Geetanjali Krishna: Fifth time unlucky

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She loved to wear green. In her village in Rajasthan, it was considered auspicious, the colour of fertility. Her glass bangles (also green, of course) used to tinkle musically as she went about her work.

She'd come to me a few months ago, the daughter-in-law of my part-timer's distant relatives. "I have brought her to take on my work when I am on leave," she said, adding, "she's a good worker but can't work for long as she has four young children to look after."

Her name was Sheela, and she looked too young to have four children. "I was married when I was fourteen," she said, "and had my first at fifteen...too young, according to the doctors at Safdarjung Hospital. How they scolded us when we went for the delivery!" she laughed reminiscently.

The next year, barely ten months after her first child, the second one came along. "This time, the doctors were very angry. They said it was too soon for me to have another child," she said. But Sheela and her family were content, for they had been blessed with another boy.

"When I was leaving the hospital, the doctor urged me to consider getting some form of contraception "" but since when have women begun to think of such things? I told the doctor to talk to my husband about it!" she said.

Obviously the doctor's advice had fallen on deaf ears, for a little more than a year later, Sheela found she was expecting again. "It was around Teej, the festival when women celebrate fertility.

My mother-in-law bought me a green sari and put me on a swing...how everybody must have envied me that day!" she said. Her husband had a good job, they could easily afford a third child. "So we were all happy," she said.

This time the doctor chastised the fertile couple severely. He said Sheela was severely anaemic and had a calcium deficiency because her diet was obviously not being able to cope with the demands three little children made on her.

"I always laugh about it "" ever since the second one was born, I've had to nurse two babies at a time!" she said. But the doctors were not amused. They gave her many tonics and pills to restore her to better health during her pregnancy. Yet, the delivery of Sheela's third child, yet another son, was difficult and painful.

So when Sheela found herself pregnant again, she was less than happy, even though the fact that she'd borne three sons had given her added standing in her mother-in-law's eyes. The doctors told her she might not even survive childbirth this time.

After her fourth son was born, she decided she'd had enough "" she asked the doctor to kit her out with an IUD. "I also decided to work and earn a little money of my own," she said, "so here I am!"

I grew to like her spirit, and was consequently sad when my old part-timer returned and she had to go. Months later, I heard the tinkling of bangles. "Is that your bangles I hear Sheela?" I called. My old part-timer looked thoroughly spooked. "No, it's me. I'm wearing bangles because Teej is nearing," she said. Why was she so rattled, I asked.

"Sheela died last month," she said, "she had a sudden haemorrhage and just could not be saved." Shocked and saddened, I asked what happened. "They say she was pregnant again, in spite of her IUD," she replied. Then she added with a deep sigh, "there's no doubt about it "" poor Sheela was just too fertile for her own good!"