I was born prematurely by ten days. Fifteen days before I was born, my mother had false pains at 10 am. On the day I was to be born, my mom told her mom and grandmom that they would have to go to the hospital. They hired a taxi and went to the maternity hospital where my mom was admitted at 11 am. It was a nursing home in Nagercoil and the gynecologist’s father was known to my mom’s grandfather.
Mom’s labor pains started gradually. She felt like something was tearing at her insides. I was a big child who weighed over eight pounds! It took three hours of labor, which eventually got intense and unbearable. The doctor gave mom local anaesthesia and used a vacuum extractor to get me out. It was a natural birth. My mom asked the doctor whether she had had a boy or girl. Mom tells me she always wanted a girl.
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The umbilical cord was cut. The nurse cleaned me. Mom stayed for a week in the hospital. Her grandma’s maid also remained in the hospital with her. My mom’s mom used to buy food at the hospital. For one or two days, my mom felt upset and had pain. For one week, her stomach was bloated and her legs were swollen. Some relatives visited mom in the hospital. After a week, she moved to her grandma’s house. Her mom was also there.
At home, she had a lot of visitors. Only on the 40th day, my dad visited for the thottil ceremony. Dad had wanted the delivery to take place in Chennai, but eventually, she went to Nagercoil for it. My mom’s brother was also with my mom for a while. Suddenly, there was a robbery in Delhi, where my mom’s mom stayed. This happened within ten days of my birth. So, my mom’s mom and mom’s brother went back to Delhi. There was no television set in Nagercoil in those days, but my mom played cards with her friends and had a lot of visitors who gave her attention. She also went to a lot of movies during the time, including the Dharmendra-starrer ‘maa’. After six months, my mom was brought to Chennai.
And thus, I began my journey in this world. All the material gifts I have received later from my parents and friends are valued, for sure, when they have been given with love and affection, but the gift I’m learning to value the most is the gift of life given by my parents.
