A quest for a son at any age?

A woman said to be 70 years of age has given birth to twins in India's northern Uttar Pradesh state after taking IVF treatment making her the record holder for the oldest woman to give birth-

We already have two girls but we wanted a boy so that he could have taken care of our property. This boy and girl are God's greatest gift to us," Omkari said.

Father of the twins, Charam Singh, a farmer in his mid-70s, told ABC News he was very happy.

"The desire for a male child has always been there, but God did not bless us with a male child. Now, we are very grateful to God, who has answered our prayers," he said."

Are we to surmise that scientific intervention (IVF) was the offering made to God in place of the usual offerings of money, food and clothing to the temple priests. This made God happy and they were granted a son? That debate could wait as what is really bothering me about this saga is that since the couple used up all their life savings and took a bank loan out to pay for IVF treatments, with what source of income are they going to raise these new born children. And being in their 70's they are old by Indian longevity statistics, well past the age of when they should be taking on the responsibility of raising children. Will these babies ever see a childhood or will they be passed on to the care of their older siblings as the parents decline in health? And as then as soon as they are past the toddler age, its them taking care of the parents? I paint a rather bleak picture, but it seems a pretty real one given the circumstances. It's also ironic that the price this couple has paid for having a male heir so he may look after the property had robbed him of his inheritance.

The link to the BBC Article - Woman in India 'has twins at 70'

Gandhi in the morning

I woke up to what I thought was a normal day, the radio woke me up like it usually does and I groggily slipped into the routine of a weekday morning. I followed my exuberant dog downstairs and let him out in the back yard, started the kettle for the morning tea and brought in the paper. With cup of tea in hand, I scanned the headlines and turned to the Style section to read my horoscope which is usually in the back of this section. I never made it to the back as a familiar face was on the front of the Style section.

A black and white picture of Gandhi is accompanied by an article titled Saying His Peace - Rare recording of speech by Gandhi landed in safe unknowing hands . The author reminds us that

millions of people visualize Ben Kingsley as Gandhi and associate Ben's voice as what must have been Gandhi's voice. That can't be true for me, so I stop reading and reach back in memory and try to remember his voice. I try to conjure up the sounds from the scratchy recordings of Gandhi's speeches I had heard during history classes and independence day broadcasts. The voice that drowns the other memory is that of Ben Kingsley, the face is his and not of Gandhi, perhaps its because I never saw the real Gandhi in other then the one dimensional black and white pictures in books and magazines, or in his statues, or in grainy documentaries. My failure to remember his voice propels me to the computer, I must get online and listen to the recording.

I click on the link and wait impatiently for the introduction to end, wishing I could fast forward, even the voice of Sarojini Naidu introducing Gandhi is irritating, I am holding my breath as the first sounds come across the tiny laptop speakers. The tenseness eases as Gandhi's voice comes on, its familiar and not forgotten, I breath again and begin listening to what he is saying. The message to an English speaking audience is of love and forgiveness, of peace and non-violence, it's him, it's unforgettable. I finish listening, read the article and the associated commentaries, my morning routine is broken, I am a little behind schedule but the day has taken on a different hue.

The world around me seems connected to Gandhi, validation is all around me, Obama's nomination being the most visible evidence of an integrated tolerant world. The headlines from today's paper also illustrate the presence of violence in many parts of the world, of Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe's recent win with violence and coercion. We are still at war and so are other countries, but I see hope in this day for peaceful ends, of increasing numbers who believe that there is more to be won by non-violence, of a growing awareness and acknowledgment of the power of non-violence. And leave my house with a lighter step, the day has taken on a brighter look, and my two selves (desi and US) are back together, the desi blending in easily with the US self and a whole me leaves for work.

And just like that, what would have been another routine day in the life of this US desi, Gandhi, history and the past entered and with a single broad stroke painted my day with memories and thoughts of a great man who achieved so much for so many people Just like that......

Here's the link to the recording: