A woman is an extension of God. It is through her that God begins a new life. Nevertheless, it is a fact that in my country(India), a significant number of people give undue preference for a male child. There are exceptions, especially in matriarchal societies of South India and among the educated and good at heart people. A girl child is equally welcomed in these groups, and fortunately a large percentage of people today, fall into these groups.
There has been a lot of unfair practices against women especially in North India. In olden times. people had the heart to kill newborn baby girls. A widow was supposed to burn alive(let alone remarry) in the funeral pyre of her husband(Sati). Sati was brought to an end through the efforts of Raja Ram Mohan Roy in 1831.
180 years after Sati, it is a sad fact that, the mindset of several people is still to change. Today female infanticide is unheard of, but with the advancement of technology, it is possible(and happenning) to determine the sex of the child before birth and to kill the foetus. The recent surveys show a decrease in the ratio of females to males. There are very strict rules against these practises. It is illegal to reveal the sex of a baby before birth in India, but I am ashamed that such a rule is required in a country like India in the 21st century. Even today it is all smiles when the birth of a boy is announced and sighs for a baby girl. I have personally heard several people sympathize on the fact that my parents have two girls! The most disgraceful part of the whole affair is that women equally play a part and played a part in female infanticide and foeticide!
There has been a lot of unfair practices against women especially in North India. In olden times. people had the heart to kill newborn baby girls. A widow was supposed to burn alive(let alone remarry) in the funeral pyre of her husband(Sati). Sati was brought to an end through the efforts of Raja Ram Mohan Roy in 1831.
180 years after Sati, it is a sad fact that, the mindset of several people is still to change. Today female infanticide is unheard of, but with the advancement of technology, it is possible(and happenning) to determine the sex of the child before birth and to kill the foetus. The recent surveys show a decrease in the ratio of females to males. There are very strict rules against these practises. It is illegal to reveal the sex of a baby before birth in India, but I am ashamed that such a rule is required in a country like India in the 21st century. Even today it is all smiles when the birth of a boy is announced and sighs for a baby girl. I have personally heard several people sympathize on the fact that my parents have two girls! The most disgraceful part of the whole affair is that women equally play a part and played a part in female infanticide and foeticide!
1 comment:
shyi agree with u.. made interesting reading...but feel like more thought has to be given as to y this is happening..y are women child not prefered? esp in india..
1) in middle class/ poor families- it is of course coz o dowry system..people simply cannot afford the huge dowry tat is asked by teh guys family.. even in upper middle class family, the gals parents do gift the gal money/ gold at the time of marriage.....yyyy?? y only the gals family? y is this considered as some family prestige.. in many ways, i feel most of us play a role in this - coz on the day of marriage we too adorn all of the gold ...(ter is of course teh excuse that i dont wanna hurt my parents!! atleast, tat is my excuse)..still, i hope at least the next generation changes..
2) ter is a feeling among people that the legacy of a family can be continued only by a boy child! y??? ter r rules like only hte boy child can light the pyre...in certain parts, only teh boy child will get the family's wealth..etc etc..
so, if we really wanna change, we should be responsible enough to make some change or the other..
for my part, i sadly regret that i cudnt follow my dream of a simple wedding in some temple- with jus 1 gold chain!! but, hope to rectify it somehow or teh other in teh future!!
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