Get A Baby Brother

Get A Baby Brother

Today another upper frontal Deciduous tooth fell out from Jania's mouth. So as the tradition goes in the family and practiced by my grandmother I asked her to follow that immediately.

I asked her to wrap the tooth in a wad of cotton and go to the roof of second floor and throw the same on the lower roof. And while throwing pray to the almighty for blessing a baby brother. This is what have been going on in our family. A year after I was born, followed my sister Bhagwant. By the time Bhagwant was 5-6 years old and was at the stage of decaying milk teeth. My grandmother Karam Devi promptly suggested to the little kid to wrap the tooth in a wad of cotton and go to the roof and throw it with power on lower level roof with a prayer that God should bless the family with a baby boy. I remember there was a huge 'Neem' tree in our back yard. So the wrapped tooth was lost somewhere in the dense leaves of the tree. And a prayer was placed at the feet of Almighty to fulfill our family wish.

The poor little girl respectfully prayed to Get another brother.

So when my mother was pregnant, she could not deliver a healthy baby boy as he was born dead. All felt very sad. But my grandmother was up again and wishing for a second son. When the next milk tooth decayed, the opportunity once again came as my mom got pregnant one more time. My sister very respectfully threw the dead cotton wrapped tooth from the gallery of the house with a lot of force. I am pretty sure her throw would never have been able to cross the thickly populated leaves of the Neem tree.

At the time of next delivery, my ailing mother was lifted in a cot in to the bus and taken to a distance of 50 miles and admitted into Lady Harding Hospital New Delhi. Everybody both in my mother's family and my father's family were hopeful and positive that a bubbly, active and above all live brother to me will be among us soon. But instead a very beautiful girl enhanced our family.

My grand mother would not relent and tried again but then too, another girl, my third sister joined our still extending family. The Deciduous tooth did not help. A bother to me always eluded our family.

So next time it was decided to wait for some more time and after five/six years, the milk tooth of third sister was used, there was a lot of hope that this sister's tooth will do some miracle and our prayers will be answered finally.

This time the delivery was arranged at home. An expert midwife was engaged. So finally in one chilly early morning in Dec, another child came. All were anxious to know the out come of the God's wish. No body will believe that it was once again a baby girl. The Family was devastated. I remember even the baby girl could not get her rightful name. It was only after a few days later when a visiting distant aunt named the brand new baby girl as Tripat meaning contentment and prayed to God that the family needed no more kids hereafter.

All efforts to get a brother for me failed and family hopes were dashed to the ground. On the other hand, this fourth sister Tripat, being 14 years younger to me, has been a source of support & strength to me all through. I wonder a brother in her place could have ever substituted in a similar way. Rain or shine, none of my sisters have given me a chance to think the need of a brother.

This Deciduous tooth when warped in a wad of cotton could not prove my grandmother right. But I keep on following in her footsteps and wish that some day a brother to Gobind will be born. I have yet to find out if these wishes has to do something with the word 'Grand'

But to my utter surprise little Jania has revolted and says point blank 'No' to the prayer. She is ready with a wrapped tooth to throw but will pray only for a baby sister to be born in the family.

The laws have changed

 

© preet mohan singh., all rights reserved.

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© preet mohan singh., all rights reserved