Wanted girl child

Winds are blowing in other direction in Punjab region after several couples are making beeline for adopting girl children. The Red Cross Society in Amritsar district, which runs Pangurha – a cradle set up by district administration – has been receiving appeals from endless couples for welcoming a girl child at their home.

Pangurha — a cradle system set up by the district administration in 2008 — has received around 18 girls so far, where the 18^th girl came to the scheme on February 10. Initiated by district administration of Amritsar, the scheme allows parents not wanting girl child to leave her at the cradle than throwing her away for dogs at garbage dumps, which is accepted by the society and they are sent for medical examination. Later, these girls are sent to Shishu Griha Trust run by Nari Niketan at Jalandhar.

Baljit Singh, secretary of Red Cross society at Amritsar, confirms it. ``We have been flooded with calls from couples for adopting girl child. After reading about a girl child left at cradle scheme, people give us calls for adopting her,’’ Baljit says adding they have coax the couples to apply at Nari Niketan for adoption.

The result is evident from the fact that of the 18 girls that were left at the cradle till February 10, 16 have been adopted by now, majorly by Punjabi families. ``Of the 18 we have sent till date to Jalandhar, 16 have been adopted and other two are on their way to be adopted soon,’’ Baljit says.

Of the 18 girls the Red Cross had received, only two were around two-year-old. ``Rest all were newly born,’’ Baljit says. He says that the trend has gradually picked-up after couples have developed a feeling of sons not looking after them in old-age. ``Further, with lots of cases that come up were boys are harassing their parents, the mindset is changing,’’ Baljit said.

Nari Niketan’s adoption in-charge G E Roy admits the scene. ``We receive applications from around 100 parents every year. However, with procedural limitations under law, we give around 20 girls for adoption, every year,’’ Roy says adding that over 100 applications are pending with them concerning with adopting girl child at any point of time.

Of these, 100 applications that the trust receives annually, Roy says that 90 per cent are for adopting girl child while 10 per cent ask for boys.

The Trust receives children from cities like Amritsar, Ludhiana, Patiala and several other places. The trust has helped in adoption of boy as well as girl children over the years.

However, the number of in-country (within country) adoptions have remained more for girl children, especially to couples from Punjab. So far, they have helped in sending 124 abandoned girls to wanting families whereas 32 male children were adopted from the trust.

Adoptions at Nari Niketan Trust

Year male female

2003 4 10

2004 3 10

2005 3 15

2006 3 11

2007 4 16

2008 4 13

Total 32 124

(Source- www.nariniketan.com)

Narrow Roads plzzzz

As the debate continues, whether Republic Day still has its flavor or has mere turned into a holiday? Well brushing aside all the debates, I enjoyed this R-day at Shimla by watching the grand parade on television (of course with all pride after witnessing the armed forces parade and breaking down after watching the bravery of Ashok chakra awardees).

But this R-day made me ponder another aspect. As I was in Shimla, I was amazed with the traffic sense the drivers have there. Moreover, with policemen standing after every 100 metres, jamming or over taking wrongly was out of question.

The police presence may be due to Shimla being Himachal’s capital. However, all the drivers respected lanes, were very particular about giving signals and stood before zebra lines. We were zapped after being reprimanded for not giving signal and believe me the warning came from policemen, who generally don’t care for what motorists do at least in Amritsar.

The roads, though winding, were in good condition amazingly. I thought why people in Shimla and surrounding hills respected traffic. May be because they have narrow roads and can’t expand their roads for being in hilly region. May be if you don’t respect traffic norms, you will stuck the entire traffic.

On the contrary, in metros and cities, we have been talking about increasing the lanes – make it two or four lanes for better traffic flow. At several highways, two-lanes are falling short as traffic goes for a choc-o-bloc.

Here Shimla gives us a better example, I feel. Vehicles will increase no doubts. Roads will feel the pinch. But what we require is a traffic sense – a civilized traffic sense. Basic stuff like giving indications, respecting signals and following lane system, sadly we ain’t doing it.

While writing this, I should not forget the Himachal Pradesh bus transport service drivers. Unlike other transport service drivers, they drive the huge buses on this single lane and never cross it. Even on sharp turns, their packed buses are in the lanes – kudos to them.

Even people prefer to travel by buses than their own vehicles as the transport service is very good. And the best part is the toy-train. At cheaper rates, they ferry you. Neat, clean and well-maintained. May be because its in UNESCO heritage list or may be because people respect it.

With all these experiences, shouldn’t the mega projects of having four-lanes and six-lanes be dropped and we should continue with single-lanes roads. It will, at least, bring traffic sense to the maximum. Keep pondering…

C ya

Dear Daughters

``We are daughters of our family and our family has never discouraged us. However, relatives and people visiting our family press them for having a son. We never feel that we don’t have brothers. But society makes us feel,’’ a professor at an Amritsar-based college said while breaking down.

Well, you might be thinking what I am writing about and might have guessed also. Its tit-bits from a seminar where female foeticide practice was being discussed.

It’s a depressing situation that we have to start with discussions and spread awareness on stopping female foeticide. A situation of apathy and misled conscience has turned our own country, which ironically worships female goddesses, being termed as a country where girl children are killed.

Girl students of this particular college were shocked to read a column from a leading newspaper saying we don’t kill cats and dogs to the extent we kill our daughters.

``My fellow friends in other states ask me why are we killing our girl children. I have no answers,’’ Dr Baljit Kaur, who also happens to be only daughter and has performed her father's funeral, said.

Dr Baljit Kaur is a surgeon with Civil Hospital here.

She was a marvel when she asked daughters – the only daughters of their families – to come on stage and narrate their experiences, which led way to appalling answers.

The first para of the text is what it came out. The girls were confident of not missing brothers but eventually concerned what will happen to their parents when they are married off. ``Who will take care of my mother?’’ asked a girl with tears gleaming in her eyes.

Some of them showed courage while some simply broke down. Even the professors – the only daughters of their family – could not stop their tears.

Why is it so that we don’t require girl children? Even I could not find any answer. But eventually the so-called society and its norms where son performs religious rites and an additional burden of dowry has made the girl child `unwanted’ in our world.

The college principal was courageous enough to say that people require sons to conduct rites. ``But why don’t we stop marriages of boys who don’t have sisters? (Sisters in Punjab, in India as well, play in important role in marriages as they perform several functions). We continue the marriage but has anyone raised an objection? No, then why not to boycott these marriages held without sisters?’’ she had a point.

She also narrated her experience in Iraq, which also has less sex ratio. ``There girls ask boys to bring dowry in marriage. Girls keep their choice-list before boys, which after being fulfilled, marriage is solemnized,’’ she said.

On the lighter side, she narrated her helper’s story, who was 35-yr-old. ``When I asked him about his marriage, he said the girl has asked for a bungalow, a car and huge chunks of gold. My bungalow and car is in place, I am working for collecting gold, was his answer,’’ she said.

The irony is that we are still bound with the chains of so-called religious beliefs. I fail to understand why a mother cannot stay with her daughter? And t

he professors were asking girl students to clear this particular point before they marry or simply reject the proposal.

However, relationships cannot be based on conditions. There is a need of proper grooming amongst children – not as boy or girl – but as children. May be then we may respect both of our parents, not for the sake of show but with an innate respect.

Somehow, we still require to grow – grow as a society and get out of those unwritten code of ethics, which is making us commit such heinous crimes. Well, don’t you feel so. Another aspect to ponder.

Meanwhile, another newly born was found dead and left to stray dogs in Amritsar. The

baby's sex could not be indentified as half of the body was found eaten up. But i can vouch it was a girl child.

C ya then

Branding or debranding, God knows

Tug-off-war began for branding/debranding the 15-yr-old Pakistani youth, who was allegedly nabbed by Border Security Force while trying to cross the Wagah border. 
The youth was presented as a suicide bomber before media by BSF where the suspect also spoke to media persons accepting he was a suicide bomber. 
However, the Amritsar police invoked very soft sections of crossing border without proper documents like passport and visa. The youth was sent to a remand and a joint interrogation was ordered till January 20. 
But to everyone’s surprise, a leading and respected newspaper reported that the youth had mistakenly crossed the border and was branded as suicide bomber, just after two days of interrogation.
Tackling such cases is so flimsy in India. First of all, the interrogation of the suspect by BSF was presented before the media. Moreover, the BSF officials further presented the suspect before media where he was interviewed. 
However, the interrogation details were kept aside by Amritsar police and loose sections were invoked. 
Further, there was a media trial, which presented the suspect innocent on basis on `anonymous officials’. 
We are still far away from the better investigating agencies. Moreover, in absence of responsible media, who are running for `breaking news’, we still need to grow. 
Well, the suspect’s remand ends on Wednesday. Lets see, what the outcome. The process needs pondering, right.
See ya then.

Lohri

The entire Punjab is celebrating Lohri. However, as journos, we were trying to find a single house where girl child Lohri was being celebrated wanting to do a story on them. We could not locate one in the holy city of Amritsar.  
Well Lohri is celebrated to welcome new member of a family. I fail to realize why a girl child is still not accepted in the North Indian family. At few places, government did come ahead and dedicated Lohri celebrations to the girl child. For several others, it didn’t matter. 
I saw boys helping each other with flying kites. Hordes of kites were flying in the sky. The kites and the sky looked beautiful and gave a comforting feel. 
However, none of these kites was managed by a girl. Kite flying, in this part it seems, is still a man’s area.
It feels sad as to how girls are being sidelined here though I have a few friends who adore their daughters. But the maximum part, still, fail to accept the woman power. 
 It’s distressing that the cradle scheme by district administration has got 15 girl children in the year so far. On the last day of 2009, when everyone was hopping for welcoming a new year, the cradle scheme had another girl as their guest.
But its more comforting that these girl children live their life rather than being left to die at a garbage dump. I witnessed three such instances, in the last three months of my reporting in Amritsar, where girl children were left to die at the hands of stray dogs. Really disturbing !!!
We still require to ponder over this ill-side of ours. 

Happy Lohri !!!

Soniya