning.

As soon as the news reached the family members, it set off an atmosphere of joy and celebration.

While the new mother was ceremonially carried all the way home along with her newborn, the family shared their happiness with the entire village. The birth also gave some respite to the father Kalak, who was immeasurably enthralled by the unprecedented honour he received as the father of a baby boy.

“My first baby was daughter and nobody came to congratulate us on her birth. Now I am receiving so many congratulations that I hardly have any free time to do other things,” he said.

This, however, is just a case in point. In Bajura, the birth of a son always entails celebration. Contrarily, mothers who give birth to girls are subjected to neglect not only from family members, but also from the husband. Unlike those bearing baby boys, girl-bearing mothers don’t get much care from the family and have

to return to take charge of their household chores quite early.

“When a baby boy is born, a number of people come to meet the mother but when a baby girl is born, hardly anyone comes to meet,” said District Health Office Bajura senior Assistant Nursing Midwife Dhanakala Thapa.

Women rights activist Sita BK also bemoaned the discrimination against girls and the various ills caused by it.