He Bribed His Destiny.

A tale of love and resilience in the mountains.

Maureen Tigga
Human Parts
Published in
3 min readOct 11, 2024

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Bamboo forest
Photo by CHUTTERSNAP on Unsplash

I had the opportunity to work in the northeastern part of India, a unique region with its own distinct culture, landscape, and people. The mountainous areas, dense bamboo forests, quaint flora, and fauna set it apart from other parts of the country. Various communities inhabit this land, each with their practices and traditions. Farming, particularly terrace farming in the mountains and mushroom picking from the jungles is common.

As a gynecologist in a government hospital there, I encountered a case that struck me deeply. One day, a woman was admitted to deliver her third child. She had low hemoglobin levels and was malnourished, having faced food scarcity and tough living conditions. We needed to treat her anaemia and prepare her for delivery, which required several days of care. Her husband approached me, expressing his desperation. He was struggling to leave their two small children at home alone, relying on neighbours for support.

As a farmer, he couldn’t afford to miss work, and he had no reliable way to check on his family without borrowing a phone. He asked if there was any way to expedite his wife’s delivery so he could return home. I reassured him that we were doing everything possible. The decision to deliver was complicated; without proper blood levels, labour…

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Maureen Tigga
Maureen Tigga

Written by Maureen Tigga

I am a Gynaecologist with keen interest in promoting women’s health especially menopause medicine. I love food and travel.