The other 'India'

Its always painful to post a blog like this. But i feel each of us should read this and understand the gravity of the situation. At most we all can contribute by educating someone who is heading to take a wrong step.

Source of this Post: "No girls, please, we're Indian", an article on 'The Hindu' dated Aug 24th,2007 by Kalpana Sharma. The article throws light on the decreasing 'sex ratio' in India.

Let me share the spark points of the article.
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The 2001 census figures of the 0-6 years sex ratio are a stark illustration of this reality.

1. Apart from the declining adult sex ratio, the sharp decline in the child sex ratio in the last decade from 945 to 927 is a devastating indictment of our society.
2. Imagine maps graded in different colours according to the 0-6 sex ratio. The growing number of districts where the 0-6 sex ratio has fallen below the 800 mark was deep red. And the reds were popping up in every State, in ever greater numbers.
3. Punjab and Haryana have the worst sex ratio in the country with 'Fathegarh Sahib' in Punjab having the worst child sex ratio of just 766.
4. In 1991, not a single district in India had been recorded with a child sex ratio of less than 800. In 2001, there were 14.
5. In 1991, only one district recorded a child sex ratio of between 800-849. In 2001, this number had risen to 31.
6. At the other end of the spectrum in 1991, 21 districts had a child sex ratio of over 1,000. In 2001, only five districts were in this range.
7. In Punjab, even if baby girls are born, they are abandoned at the hospital door steps.

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Now comes 3 points which is a shame to all of us. Especially the 3rd one as it is rampant in the educated youth demographic segment like ours.

1. In Punjab and Haryana,some women genuinely believed that if their numbers decline, their value would increase because men will not find brides.
2. In Haryana, men are buying brides from other States for as little as Rs. 5,000 (While a buffalo costs Rs. 40,000).
3. In certain instances, even highly educated women have resorted to as many as eight abortions to ensure that they only give birth to a son thereby pointing that in India, education and economic progress seem to make no dent on our attitudes. On the contrary, these are getting more embedded.