“I Was Asked To Abandon My New-Born Baby Girl!”

"I was disqualified for many jobs. Jibes like "You can be a peon, try that," were commonly thrown at me very often. But my failures only made me stronger and more determined to excel. I had to show it to the world that marriage, even if early in life like mine at the age of 20, was just a comma, not a full stop. So I continued my job hunt as well as my studies. There was no study table of mine so I was using the nursery desk of my daughter. I had no choice but to excel", details Pallishree Pattanayak from Odisha, who is now a Ph.D. after some three Masters in different subjects including Mass Communication. She works as a professor in Bhawanipatna now, where her husband works at ODISHA, where their daughter is pursuing an MBBS.

You would say, 'Wow what a success story!’

But, Pallishree fights back tears and recalls, "I became a mom to a baby girl at 21, who was welcomed by my-in-laws side with tears. My sister-in-law asked me to abandon the kid. But something inside me had broken so deeply, that I decided to rebel. Luckily being in a love marriage, I had my husband's support. But deep in my heart I knew, he does have the remorse of not having a boy child, even today. That's what India is plagued with."

Pallishree says she fought all odds to bring up her daughter while honing her skills to be an independent woman. She says she also had to be independent, to be an example to her daughter who wasn't quite accepted by the paternal side, well into her teenage years.

"I work 500 km away from where she is studying. I know a mother has a great influence on her child, even if they are apart", asserts Pallishree, who is an author of ten books. "Yes, even if I was jobless, I knew I could not afford to waste time, so five of these books came before I got into a full-time job. And five post the job; half are in Odiya language and the rest in English," Pallishree takes pride in detailing, while she adds that she is a consistent blogger at various renowned sites like the SHEROES.

"What a mind-blowing experience with SHEROES I have had. It’s an energy booster for me. Learning many things from wonderful ladies here as if I have taken admission in a multi-task university. I’m so happy, how can I express in words? I had been searching for a platform like SHEROES for years; I wanted to express myself freely and glad I found SHEROES," chuckles a very happy Pallishree who says she wants to mention a few names and express gratitude to them. "I want to thank Sairee Chahal ma’am and the whole team from the core of my heart for providing us women such a wonderful platform. Together we are a great strength. Last and not the least, I would love to thank you, lady, Mahima Sharma I’m really a die-hard fan of yours and of #MahimaDebates that rock the charts daily at SHEROES. Thank you SHEROES for giving me such an opportunity to share my life-story with everyone,"

says Pallishree.  

So Pallishree, for all at SHEROES you are a fighter. But who is Pallishree at heart and how does she unwind?

"Well, Mahima I’m a life member of Red Cross and associated with many charity organisations. I unwind by doing some social work regularly. It gives me that much-needed kick. I also a professional translator (working on a  UNICEF project right now ). I find peace in being a qualified counselor and a motivational speaker. But above all, I am a DREAMER! "

On World Cancer Day, Pallishree recounted her survival journey with the community members.

“It was 28th December in 2016, I along with my husband and daughter was waiting for renewal of our passports. We had planned a trip to Malaysia. Though I was not feeling good from within. Nonetheless, I was excited to go with my family as I'm a travel addict.

It is then when we got an emergency call from Apollo Hospital where my test reports were waiting for me. They said I needed more tests for the confirmation of Cervical Cancer. I was immediately asked to see a gynaecologist. Since my childhood, I was very energetic and enthusiastic. Gradually, I felt more tired, used to have irregular menstrual cycles with lots of white discharge, and always felt feverish.

I'm among those lucky women who got detected in the preliminary stage which is rare. I got operated immediately, followed by medication for up to a year. I took two vaccines within a gap of three months to prevent cervical cancer. I am much better now. Of course, I have restricted my outdoor activities. I maintain my hygiene and health with proper food habits, and aerobics under the supervision of my physician because I want to live.

Do not ignore small symptoms if anything odd happens with your health. Ladies, please go for regular health check-ups after 40. Get vaccination for cervical cancer after the age of 25.”

This show of strength and grit displayed by an everyday woman like you and I is what inspires scores of women on SHEROES to take charge.

No wonder she leaves us with this message:

"Dare to dream and chase after it. Believe yourself. Don’t look back. And if you wish to talk, I am all ears to hear you and available to motivate you! "

So if Pallishree Pattanayak's story through our #MeetTheSheroes Series, has touched your heart, do share it and leave love for her in the comments column. You can follow her on SHEROES.

Hindi Version Of This Article -

पढ़ें इस लेख को हिंदी में - मुझे मेरी नवजात बेटी को छोड़ देने को कहा गया था।