By Vineeta Tawney

It was Dussehra and we had now come out from the Devi’s mandir(temple) which was beautifully decorated and had throngs of people lined up, waiting patiently just to have a glimpse of the goddess, to offer their prayers , thank her and seek her blessings on this auspicious occasion. The mother of all, the caretaker of all, the list would never end if i had to write in her praise.

But here comes the part of irony,  it was almost like confusing to see, shining bright, right in front of the devi’s temple by the roadside was a shining, freshly designed LED board that said – “Save the girl child”. I found it so ironical, after we had just worshiped the mother(a lady once upon a girl) of the universe we had to read those painful words… such diverse contrast, such words only want to make you say it all the more ”oh darling yeh hain India”.

The irony doesn’t end here, of all people my 6 year old daughter asks me, “What is Save the girl child Mamma”? I could hold a contest if someone could tell me an answer which could be appropriate for a 6 year old girl child who is the life and soul of her family.

We live in a country wherein nobody has to remind us to worship the goddess, a lady. We could travel high mountain ranges to seek her blessings, actually we could go till any distances to worship her. But it is also still the same country where in we still have to be reminded, warned or even be punished for committing the hideous crime of female foeticide.

Apparently this crime is not only restricted to the lower classes of society but is also very dominant in the supposedly educated higher classes of the society. Social Activists have in time and again tried to create awareness through campaigns, media etc. but i guess we have a lot to blame on our culture, society, financial disparity etc.

The Beti Bachao, or Save girls campaign, has been underway in many Indian communities since the early 2000s. The campaign uses the media to raise awareness of the gender disparities creating, and resulting from, sex-selective abortion. Beti Bachao activities include rallies, posters, short videos and television commercials, some of which are sponsored by state and local governments and other organisations. Many celebrities in India have publicly supported the Beti Bachao campaign.

But honestly do we still need somebody to tell us “no girl babies please”.