Vandana
India is a land of contradictions. All our scriptures hail women as goddesses. Every virgin is considered as an incarnation of Durga or Laxmi or Saraswati. But this is only the one side of the story. The other story regarding the girl child puts our heads in shame. More than 15 million foetuses are aborted every year. All this is done not to have a girl child in the family. It exposes our double standards and hypocrisy. It is a cruel commentary on the morals, conduct and ethics of our society. Even in the 21st century, we have the old and outdated mindset and ideas. Ours is still a monstrously male dominated society. The parents and the families are not ready to take the birth of a girl child as a normal happy occasion. A girl child is considered an additional burden on the family. Obsession for a son takes root from age long outdated views and myths. It is purely a myth that one can’t attain ‘moksha’ or ‘liberation’ without a male child—the son. Simply ridiculous! Girls have excelled in all walks of life. They have proved their superiority as teachers, doctors, engineers, police officers and businessmen. What a man can do, a woman can do still better. In such a situation, the very idea of female foeticide seems immoral, perverted and inhuman. Unfortunately, prosperous states like Haryana and Punjab have shamed themselves as the leading states in female foeticide in the country. The girl-child sex-ratio has seen alarming trends. This evil has to be rooted out. Exemplary punishments must be given to those who indulge in such inhuman practices. Moreover, a sustained effort must be made by the government and voluntary bodies to change the mindset of the people. Such an inhuman and barbaric practice must have no place in our civilised society.