It is been said that,” It is always been an adventure to start a new life after some tragedy strikes”. When a personal tragedy strikes before that moment we all are all right, trying to make success in life we also have confidence, determination, ambition, interest in life but that tragic moment changes things. That hard core that is in us driving force to live our life suddenly turns in to soft core.

Few weeks back I had come across one incident, some personal tragedy had stuck to a family. Young mother had lost son little older than one year. When I accompanied my friend there, though infant son had passed away month back but still there were many relatives, as expected and understood, house was looking gloomy and sad. Mother was sitting there, having lost all interest in life grieving heavily for her son. That hard core of life in her had turned soft completely .Some ladies were making it hard for young mom to put tragedy behind her by telling her ”Oh how son was playing eating and kicking one moment and how sad he is dead now”. “Only death is permanent in life all other things uncertain.”When would we learn the art of talking?

In that very sad house suddenly I saw one small girl was playing in a corner with a plastic toy. She was a very beautiful child with big eyes, silky hair hallowing her face with very small and delicate features, wearing ordinary frock and barefoot playing, not aware of anything and anyone. Lost in her own world. I just wanted to go and play with her, putting my fingers in her very silky hair, smelling her delicate body. But I was not sure about my action in a house where a child was recently dead. She was a blessed sight in a house with shadow of death. Seeing her behaving so well. I felt this small girl is very well trained. She never made fuss nor was she crying. Time was passing by, after some time it was uneasy seeing that child’s attitude. She was unbelievably good girl with no interest in human.

After hours, she was still playing with small cheap toy. Some time laughing almost toothless smile with few milky teeth at that toy. Many times she almost fell down while crawling but every time she was careful not to hurt her head as if she knew she was suppose to take good care of her. I could see wet patches on her dress but she didn’t throw tantrums on her being wet as if she was not aware of discomfort or not even feeling hungry. I started feeling unnerving and puzzled seeing her behaving so well. One moment accidentally that child looked at me I gave her a loving smile .That child got confused at my smile and gave gesture of smile back but I was so horrified to see that child gave Mona-Lisa smile to me and pearl of laughter to that toy.

We left house after few hours, leaving her still playing with same toy in same manner .On asking about that girl child, things I came to know what truly sad The lady who had lost son had delivered twins and that girl was twin sister of the male child who passed away .At birth boy was diagnosed with health problem and girl was born very healthy. So family had decided mother should feed only the son and girl shouldn’t be given mother’s milk. Girl was separated from mom and given to her grandparent’s house to bring up. Poor girl was deprived of mother’s milk and her love also from birth. Son went through all medical treatment with love and care but passed away, could not live long. I was feeling so sad after knowing about that tragedy but felt worse listening that many relatives of that child were commented on bad luck, that girl is born healthy but son was weak. As if they were mourning double on son’s death and girls being healthy.

I did understand family’s attitude, as in our society, it is still largely male-dominated, with gender discrimination not only in villages or urban society but in many good educated families also, rejoicing on birth of male child feeling disaster on birth of female child. In this family, from twins, son passed away and girl was healthy and strong. Family was wistfully wishing it would have been better if girl was born with weak heart than son. We understand tragedy and lost but girl was not to blame for that.

I did not understand girl’s attitude about her being so aloof. On my finding out truth it was so eye opener. That girl is neglected so much, she was given food, clothes, and toys as duty but never given love or care in family with uncles and aunts, neglecting child is also an emotional abuse. So she started adopting orphans attitude feeling abandoned, unloved. May be source of love and care for her was only from plastic toys not from human. As if she knows universal truth about orphans that “Orphans don’t cry for longer as they have figured out over time that their cries will not be answered immediately, but rather when some one is free will come to attend”

Many unwanted questions were arising in my mind. Is family punishing girl for being healthy? If girl would have been born with weak heart, would they have done same with son? I have no doubt in my mind that lady must be a good mother and must have suffered a lot but all grown ups were behaving so selfishly, only aware of their lost but not bothering about girls lost. She was separated from her mom and twin brother from birth. Twins do develop bonding in womb. In her misery that mom is not seeing that solution of her pain is there in front of her eyes. She just needs to pick up her daughter and hug her tight before that girl learns to speak and question her mom that “Mother I was also petal of your flower, why didn’t you hug me before my laughter changed in to Mona- Lisa smile”?

There are so many problems in our society for girls that we should worry about The study of the survey says more than 53% of children reported one or more forms of sexual or other abuses in childhood. Mostly girls go through abuse and in many cases family members are involved in controversial abuse like rape which is rarely admitted. In India there’s a tradition of denying child abuse. It is called “conspiracy of silence”.

Artists are always after Mona-Lisa smile. There are many theories about the mystic smile but all artists agree on one theory that “Mona-Lisa knew some thing that nobody was aware of” .Going by that theory, In our society all these abused girls know and understands abuse that none of us are aware of. With that secret of pain and shame, Will their innocent laughter be changing in to mystic Mona-Lisa smiles?

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