"What mistake did I make?
Why did this happen to me?
What sin did I commit against anyone?
Maybe... my very birth itself was a mistake?"
These questions keep running in my mind every single day.
I never asked for this.
But no matter how much I try to understand...
some stories are born twisted.
My name is Meera.
And this is my real fucking story.
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FLASHBACK :
April 1st, 2002
It was a hot, chaotic day at Sundara Hospital, one of those days when everything goes wrong. A festival was happening nearby, the roads were packed with noise, and the hospital had its own share of chaos. Nurses ran around with papers flying in the air, doctors were half-distracted by phone calls, and the old receptionist was lost in her crossword puzzle.
In the middle of it all, a tiny baby girl was born — Meera — not knowing that her life was about to take an unexpected turn. Her birth, like many others, was supposed to be a simple event, but nothing was ever simple that day.
The nurse, distracted by the festival music, quickly scribbled down the details without paying much attention to the actual parents. She quickly filled in a birth certificate, not realizing that in her haste, she accidentally ticked the wrong box for religion.
Instead of ticking Hindu, she ticked Muslim.
And just like that, a simple mistake on a form would go on to shape the rest of Meera's life.
As the baby cried softly, the hospital staff, still busy with the surrounding noise, didn't even notice the slip-up. The family was too tired, too relieved that the delivery was over, to question anything. Meera's mother, exhausted and overwhelmed, looked at her little girl and whispered softly,
"Dear, you're born into this world with a blessing,"
completely unaware that her daughter's birth certificate was already a disaster waiting to happen.
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FLASH FORWARD : Year 2008
Now, Meera was a little older — maybe around six years old. The day her family went to apply for her school admission, everything seemed fine until the principal looked at her papers.
"Meera Raman... but... this says she's a Muslim?" the principal asked, confusion and skepticism laced in her tone.
Her parents, knowing their daughter's case was in court, explained how they were trying to correct the birth certificate and get the right religion marked. They told the principal that Meera's case would soon be resolved, but for now, they hoped their daughter could study in elementary school until the age of twelve, even with this error on paper.
Moved by their situation, the kind principal, who had a soft heart, agreed.
"Let her study here until she turns twelve," she said, after hearing about the ongoing case.
"I'll make sure she gets a chance."
And just like that, Meera was allowed to continue her education, at least until the age of twelve, while her parents continued to battle for her rightful identity.
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