Mother’s inspiration: Hirkani room comes up at Sassoon

The ‘Hirkani Kaksh’ has been named after Hirkani,who,according to folklore,lived in Raigad in the 1600s. When she was accidentally locked behind the fort gates,she scaled a 1,000-ft vertical cliff to feed her baby inside the fortified city. So impressed was the king that he renamed her village after Hirkani.

The story is an inspiration for many. For instance,the La Leche League International,which promotes breastfeeding,had brought out a book Hirkani’s Daughters. Hirkani’s tale was instrumental in the launch of a creche for babies of working mothers at the collectorate in Raigad district.Hirkani rooms subsequently came up at 72 primary health centres and eight women’s hospitals in Kolhapur.

“This is for the first time that a Hirkani Kaksh is being set up at a government hospital and medical college,” Dr Sandhya Khadse,Head,Paediatrics,B J Medical College,said.

B J Medical College dean Ajay Chandanwale inaugurated the room on Friday.

Gynaecologist Dr Prashant Gangal and mother support coordinator of the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action told this paper that the Breastfeeding Promotion Network of India has been actively working to promote awareness on importance of breastfeeding.

India is committed to halving the prevalence of underweight children by 2015 and considering the new guidelines of the Infant and Young Child Feeding of the Indian Academy of Paediatrics,the emphasis is on breastfeeding. One of the guidelines stresses that mothers be encouraged to carry the baby to the workplace creche and more Hirkani rooms be set up.

Khadse said the paediatric ward is being renovated to serve as a room to provide nutrition for children. Doctors said that 50 per cent of children in the paediatric ward suffer from some degree of malnutrition and they will be served nutritious food at the renovated room.