Bollywood actor and producer Dia Mirza, who got married in February to businessman Vaibhav Rekhi, had announced her pregnancy last week and received a comment about the timing of the announcement and why it could not have been made before the wedding.
The comment read, “She tried to break the stereotypes with a woman priest, why couldn’t she announce her pregnancy before the marriage?” Other comments had also implied that she had gotten married because of the pregnancy.
Dia responded to this by saying, “Interesting question. Firstly, we didn’t marry because we were having a baby together. We were already marrying as we wanted to spend our lives together. We discovered we were going to have a baby while we were planning our wedding. So this marriage is not the result of pregnancy. We didn’t announce the pregnancy until we knew it was safe (medical reasons). This is the happiest news of my life. I’ve waited for many many years for this to happen. No way I would hide it for any reason other than medical.”
She further explained, “Only answering this because:
1) Having a child is a beautiful gift of life
2) There must never be any shame attached to this beautiful journey
3) As women, we must always exercise our choice
4) Whether we choose to be single and parent a child or be in a marriage, it is after all our choice
5) As a society, we must un-stereotype our idea of what is right or wrong, instead of training ourselves to ask what is fair or unfair. (sic)”
Dia had announced the news of pregnancy with a picture of herself from her honeymoon in the Maldives, where she was seen cradling her baby bump.
She wrote as the caption, “Blessed to be… One with Mother Earth… One with the Life Force that is the beginning of everything… Of all stories. Lullabies. Songs. Of new saplings. And the blossoming of hope. Blessed to cradle this purest of all dreams in my womb.”
What do you think about marriage and pregnancy often being seen in society as a package? Drop your comments below: