Looking for heir-apparent, they beget more girls

Mahbubnagar: The strong desire to have a son has been driving the couples in Girijan thandas in this district to give birth to too many children though it becomes a burden to bring them up. In the course of quest for son, they give birth to five and more daughters, with the hope to get an offspring who can take the family forward.

They firmly believe that a son will be the saving grace for them and take the responsibility of feeding the family members when he grows up. With this desire, they are giving a go-bye to family planning practices of one or two children.

There are even doubts whether the Girijans are aware of vasectomy or tubectomy operations to limit their families. In some dwellings with more girl children in the family feeding them has become a burdensome for the parents, with poverty, perennial drought and migration having a telling effect on their lives.

The fact that these tribals have been living away from modern civilisation has become a curse for them. With no literacy and overwhelming superstitions, the government’s welfare schemes do not adequately reach the needy people. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s pet slogan of ‘Beti Bachao and Beti Padhao’ does not seem to be having the desired effect in many thandas in the district.

These startling facts at the grassroots level have come to light in a survey by The Hans India in Girijan areas. Take the case of a couple—Maibu Naik and Bharatamma—of Dadi Thanda in Nagaram Gram Panchayat in Devarakadra mandal. They have five daughters and live with the fond hope that a son will be born as a gift of god. The couple is not even thinking about curtailing their family.

In fact they need not be that keen to have a son, as the eldest daughter, Maheswari, is doing very well in studies. Feeling responsible towards the family, she assures that if she can study she can take care of the family like an eldest son. However, the couple’s financial condition does not allow her to prosecute her education.

Speaking to THI, she breaks down at the family’s plight. She urges the government or philanthropists to take care of her studies as also her siblings. Maheswari is in second year Intermediate, the second daughter Mamata is doing SSC, the third Manisha is in third class, the fourth daughter Pavitra and the youngest one are spending their time playing in the village.

There are many such families in the thanda with four girls (four families), five daughters (three) and over ten with three or more girl children. Take the example of Sushila and Dhulia Naik, who is disabled (hearing impaired). They have four daughters; the fifth one, Sailaja, died of some ailment recently. The couple is striving to educate their daughters.

Sensibly, following Sailaja’s death, Sushila opted for FP operation. While chatting with THI, she appeals to the government to come to the family’s aid to enable it to educate her four daughters. Another couple, Parushuram and Shanti, with four daughters, lost four months back the youngest one, Sindhu, to snake-bite. Three girls are studying in the Nagaram government school. The couple is looking to the government for support to provide sustenance to their daughters.

Similar is the status of a couple, Mangamma and Mudawath Kotia, of Gollapalli Gram Panchayat in Jadcharla mandal. He works in a private firm to feed the family of four daughters. Yet they have not thought of FP operation waiting for a son. While two daughters are studying in the government schools, two others are going to Anganwadis.

Another couple, Mudawath Sevya and Rukkubai, have six daughters. While four are married. Roja and her four-year-old younger sibling Spandana are left. Unable to beget a son, they have adopted a relative Deepu.

There is a predominant feeling of sadness of not having a son, rather than being happy with a daughter’s birth, among tribals. There have been many instances of the residents openly expressing their distress at the time of delivery in hospitals for not being able to beget a son.

While some families have abandoned their daughters in hospitals soon after birth, others have handed over the girl-children to ICDS officials soon after delivery. However, there is a happy change in the thinking of these families, of not killing the newborn daughter, as was the practice. These families are accepting the burden of feeding the girls, of course, with the help of ICDS.

An Anganwadi employee Ramani of Marrichettu Thanda in Jadcharla mandal told THI that there are 1,560 tribal hamlets in the district like in Balanagar, Bomraspet, Achampet, Jadcharla, Koyilkonda, Devarkadra and Narayanpet mandals. Many children in these thandas are deprived of education.

Of them, residents in 75 thandas have migrated in search of livelihood. Those shifting to other places usually leave their children in the care of elders. The kids break down unable to bear the separation. Such moving scenes are being witnessed in buses bound for Mumbai. As a result, their education gets neglected. Only a few are able to study.

Appayipall Gram Panchayat in Wanaparthy mandal, Tulasiram and Mangamma, who have five daughters and a son, had migrated to Mumbai some years back. Tulasiram left his children in the care of his mother Sitamma. He first got a daughter. While he was hoping for a son, another girl-child was born. Luckily, Mangamma gave birth to a son after four daughters.

Child marriages are also rampant in these thandas, mainly because the parents find feeding their girls burdensome. Even the girls, without completing SSC, are being forced to get married. The parents tend to ignore the wise counsel given by government teachers like Bheemsen Rao of Dadi Thanda that it is illegal to get minors married.

This is despite the best efforts being made by some Girijan leaders (like Chandra Naik of district Girijan Sangham), to educate the residents of the hamlets. However, happily there is a change in the thinking of the modern generation regarding the girl-child. Tribal women of Marrichettu Thanda, like Roja and Sirisha, want the government to set apart special funds for educating their girls.

By V Narender Chary