By: Dr. Sanchita Ghatak ( Asstt. Editor-ICN Group )
LUCKNOW: I was just going through a report by ministry of home affairs, GOI and was rather flabbergasted to see that the male female ratio in India, as given in 2017 is just 933 females per 1000 males, and more astonishing was that it’s the urban population where it is just 900 per 1000 males.
We claim that we are progressing, and I was frantically looking for the reason to find out what ways actually determine if a country is progressing. Is it just getting PSLV launched or my country going totally digital or is it just every citizen getting the minimal right to live and have a self esteem. An indeed big question to ponder over!
Suddenly a notification popped out and it got my attention as it was my Facebook notification that some link in my friend list has just shared some post. With a natural human instinct which social media sites are encashing upon, to see what others are doing, sharing liking or disliking. It was some poster saying “meri beti mera abhimaan” meaning my daughter is my pride with lots of likes and shares.
Somehow I felt good from within and I followed that post for a day or two and found mostly parents who are blessed with a daughter or two are putting their thumps up and some even making it as their status update. I found it to be very social and thought that India is really raising its voice for the once underprivileged creature of the society. But then I felt a little scratchy that why can’t you just be real proud of your daughters.
Is Facebook the only way to just talk and talk? We now need people to actually walk their talks and improve upon the 933 figure, which says around 67 men will never get a lady love in his life which means the story of a women taken as a “wife” for 2-3 families will continue for quite a long time from now.
Everybody feels good to post loving and intense mother’s day message, posting romantic messages for girlfriends is trending and most decisively men want to have good wives too, but I couldn’t understand, will a magic wand get them a mother, wife and a girlfriend to flaunt around with? Do we really get women as King Drupad got his daughter from the flames of a yagya (worship or offerings to God) being performed or can we really get women as King Janaka got his daughter from the furrow in a ploughed field?
I got even more uncomfortable on someone further commenting that “kya mera beta chor hai” meaning is my son a thief, on this “daughter is my pride” post. I got little jittery on this comment because I felt that when we can’t even endure some goodies about the daughters atleast on social media how can we expect people to be actually applauding the daughters. Or is it just when girls like Manushi make us proud in all larger platforms we keep treading the quote as “daughter of India – you made us proud” but in the depth of our heart we still feel why a daughter why not a son.
Deep in my heart I am still thinking that can social media sites really help us to get over this undermined status of a girl child in the society? Can technology really help to reduce the gender gap? Does technology have any provision where it can make the parents of India really walk their talks? It is a big thought to introspect upon and most importantly to act upon so that in future we don’t need virtual girls to become our mothers, daughters and wives. By the way Sophia, Rashmi are already being manufactured.
Watch India Watch! Where we will head if the figures don’t improve? Yes we will just have technology walking around us and making us “developed nation”.
