The newborn at MGM hospital on Monday. Picture by Animesh Sengupta

She shares her birthday with the German inventor of blue jeans, Levi Strauss, French writer Victor Hugo and American rock balladeer Michael Bolton.

But, so far, destiny hasn’t exactly played fairy godmother to the newborn at MGM Medical College and Hospital, Jamshedpur.

On Sunday morning, a severely anaemic woman in an advanced stage of pregnancy came for delivery at the state-run hospital, accompanied by a man and an older woman. They registered the expectant woman as Puja Gupta of Bagunhatu, after which the older woman, who said she was her stepmother and the man, Puja’s husband, soon left the scene, not to be seen again.

At noon, Puja delivered a healthy and fair baby girl, soon after which she was rushed to the ICU, where at midnight, she died.

No one came to claim either her body or her infant daughter.

The stepmother and husband, whose credentials are suspect, have done the vanishing act.

Worried hospital authorities have informed the police station, deputy commissioner’s office and the district welfare office.

If the abandonment shows up human depravity, the fact that the infant girl’s hunger pangs are being quelled by lactating mothers at the MGM’s paediatric ward, who are breast-feeding her at regular intervals, showcase what’s perhaps best in humanity.

“The newborn was alone and there was nobody to feed her, so I decided to do so,” said new mother Soni Devi (19).

“She was alone when we came here at night. Enquiries revealed she was abandoned. With Soni, I also breast-fed her. Her beauty and health left us smitten. I wish her all the best from my heart,” said Asha Devi, another new mother.

Security guards are also looking after the day-old child, but they know this is a temporary solution.

“I came to know about this incident today when I joined. We have informed the police. We will wait for a day or two and then send the infant to an orphanage,” said paediatrician K.K. Choudhary.

A source said that MGM would wait for 72 hours before disposing Puja’s body.

The decision of her daughter’s future will be taken by the district administration, but most likely, she will go to the Missionaries of Charity, Baradwari.

“We obviously want the infant’s family members to turn up and claim her. If not that, it will be great if a decent childless couple adopts her. Else, we will hand her over to Missionaries of Charity,” said MGM superintendent, S.S. Prasad.

A woman summed up the situation best. “Look at this lovely baby. Had she been a boy, couples would have by now made a beeline for adoption. But she’s a girl, so let us wait and watch,” she said, wryly.

Do you agree that couples would have queued up for a boy child?

Tell ttkhand@abpmail.com