This is a story on adoption written in 4 parts. Shall post each episode one by one. Looking forward to your responses.
THE UPS AND DOWNS OF LIFE
Shweta was very worried. Her daughter Tanya was behaving rather strangely over the last one week. She was rather moody and tended to cry rather easily. What was the matter with her - a child who was normally happy, cheerful and playful? She had asked Tanya many times, but all she got in reply was silence. She had checked her temperature, but that was normal. So what could the problem be?
Her mind flashed back to the early years of her marriage.. She had married Anil after a whirlwind romance. Both families had accepted the marriage very graciously and happily. The wedding was followed by a honeymoon in Mauritius. After a week of holidaying and spending every precious moment exclusively in each other's company, they returned home and started settling down into a routine. Anil was an architect with a successful practice of his own. Shweta was an interior designer and was a partner in Anil's business.
Life settled into a predictable routine. Since they lived in a large joint family with Anil's grandparents, uncle and his family and parents, there was not much of a problem. They were a family of professionals and as behooves professionals, each one of them had their own jobs cut out. The household ran on well-oiled wheels with minimum friction. This also left the women in the household with enough time to follow their own chosen professions without being sapped of energy, looking after work and home. They had a couple of servants and a cook, who were supervised by Anil's mom and aunt. Life seemed idyllic.
However, this Utopian existence was too good to be true. It is an unwritten law of nature, that all who come onto this earth have to face some problem or the other - no exceptions, no favourite children of Mother Destiny. So, it was that 2 - 3 years passed by, but there was no sign of any offspring arriving to grace Anil and Shweta's life.
It was getting iincreasingly embarassing and difficult for the two to face endless questions from well-meaning but insensitive relatives and friends - initially in a bantering tone, and later persistently - when they planned to give them some "good news". This would be followed up with advice over the inadvisability of postponing having a child for too long. This constant intrusion from outsiders started creating tensions between husband and wife. There was an ever increasing number of fights and the intensity of these fights was also getting more serious. Eventually Anil's parents, who were silent spectators to start with, started to get rather worried at the visible strain in the young couple's relationship.
Finally, one day after coming to a consensus between themselves, Anil's parents decided that it was now time for them to step in and do something about the problem. That night, after dinner, they invited Anil and Shweta to accompany them to their room for a chat. After some pleasantries, and a brief awkward silence, they brought up the topic of the problem. After some hesitation and reluctance on Anil's part, it was decided that both Shweta and Anil should consult a gynaeecologist. Next day an appointment was made for that evening.
The day dragged by and Anil and Shweta were very stressed and restless. Eventually they found themselves waiting in the gynaecologist's (Dr. Aparna Anand) waiting room. Shweta's hands were damp with sweat as she looked around at the waiting women, some in advanced stages of pregnancy. She could not help feel a twinge of envy and anger at the idea that God could be so unjust to them. Anil, on the other hand, hid his face behind a copy of "India Today". He was clearly feeling awkward and out of place in this environment. After a wait of around half an hour, Shweta and Anil were ushered into Dr. Aparna's office.
Her mind flashed back to the early years of her marriage.. She had married Anil after a whirlwind romance. Both families had accepted the marriage very graciously and happily. The wedding was followed by a honeymoon in Mauritius. After a week of holidaying and spending every precious moment exclusively in each other's company, they returned home and started settling down into a routine. Anil was an architect with a successful practice of his own. Shweta was an interior designer and was a partner in Anil's business.
Life settled into a predictable routine. Since they lived in a large joint family with Anil's grandparents, uncle and his family and parents, there was not much of a problem. They were a family of professionals and as behooves professionals, each one of them had their own jobs cut out. The household ran on well-oiled wheels with minimum friction. This also left the women in the household with enough time to follow their own chosen professions without being sapped of energy, looking after work and home. They had a couple of servants and a cook, who were supervised by Anil's mom and aunt. Life seemed idyllic.
However, this Utopian existence was too good to be true. It is an unwritten law of nature, that all who come onto this earth have to face some problem or the other - no exceptions, no favourite children of Mother Destiny. So, it was that 2 - 3 years passed by, but there was no sign of any offspring arriving to grace Anil and Shweta's life.
It was getting iincreasingly embarassing and difficult for the two to face endless questions from well-meaning but insensitive relatives and friends - initially in a bantering tone, and later persistently - when they planned to give them some "good news". This would be followed up with advice over the inadvisability of postponing having a child for too long. This constant intrusion from outsiders started creating tensions between husband and wife. There was an ever increasing number of fights and the intensity of these fights was also getting more serious. Eventually Anil's parents, who were silent spectators to start with, started to get rather worried at the visible strain in the young couple's relationship.
Finally, one day after coming to a consensus between themselves, Anil's parents decided that it was now time for them to step in and do something about the problem. That night, after dinner, they invited Anil and Shweta to accompany them to their room for a chat. After some pleasantries, and a brief awkward silence, they brought up the topic of the problem. After some hesitation and reluctance on Anil's part, it was decided that both Shweta and Anil should consult a gynaeecologist. Next day an appointment was made for that evening.
The day dragged by and Anil and Shweta were very stressed and restless. Eventually they found themselves waiting in the gynaecologist's (Dr. Aparna Anand) waiting room. Shweta's hands were damp with sweat as she looked around at the waiting women, some in advanced stages of pregnancy. She could not help feel a twinge of envy and anger at the idea that God could be so unjust to them. Anil, on the other hand, hid his face behind a copy of "India Today". He was clearly feeling awkward and out of place in this environment. After a wait of around half an hour, Shweta and Anil were ushered into Dr. Aparna's office.
