mid day editorial: Don't drag a foetus into controversy

Tennis ace Sania Mirza's announcement of her pregnancy unleashed a hailstorm on social media. From congratulatory messages to a smattering of adverse reactions, social media had it all. Sania Mirza and Shoaib Malik's baby was trending. The couple has said he will have the name Mirza-Malik.

While, thankfully, most reactions were those of sharing in the joy, there were some infantile voices dragging in unnecessary controversy or disparaging remarks about the baby, name and nationality.

We need to back off from continually asking married celebrities, mostly women, about when they are going to have a baby. It is highly disrespectful and extremely sexist. Most men are never asked about when they are going to become fathers, so why keep asking women? This is a private matter and when the star decides to speak out, he or she will. This is an extension of our mindset where a married woman is asked by neighbours or well-wishers or relatives when she will give good news or why she is not giving good news or other ways in which this question may be couched.

In the Mirza-Malik case, it is also ridiculous to bring up the Partition, because this is totally out of context. It is similarly inane to bring up Bangladesh, in the mistaken and gross attempt to be clever, witty, or maybe simply, humorous.

Do not now drag this unborn baby into the muck about Indo-Pak relations, or the history of enmity and the wars between the countries. This baby has nothing to do with it. Treat this as a celebrity couple announcing the impending birth of their child rather than occasion to denigrate and revile. Do not crack puerile jokes in the hope of garnering reactions and followers. We hope that good sense prevails and panning this baby or mocking the announcement does not show any kind of patriotism.

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