Plight of the girl child

  I SHARE the views expressed by Mr T.V. Rajeswar in his article "Fate of the girl child", Nov 12). Though he has focussed mainly on the plight of the girl child in Tamil Nadu, the scenario is no better in Punjab, the land where Guru Nanak Dev gave the message, "So kyon manda akhiye jit jamme raajan (why belittle the woman who bears the kings!)". The gender bias is more glaring now than it was in the past.

The findings of a study at the Paediatrics Departments of the two medical colleges in Ludhiana are self-revealing. Only 34.8 per cent of the children attending OPD were girls. Only 16.5 per cent of the indoor admissions were of girls. This is because the illness in the girls in often neglected. Out of the hospitalised cases, fatality among the girls was higher than boys. This is because girls are brought late to the hospital in the course of their illness.

With the murder of the unborn girl child in the womb with the help of the shameful practice of sex determination tests, the gender ratio has dropped to a disastrous level of 1000: 850 against the females in Punjab.

The answer lies in launching a social awareness movement, the empowerment of women and more stringent punishment to those indulging in sex-determination tests, both doctors and mothers.

(DR) KAMAL JYOTI
Qadian

CHILLING CRIMES: Keeping in mind the gross neglect and abuse the girls in most Third World countries are subjected to, it can be safely concluded that daughters still, by and large, are made to feel unwanted. It is a well-known fact that girls are not fed as well as the boys, are less cared for during illness and little money is spent on their education. The rate of female mortality during childhood in developing countries is particularly high due to neglect and discrimination.

Despite concerted efforts by government and voluntary organisations to educate the people about the need to give equal love and care to both male and female children, the "sex factor" still determines the quality of parental care and the extent of investment in child development efforts at home. In extreme cases the preference for a son often leads to the abandonment of the female child or even infanticide. In recent years the problem has assumed a sinister dimension with the arrival of new techniques to determine the sex of the unborn child.

Female foeticide will undoubtedly go down in history as one of the most chilling crimes of the 20th century. There can be nothing more heinous than parents conspiring to blow out the life of their unborn child for the sake of profit of sorts. The psychological fallout of each abortion or a female foeticide on the mother is well known, but more devastating is its effect on the very faith and trust of the other children — this shakes the very foundation of the family system. Some states, including Punjab, have banned the prenatal diagnostic tests for determining the sex of the unborn. Stringent measures like imprisonment, fine and disqualification of the erring medicos have been incorporated in the law. But laws are of limited use. Exhortations to parents to protect the social balance would be useful.

K.M. VASHISHT
Mansa

* * * *

Harassed BAMS students

Panjab University, once considered as one of the leading centres of learning, has failed to issue the BAMS degree to the successful students of the local ayurveda college, despite the fact that they appeared in the examinations in December, 1995 — three years ago. The apathetic attitude of the university authorities has put the career of these students in jeopardy.

It is also learnt that some influential students have managed to secure their degrees! What is the university's policy? Are the unfortunate students not going to get their degree in the normal course?

P.C. AGGARWAL
Principal, Panchkula Coaching Academy
Panchkula

* * * *

Mercenary music

Good art has its roots in universal good. Therefore, the best art is that which is cherished by the greatest number of people, over the longest period of time. Good art not only deals with social dynamics, it also inspires and celebrates moral growth in an ideal society.

Opposed to this, inferior art is temporary in its social base. It is local and evanescent. When its sponsors, promoters and participants disappear, such art also perishes.

Of all arts, we are, however, discussing only music and melody, dialect and dancing and pop porn, that is being served to us by the electronic media everyday, right within our households, as also at all public places, besides in transit.

Music is a wonderful art. Even the newborn baby feels the soothing effect of the lullaby. It accompanies all social events, whether it is marriage or funeral, religious or community fete, war or peace. It lifts us out of the individual self, rescues us from vulgarity, and takes us to a higher ethical plane. It transcends national boundaries, and elevates us to global plane. So it can be the panacea to unite this battling world, to spread the message of love and peace.

But the incubus of a corrupt rich class, who pays for most of those writers of the rubbish, the baldheaded musicians, who sing songs of “janu and janam”, “sharab and shabab”, joined by nude female dancers, is crushing out all seriousness and sublimity of this art. Even good musicians have reduced themselves to the vassals of globalisation, for consideration of money. Besides, all our political and economic institutions have fostered vice and vulgarity in the cultural field, and are responsible for such national slid.

The modern lustful music merchandise, accompanied by the dancing of the scantily-clad glamour girls, is not only ignoble but also poisonous, because it is divorced from social roots and morality. It has driven away the sublimity and solemnity, and made it sensational, sensual and violent, that has created unrest in society. We are submerging in a sink of vice and vulgarity, whether at home or at public places.

B. C. MAKHAIK
Shimla

* * * *

Mamata Banerjee

Ms Mamata Banerjee is a great patriot of India. People of West Bengal need more such dynamic leaders to bring them out of the quagmire of poverty and inequality.

(Prof) C. SAHA
Chandigarh