At 46, Iron Lady of India gives birth to twins

Bengaluru: On Mother’s Day, Irom Chanu Sharmila, the Iron Lady of India and 46-year-old civil rights activist, gave birth to twin girls at a hospital in Bengaluru.

The twins, Nix Shakhi and Autumn Tara, were born a minute apart. The Cloudnine Group of Hospitals’ spokesperson said Sharmila was still recovering and photos of her and the babies would be released shortly.

Sharmila gave birth to twins through a C-section delivery at the hospital’s Malleswaram branch at 9.21am on Sunday. Nix Shakhi weighed 2.16 kgs and Autumn Tara 2.14 kg.

Their obstetrician-gynecologist, Dr Sripada Vinekar said that both Sharmila and the babies were doing fine and that the mother was resting with her two bundles of joy, with her husband by her side.

“Delivering on Mother’s Day was a pure coincidence. It wasn’t planned. They didn’t even realise the coincidence until I told them about it. We were planning to operate next week but Sharmila had to be rushed into the hospital on Saturday night due to early labour pains. She is a strong lady. We plan to discharge her by Tuesday or Wednesday.” No big celebration followed in the hospital room and no visitors milled around, except for a good friend. The couple wanted to keep it very private, Dr Vinekar said.

“They are such a fantastic, humble couple. Even when they would come for check-ups, they would sit outside the cabin, quietly, waiting for their turn,” Dr Vinekar added.

The couple who has settled in Kodaikanal after their marriage in 2017, chose Bengaluru for their big moment. Said Dr Vinekar, “I don’t know why they chose Bengaluru. I was also a little surprised when they approached me. All I can say is that I am quite excited to be a part of their journey. The Sharmila that I got to see is different. I saw a softer side to her.”