Even though we are living in the 21st century, a huge segment of Indian society is still struggling to accept the birth of a girl child. What breaks our heart is the fact that the obsession with son is still even prevalent with the educated and well-to-do families.
Though society is changing some of its old ways, many Indian families still prefer having a boy rather than a girl. There are many people with regressive thinking who still shame the mothers and fathers for having daughters.
A recent incident of a mother giving birth to a son after 11 daughters, after being tired of people taunts, is a testament to such a regressive thought process of our society. It is heartbreaking to see how our society and its regressive customs often put the blame on the mother for the birth of a girl child.
Though the stigma is a prevalent part of Indian society, some brave inspiring people are taking steps to change this thought-process. With their positive measures, they are ensuring that our society not only stops shaming the birth of girls but also gives them the love and respect that they deserve.
One such step has been taken by some progressive people in the Gujarat city of Visnagar. These people have started their own new custom. In this custom, these people honor the parents of baby girls and quashing the heavily stigmatized subject.
On November 26, 2019, the people of Visnagar honored 11 married couples, who were blessed by daughters within the last year. While the parents were presented with a cash gift, the people also blessed the daughters with good fortune.
In the society that is struggling with the increasing crime against the women, even our Prime Minister Narendra Modi rejected the stigma against the daughters. To honor the daughters of India, he announced the Bharat Ki Lakshmi campaign. During the address, he said:
“Daughters are considered as Laxmi in our culture. Can’t we felicitate daughters in our villages and cities by holding public programmes?”
Though the community of Visnagar is showing a progressive attitude towards daughters, many still hold a regressive behavior.
We feel this custom shouldn’t be seen as a small gesture because it could go into a long way changing the conditions of women in our society. From foeticide to rape to domestic violence against women, all the issues are routed from the regressive thought-process that this custom tries to change.
At IFORHER, we are proud of this community for starting this beautiful custom to celebrate the birth of a girl child. And, we hope soon many more communities would come forward to bring such a positive change in our society.