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"Nakusa"
which means "unwanted" is a common name given to girls in India.
Nakusa
She stands
there, silently, as the khols and taals begin to play. If money had afforded, they would have found the wrong chromosome. Pat silk Sitipati Bangles ornate heads fingers feet and she begins to sway. Maatsya, the fish, life begins. famished
cries unheeded, A crumpled woman, abandoned child. Now she is the tortois lifting herself from the milky
sap of oleander, castor oil. Bending, fingers spread, She
gazes, smiling, sorrowful. fearful. Varaha-- the
boar. She pulls herself up fingers dancing, feet stamping. Narasimha She overcomes. She stands. She spins. Dowry. Her worth measured and found insufficient. Threats. Shame. A marriage worth a decade of
work. She squats, Steps. Vaman, The dwarf. Her eyebrows lower. Her lips pout. Gazing off into some far distance, she runs, stops. Turns. Returns. She lifts her axe. Parashuram She sweeps her arms. She holds her
head high. Her eyes twinkle and
she is free. Shaking her finger, she
sits and takes up her
baby in her arms. Rama. She
strikes the floor right to left bending stretching Head. Neck. upraised foot. A boy. Joy. Honor. Pride. She joins her hands and slides them down before her
eyes. Before her
heart. Lifting her finger she
philosophies, teaches, trains. She lifts her child. He walks. He runs. She stirs. She waits. Her eyes shift from
left to right. Looking up, she
lifts her arms open inviting above her head. She rolls her neck and cradles her womb. A needle stick. A girl. Nakusa. She falls to the ground and she cries.
“The
phenomenon of female infanticide is as old as many cultures, and has likely accounted
for millions of gender-selective deaths throughout history. It remains a critical concern in a number of "Third World"
countries today, notably the two most populous countries on earth, China and India. In all cases, specifically female infanticide reflects the
low status accorded to women in most parts of the world; it is arguably the most brutal and destructive manifestation of the
anti-female bias that pervades "patriarchal" societies. It is closely linked to the phenomena of sex-selective abortion, which targets female fetuses
almost exclusively, and neglect of girl children.”http://www.gendercide.org/case_infanticide.html
http://www.babynamewizard.com/node/37570
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