Amid devastation, baby girl brings hope for parents

Amid the destruction brought by recent floods in Punjab, a new life has emerged at Rampur Gaura village, one of the worst-hit areas in the Sultanpur Lodhi subdivision.

On September 5, Kuldeep Kaur gave birth to a baby girl — Jaapleen Kaur — just weeks after surviving an ordeal when she and her family got stranded in rising floodwaters. Kuldeep had gone for a medical scan on August 11 when floodwaters hit the region.

“When we returned, our house was surrounded by floodwater,” recalled her husband Gurnishan Singh. “We thought it would recede within a few days, so we stayed in the house. But after two days, when things got worse, we were rescued by volunteers who came on boat,” he said.

Though the family was brought to safety, their house in Rampur Gaura village collapsed, and their three acres of standing paddy crop was completely destroyed by floodwaters.

Gurnishan, a marginal farmer, spent those anxious days praying for the safety of his pregnant wife and the unborn child. “Main jaap karda reha ki sab theek thaak ho jaaye (I kept on praying that everything gets well),” he said. Their daughter was named — Jaapleen — a gratitude to the Almighty for protecting both mother and child.

The couple, who also have a seven-year-old daughter, is currently staying at friend’s place at nearby Nabipur village. The challenges ahead are immense for the family.

“It was an extremely difficult time. Childbirth is already a sensitive process and the floods just doubled the stress,” Gurnishan said. “Now, we are homeless, with two daughters. I just hope things return to normal so we can rebuild our lives,” he said.

Gurnishan said he plans to approach the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) within a day or two to seek financial assistance. “We have not yet received compensation for our collapsed house. I sincerely hope we receive it soon,” he said. He also mentioned that an application detailing their loss was submitted to AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal during his visit to the Baupur area.

Kuldeep Kaur, speaking to The Tribune, said, “We have a few heads of cattle, which we’ve sent to our relatives’ place for safety. Right now, they are our only hope. I used to stitch clothes to earn a living, but that’s no longer possible as the floods have destroyed everything. My main concern now is our daughters’ wellbeing.”

Village sarpanch Gurprit Singh said rescue efforts were prioritised keeping in view Kuldeep’s condition. “The family was safely evacuated in time. Ensuring the safety of mother and child was our top concern,” he said.

In Gurdaspur, 34 women delivered babies in the flood-affected areas. Dr Mamta Vasudev, Medical Officer (MO), Civil Hospital, Gurdaspur, told this reporter that after babies were born, they were vaccinated. Asha workers were in touch with mothers and their babies, the MO said.

From flood-hit Ajnala in Amritsar, 26 childbirths were reported between August 26 and September 19. Shallu Aggarwal, Senior Medical Officer (SMO), Ajnala, shared that the health of expectant women was properly being monitored. Twenty-eight women delivered babies in Ferozepur.