Injustices towards girl children are well documented to be repeated here.
While Maharashtra has been struggling with a declining child sex ratio and is ranked among the five worst states in the country. The reasons are the same as elsewhere: preference for a male child. But shockingly, the bias against the girl child is even more deep rooted and many families across Maharashtra name their daughters ‘Nakushi’ or ‘Nakusha’- meaning ‘unwanted’ in Marathi. It was a popular belief in these parts that if their girl was named Nakushi, their next-born would be a boy.
To minimise / remove the psychological pressures that a girl child who is thus named ‘nakushi’ undergoes, the district officials of Satara, took a positive step and organized a renaming ceremony for around 222 such girls. This certainly would help create awareness about obnoxious practice and also made several ‘Nakushis’ feel wanted. Further, the district administration also ensured that the girls so renamed are provided for adequate financial support for their health and education.
This is indeed a positive step taken by the district administration. SRRF Dialogue through this post wonder if several NGOs/social groups could not take initiative in their own domains. After all it is so simple yet affects not just an individual but creates awareness in a community about importance of a girl child.