“Mom, I’m so tired… I’m scared…”
I answered faintly, like a message sent to the void:
“Rest now. Mom will do what must be done.”
On my way back I stopped at the health centre. Sunita was pasting a new poster:
“After delivery—do not be alone. Call 108.”
The numbers 112 and 181 were printed beneath. I took a stack and decided to go door to door in Bhawanipur with Sunita and the women’s group. Locked doors that night must be opened to emergency lights next time.
That evening I placed Kavya’s photograph in the most sacred corner and lit a small lamp. The flame shone steady and would not di:e. I muttered to my children and grandchildren,
“Tomorrow I will file another suit, seek custody of evidence, and launch a ‘Don’t shut the door when a mother cries for help’ campaign. Our grief will become a path for other mothers.
