Goddess, really?

On my way to the office, I was listening to a radio channel. The RJ mentioned a village near Jaisalmer (Indo-Pak border), from where only one girl has been married in the last 110 years! Surprised or shocked? Yes, this village has not had a baby girl for more than a century now. I did not know how to react -- to be amazed, stunned; or should I rather just forget about the entire issue. <br><br>

Now I don't think I need to mention where all the girls of that village have gone, fallen victim to female foeticide - of course. The term by now is quite common in this country, but surprisingly nothing much has been done about it. Ironically this country calls itself Bharat Mata and prays to Goddesses like Durga, Kali, Saraswati, Laxmi, Shitla, Vaishno Devi and so many others. Ironically this country also witnesses maximum female foeticides. <br><br> Now why do people kill girls in the womb and why do mothers accept to be the part of the heinous crime? Perhaps, it is the easiest way to evade problems like the dowry system which have prevailed for many centuries now. <br><br> There are laws to curb the menace, but most cases go unreported. Dowry is considered too much a part of the marital ritual for anybody to do something about it. The practice of paying cash and expensive gifts to the groom’s family at the time of marriage is not just prevalent in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, and Gujarat, but is also a part of the tradition in southern parts of the country as well. <br><br> Indian society is still male dominated and “most” parents’ joy is doubled if they are blessed with a son rather a daughter. When will we understand that dowry cannot ensure the happiness of daughters? Our girls need to be self-reliant and educated so that they can collectively fight the problem and are not considered a problem themselves. <br><br> I know of some of my relatives who celebrated the birth of their sons in a big way. The entire show looked as if it was the biggest achievement of the father; but after knowing that a few of would-be mothers underwent pre-natal check ups and aborted suspected girl child, I felt so disgusted that I stopped visiting them and ensured there is no communication with these people ever. Had I known their devious plans, then they would have faced my wrath much earlier. <br><br> A few days ago I read a message in front of a government hospital: "Punishment for female foeticide is Rs.50,000 to Rs.1,00,000 if caught". I was surprised by the last two words; I have never understood why nothing is been done to change the mindset in the first place. <br><br> The two possible action points that come to my mind, which I feel our parliamentarians should consider are as follows:- <br><br> 1. Banning the practice of dowry is not enough. If parents are willing to gift the bride something, then it should be channeled through a court and preferably put only on the daughter’s name rather than the groom and his family. In addition declaration of the source of income should be made compulsory. This will not just deter the exchange of black money, it will also help the beneficiary party to be brought to book if they are making huge demands. Moreover, this will also ensure that all marriages are registered thus automatically reining in the practice of child marriages. <br><br> 2. The other steps which the government is taking for the benefit of the girl child are welcome moves, but need to be aggressively pursued. Scheme like free education to all girl child till 12th standard should be compulsory including other incidental expenses like books and school uniforms. These strategies will motivate parents, instilling confidence in them to send their daughters to get empowered. <br><br> Female foeticide is not only a rural phenomenon; most affluent parts of the country like Delhi, Haryana, Punjab and Gujarat register high rates of this crime. An uneducated person may still have the excuse of being prejudiced, but what about an educated individual like you and I? How does one explain to them? Is it the greed to encash a son's education and upbringing by demanding an astronomical dowry that keeps such a practice alive? <br><br> There is also an urgent need to punish doctors, who carry out pre-natal tests and participate in this crime. Women reservation bill is a step towards women empowerment and I strongly feel we should have more women parliamentarians soon. Women leaders are looked up to by many in the fairer sex as their idols -- boosting confidence and creating in them zeal to make a mark of their own. We need many more names to go along with Sarojini Naidu, Indira Gandhi, Kalpana Chawla and Mother Teresa. We certainly do. <br><br> Female foeticide has plagued the country enough. It's a disease that we have lived with for a bit too long. It's more deadly than any swine flu or SARS as it affects our mind, but we have to eradicate it - wipe it off the Indian face with vengeance. Let the country awake and welcome the real Goddess, not the idol but the one which takes birth from a womb and awaits to see the light of day!