I Want a Boy Child!

“I want a boy child—do you understand?”

“How will I achieve salvation if I don’t have a son?”

“Who will set my dead body on fire when I die so my spirit can be freed for heaven?”

Many men in India ask similar questions of their wives when they give birth to only girls and they have faulty information regarding faith and fertility issues. Janabai* was not spared such interrogation by her husband when her first daughter, Reepa*, was born.

“Next time please give me a son,” she pleaded with the gods they bowed to, “so my husband will love and respect me.” When she bore their second daughter, her worst fears were realized. As if this wasn’t enough ‘punishment’, their third child was also a girl.

At this point, poor Janabai bore the verbal abuse and also bruises of this triple tragedy over which she had no control. Not only was she injured but her girls watched the scene repeatedly with fear and trembling. Since Janabai had not gone to school, she had developed no skills and didn’t know where to turn. How long could she bear such beatings and berating? Could she allow her daughters to witness such abuse repeatedly?

One day her husband simply left home and never came back. The traumatized mother gathered her children and trudged home to her parents. But what were her parents to do? Poverty bound them; they had nothing to offer. 

While Janabai tried working as a housekeeper, her meager earnings didn’t begin to provide for her and her family’s needs. One day, a Good Samaritan told her about the Pandita Ramabai Mukti Mission. Would this Christian place give her girls a home?

Yes! Mukti’s doors opened to Reepa and another sister. Janabai decided to keep the youngest daughter until she grew a bit older. After a tearful goodbye, the two sisters became a part of the Skyflower Flower Family, and Sunita* became their housemother.

What changes they encountered! Their family was now filled with laughter and a dozen sisters. They were thankful for nourishing food and being able to go to school, something they had not had previously. They endeared themselves to the family and began to make strides.

One day Reepa asked Sunita if she could call her mommy. Filled with compassion, Sunita replied that she could never take the place of her true mother but she would be happy to have Reepa call her ‘mommy’ for she would lovingly be taking care of her in Mukti.  Reepa jumped with joy and hugged Sunita tightly.  Poverty and heartache can rip families apart but God has plans for good.

*Names changed for privacy and security. Images representative.