A journey that made me shed my beliefs

“Carla has entered adolescence. Her father will now start searching eligible boys for her. He will invite them to his home. Enjoying drinks over an evening, he will scrutinize each one and choose the best for her.” Prof. D’Souza explained while having lunch on a sunny afternoon in the beautiful rainforests of Manu Reserve in Peru. He had worked with the native Amazonian community, Machiengas for over a decade. This sounded similar to the arranged marriages back home, in India. But hardly had I anticipated the disbelief that followed. “Carla and the boy will spend time in private to get to know each other. Acts of intimacy are legit! Following which, Carla will make a decision. If the boy as well agrees, they will get married” Professor continued. But what if the boy says no? “His chances of ever marrying are closer to nil. Every girl in the community respects Carla’s choice.” “What about the tiny bit of a chance that Carla would get pregnant?” I questioned restlessly. “Her husband will raise the baby, as one of his own!”
With questions lingering on my mind I left Peru. In a town near Ottavalo, Ecuador I stayed with Marcelo’s family. Marcela, his daughter had delivered a baby boy at nineteen! She was an unwed single mother. Marcelo had fought with poverty to educate her. Her teenage pregnancy was a shame on his dreams. Maya, a Serbian-Swiss was my co-volunteer. Nine years later Maya could still trace her guilt of an abortion she had at sixteen. She didn’t justify Marcela’s act, but could empathize with her. She showered the newborn with love and agreed to be his Godmother.
“Maya” was the answer to my questions. In Hindi, it means illusion. Good, bad, right and wrong, all seemed illusionary and switched roles through time and place. What could have got Carla a dignified life got Marcela outcast from her family! But Maya showed how love connected humanity, crossing borders of time and place. “I will name my daughter Maya” I told her; for we need more of her kinds!