The missing daughters of India

According to the 2011 Census, the number of children in the 0-6 age group has fallen from about 163.8 million in 2001 to about 158.8 million now—an indicator of declining fertility.

Falling numbers

However, the census also points out that the decline is greater for the girl child. While there was a decline of almost three million among girls, the decline among boys was only a little over two million.

“There are two main causes of skewed sex ratios in places like Jhajjar. One, foeticide, and two, dipping fertility rates,” said activist Sabu George, who works in the area of women development and empowerment.
“With economic development and prosperity, the preference for a small family has increased, and along with it the desire for a boy child has been further enhanced.”

George, too, claims female infanticide is rare and limited to some very “difficult areas”.

An example of the small family phenomenon can be seen in Khetawas village, where most couples prefer to have two children, or even one child. Of a population of around 2,200 in the village, only 900 are women.

“People are now becoming more aware of the benefits of small families, and hence, are limiting themselves to one or two children,” said village council chief Malta Devi. ” Because of that, the demand for a boy has increased even more. So when a couple has a boy as their first born, they undergo surgeries to ensure they can’t conceive again.”

“We had two boys and then I got an operation. Why should I risk having any girls now? We don’t want so many children,” said Hemlata of Khetawas.

The social repercussions of this phenomenon of the missing daughters are already apparent in Jhajjar. In the conservative Jat-dominated Mathanhail village, the skewed sex ratio is forcing many young men to marry from outside the state.

“The main problem of less women is we are finding it difficult to get our sons married, ” said 50-year-old Krishna, whose two sons in their 20s have been unable to find suitable matches. “So we have to now get girls from Bihar, Jharkhand, Bengal, Orissa.... This is leading to further cultural problems.”

Naresh, who uses only one name and married Sunita from Jharkhand two years ago, said: “I faced a big problem. There were no women. I couldn’t get married till I was over 30, when we got Sunita from another state.” They now have a one-month-old daughter.

“I got married around two years ago and have managed to now learn the customs and language,” said Sunita. “But it is very different here as compared to where I am from. I have to cover my face. It wasn’t so strict there. It is more conservative here.”

Both Sunita and Naresh say their daughter will be treated differently.

Ruhi Tewari in Livemint. More Here.

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A tale of IPL India and BPL India..!

The capital witnessed a bizarre spectacle earlier this week - the lavish wedding of the children of two Delhi politicians on which an estimated Rs 250 crore was spent. A five-seater helicopter worth Rs 35 crore was gifted by the bride's father to the groom. Instead of indignation, the event generated nothing more than gasps of disbelief among the chatterati.

The groom's father and Congress leader, Kanwar Singh Tanwar, and the bride's father, former- MLA Sukhbir Singh Jaunpuria, might deny these estimates should the income tax authorities dare to question them. And, who knows, this expense might indeed be from well- earned and tax- paid income.

However, the Tanwars and the Jaunpurias are not alone. Society pages of newspapers tell us that the Indian wedding has not only become fatter over time but that families buy space in newspapers to show-off their the wedding and guests. Mere consumption is no longer enough, it also has to be conspicuous.

How much will the political elite, made up of a few hundred families, agree to forgo to prevent the delegitimation of its immense power? Might not the ordinary citizen begin to question the legitimacy of the system of governance which catapults such people to the top? It is not just the question of an A Raja or a Suresh Kalmadi. Corruption scandals have marred almost every government that came into power since the mid- 1980s.

There is a nexus between the worst elements - criminals, cheats, land grabbers and contractors who milk public funds - and politicians which is very difficult to break.

This is what makes one wonder that while the Indian economy may indeed return to nine per cent growth from this year on, might it not bring social and political problems which this society shows no sign of tackling? Will it be able to digest a high economic growth that comes with social unrest? Growth is necessary because the alternative is the socialism of poverty which does no one any good. But without an ethical basis, economic growth can aggravate inequity to unmanageable proportions. Economic growth and its concomitant increase in income and consumption ideally ought to have a moral and ethical underpinning. This is particularly important in a society where wealth distribution is skewed and inequalities abound.

The economic distance that already exists between " IPL India and BPL India" ( to use Sitaram Yechury's memorable phrase) can eventually result in the political alienation of large sections of society. Those who are heard declaring that an Egypt will never happen in India because of the safety valve provided by our functioning democracy may not be able to delude themselves for long. It may not take more than a decade for India to become a dysfunctional society. The result of mal- governance is already visible in the Maoist affected areas of the country. The question is whether its spread can be tackled amicably and whether our political elite are capable of this.

Bharat Bhushan in India Today. More Here. 

The groom wore a garland made of bank notes and received a helicopter as a gift, there were 18,000 guests - or perhaps it was 30,000 - and 1,000 workers took 40 days to prepare the venue.

The exact details have been fiercely disputed, but Thursday's newspapers in New Delhi were all in agreement that this had been one very big, very fat Indian wedding.

Lalit Tanwar married his bride Yogita Jaunapuria at a family farmhouse near the city in a ceremony Tuesday celebrated with 100 dishes, 12 giant TV screens to broadcast proceedings, and even a gift of $5,500 for the groom's barber.

The Times of India calculated the cost of the extravaganza uniting two influential political families at Rs1billion ($22 million), while the Mail Today went for the less conservative figure of $55 million.
"I don't understand why there is so much hoopla about this marriage," the groom's father, Kanwar Singh Tanwar, told the Times. "All estimates of this marriage in the media are speculation." In the Indian Express, he was quoted as saying: "True, a Bell 429 helicopter was given but it was a simple wedding."

Kanwar Tanwar is a wealthy city politician from the ruling Congress party, while the bride's father is a former politician in the capital - making the arranged marriage a perfect power deal.

The media recorded each lavish detail with a mixture of shock and delight.
The Hindustan Times reported that at a pre-wedding ceremony last week 2,000 guests were each given a silver biscuit, a safari suit and $500 in cash, while at a different ritual the bride's family welcomed the groom with gifts worth $5 million.

The newly-weds, both 26, were heralded on Tuesday night by flowers and lights bedecking three kilometres of roads leading to the function, where no meat or alcohol were served in line with Hindu tradition.
However the groom's new $8 million five-seater helicopter could not be present due to flight regulations, and instead he was given its keys and a small silver replica.
Celebrations are set to continue with another reception on Thursday and a final gathering on Sunday at a five-star hotel attended by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

A report in Gulf News. More Here.