While working as a junior resident in India, I was posted to the neonatology ward of a hospital serving a rural area, where most of the babies born belonged to families from the surrounding countryside.
I soon realised that the birth of a baby girl was regarded as a calamity by the family, particularly by the father's mother. It was considered so bad that sometimes even the mother detested her newborn baby (although emotionally still cuddling her). The mother, still recovering from the trauma of the delivery, fearfully anticipated the possibility of rejection by her in-laws. In the worst cases the poor baby girl was abandoned by the family and left for adoption. In contrast, if a baby boy was born it was a joyous occasion. The family would bring sweets for the nurses and doctors as a mark of happiness and gratitude. I was really shaken by seeing this level of discrimination faced by baby girls.
Then it happened, a baby girl was born and we all got sweets. The family was overjoyed with the news of the birth of the baby girl. This came as a surprise to all of the hospital staff. Later on, I learnt from one of the nursing staff that the baby was the first girl child in this family after two generations. Then I thought that all was not lost and a silver lining could be seen in the grey clouds.
I wish that every baby girl born in this world could receive a similar welcome. Since then I have cherished this dream that one day this social stigma of having a baby girl will disappear from our society.