Suhani Lotlikar

The recently launched campaign ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’ by the Government of India definitely goes a long way back into its emergence. The campaign is made to improve to status of women in the Indian society. The advertisements are launched through various medias such as voicenotes in Local trains, short skits online and on television, etc. It is amusing how an established body such as the government has taken initiative to address this issue. But it is equally or more annoying to know that this issue prevails even in the societies of the 21st century. Having said that, this is were words play a major and controversial role. In these times where national campaigns or any public statements re required to be politically correct, this undefined bracket of control may create difference in opinions. In my perspective, the slogan in itself is extremely irrelevant to the issue addressed. Being an everyday traveller of the Local Trains in Mumbai, I first was introduced to this campaign on the speaker of the local where a dying father tell his son to sign his estate papers. Here the son mentions how his elder sister, even though married should get an equal part in the money to be obtained. Most advertisements under this campaign are irrelevant to the age at which a girl child needs to be saved i.e. at the time of birth. Secondly, this particular voiceover provokes a sense of fear of having to divide the property to one extra individual. Then again, Coming back to the slogan the question of ‘Do girls really need to be saved if the other societal bodies live their life ethically?’ arises. Considering the mentalities of whom this campaign is directed towards, the only thought that will overtake their minds is ‘the girl will have to be spent on and taken extra care of in today’s world.’ The same was justified in a caller tail carried out by a radio jockey. He rings a gynecologist as a to be father and informs the doctor of knowing that he is going to have a baby girl. He says that he doesn’s want to give birth to her to which the doctor crashes onto him questioning ‘how a man of the 21st century think this shallow!’ To this he replies, “If I let her be born doctor, she will get raped. It is the men who we haven’t addressed to yet who need to be told that women are not your items of use.”