Another girl

Kavita has decided to give birth to her child in an abandoned hut, not far from her home.
No one heard my prayers. Kavita closed her eyes and her body shudders with silent tears. She
leans forward, seizes the midwife1's hand, and whispers, “Daiji2, don't tell anyone. Go quickly, fetch
Rupa3, and bring her here. No one, you hear?”
“Yes, my child. Blessings to you and your baby. You rest now, please. I will bring some food.”
5 The midwife steps outside into the night.
As the early light of dawn seeps into the hut, Kavita awakens and feels the throbbing 4 ache in
her pelvis. She shifts her body, and her gaze falls upon the newborn sleeping peacefully beside
her.
It is not long before the door creaks open and bright sunlight spills in. Jasu enters, his eyes
10 gleaming. “Where is he?” He beckons playfully with his hands. “Where is my little prince? Come,
come... let me see him!” He walks toward her, arms outstretched.
Kavita stiffens. She clutches the baby to her chest and tries to sit up. “She is here. Your little
princess is right here.” She sees blackness cloud his eyes. Her arms tremble as she wraps them
tightly around the baby, shielding her small body.
15 “Another girl? What is the matter with you? Let me see!” he shouts.
“No. I will not. You are not taking her.” She hears the shrillness of her voice, feels the tension
flood into her limbs5. “This is my baby, our baby, and I will not let you take her.” She sees
bewilderment6 in his eyes as they search her face for some understanding. She has never spoken
to anyone, let alone7 her husband, with such defiance.
20 He takes a few steps toward her, then his face softens as he falls to his knees next to her.
“Look, Kavita, you know we can't keep this baby. We need a boy to help us in the fields. As it is, we
can hardly afford one child, how can we have two? My cousin's daughter is twenty-three and still
not married, because he can't come up with the dowry. We are not a rich family, Kavita. You know
we can't do this.”
25 Her eyes fill again with tears, and she shakes her head until they spill out. Her breath becomes
ragged8. She squeezes her eyes closed for several breaths. When she opens them again, she
looks squarely at her husband. “I won't let you take her this time. I won't. If you try, if you even try,
you will have to kill me first.”
“Kavita, come, you're not thinking straight. We can't do this.”
30 He throws his hands in the air. “She will become a burden to us, a drain 9 on our family. Is that
what you want?” He stands, towering over her again.
1 Sage-femme
2 Sage-femme (en Hindi)
3 Kavita's sister
4 Lancinant
5 Membres
6 Perplexité
7 Let alone: encore moins
8 Irrégulière
9 (ici) gouffre
 Her mouth is dry. She stumbles over the words she has not quite allowed to form except in the
distant corners of her mind. “Give me one night. Just one night with my child. You can come fetch
her tomorrow.”
35 Jasu remains silent, looking down at his feet.
“Please.”
Shilpi SOMAYA GOWDA, Secret Daughter (2010)

UNDERSTANDING THE TEXT

1) Name all the characters and say who they are.
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2) What is the main theme of this excerpt? Answer in your own words. Do NOT quote the
text.
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3) Say whether the sentences below are right or wrong. Justify by quoting the text.
1) Kavita wished for the baby to be a girl.
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2) She asks the midwife to get her sister Rupa because she wants the birth to be a
secret.
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3) Her husband is reproaching her for having given birth to a girl.
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4) The baby Kavita has just had is her first child.
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5) Kavita's husband has already killed other baby girls.
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6) Kavita is not obeying her husband for the first time in her life.
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7) He tries to impress her because he wants her to give him the baby.
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8) Kavita wants to protect her baby at all costs.
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WRITTEN EXPRESSION: How could education help change the situation for women in
India? (100-150 words)