________________ सिद्ध-सारस्वत A Nobel Personality Born in a small village of Madhya Pradesh, Central India, most of my childhood was spent in a town of Western Uttar Pradesh, India, Bihar and U.P. are the two leading states of India known for sex discrimination since time immemorial. I was brought up at a place where daughters were never considered to be a member of the family as they had to leave their houses after marriage. The 'son' was considered to be the saviour and legal heir of the family. The importance of sons in families was many fold as they were considered to spread the family tree in to future generation. And I was born amidst not one or two but three sons as my brothers. Had it been some other family, as most of my classmates would narrate to me, even basic education would have been a privilege. But I was born to a father who was different, unconventional, un-traditional and unorthodox, not just in thoughts but in his actions also. Being a free thinker and liberal, my father not just gave me freedom to think but also provided me with wings to fly high and pursue my dreams with his full and everlasting support. I was allowed to pursue my dream and career of my choice as it was for my brothers. There was no discrimination. On the contrary, I was given more freedom than my brothers. Today, I am working as a leading gynaecologist and when I look back, more than 80% of my schoolmates could not go beyond even graduation. I am proud to be born in such a family and I am proud to be born as a daughter of my father. I owl my success to the efforts of my father, spoken and unspoken many a time. Dr. Manish Jain Associate Professor, Government Medical college, Vidisha. (M.P.) माता-पिता तुल्य मेरे सास-ससुर हरेक लड़की की इच्छा होती है कि उसे ससुराल में पति के साथ सास-ससुर का भी प्यार मिले, जैसा मायके में मम्मी पापा से मिलता है। मैं बहुत भाग्यशाली हूँ कि मुझे ससुराल में माँ-बाप का प्यार मिला। मेरे पति अमेरिका में कम्प्यूटर इंजिनियर के पद पर सर्विस कर रहे थे तथा उनका परिवार वाराणसी (भारत) में रह रहा था। मैं यहाँ कुछ घटनाओं को प्रकाशित करना चाहती हूँ - जब प्रथम बार मुझे अमेरिका जाने के लिए बीसा हेतु दिल्ली जाना पड़ा, तब मेरे ससुर मेरे साथ दिल्ली गए। उन्होंने बीसा बनवाने में काफी प्रयत्न किए और दूसरी बार में बीसा बनवा दिया। जब दिल्ली से वाराणसी लौट रहे थे तो टिकिट कन्फर्म नहीं हुई थी। RAC में ही यात्रा काशी विश्वनाथ एक्सप्रेस से करना पडी। रात्रि में जब सोने का समय आया तो मैंने जमीन पर चादर बिछाकर सोने का प्रयत्न किया तो मेरे ससुर प्रो. सुदर्शन लाल जैन ने नीचे जमीन पर नहीं सोने दिया अपितु मुझे वर्थ पर सुलाया और स्वयं नीचे सो गए। मैं बड़ी लज्जित हुई परन्तु उनकी जिद्द के आगे मेरी नहीं चली। ये था मेरे ससुर का मेरे प्रति पिता-पुत्री का अद्भुत प्यार।
