Billionth baby put through hell

Press photographers and TV camera crew mobbed the crying baby and the frightened mother, who were brought out for a photo opportunity. In their desperation to get vantage points, photographers climbed on to the side walls, one even onto the bed brought out for the baby and the mother. One cameraman went a step further: He used the mother8217;s shoulders as his vantage point.

8220;This is cruelty. Please stop this atrocity,8221; Minister of State for Women and Child Sumitra Mahajan, apparently a little wiser after the event, protested. Several security guards were called in but they could not stop the media onslaught, which continued for a good 20 minutes. Doctors say the flashlights could have blinded the newborn.

M S Prasad, a member of the team of 10 doctors which helped in the delivery of the baby, said the infant may have suffered irreparable damage. 8220;The strong flashes could have affected the baby8217;s eyesight and burnt the skin. A newborn baby cannot stand extra heat. The skin will burn. When the temperature rises, a grown up8217;s body will adjust according to the heat. But in a newborn baby that mechanism has not developed,8221; he said, adding, 8220;the baby could have even suffocated8221;.

He said the baby and the mother, Anjana Arora, would have been discharged immediately in normal circumstances, but now would be kept under observation and released only after 24 hours.

Suganda, who checked the baby after the incident, said it was suffering from hypothermia. 8220;I administered hydrotherapy to the baby and she is now fine. The effects was transient,8221; she said.

The mother, according to a doctor attending on her and baby, is under severe strain. 8220;She is bewildered by all this attention. She is confused.8221;

Earlier, R N Sallah, Medical Superintendent, said: 8220;We have delivered the one billionth baby and feel it is important to sound a note of caution on population growth.8221;

The event was characterised by a self-congratulatory note as speaker after speaker congratulated India for reaching a population milestone. The UNFPA representative, Michael Vlassof, called the birth special and unique.

The baby8217;s father, Ashok Kumar Arora, from Najafgarh, works in a car accessories workshop at Lajpat Nagar on a monthly salary of Rs 2,100. Aastha is Ashok and Anjana Arora8217;s second child. They have a four-year-old daughter.

Baffled by all the attention and the barrage of questions fired at him, the father said: 8220;When I heard the baby was a girl I was very happy.8221; And on her future, he said: 8220;Only when she starts studying will we know what her future will be.8221; He emphatically said the couple had no plans for another baby.

On the criteria for choosing this particular baby as the one billionth baby, Prasad said: 8220;We gave preference to a girl and that the birth would be normal, not caesarean. And also the baby should be of normal weight.8221; Around 50 to 60 babies are delivered at Safdarjung ever day.

Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare N T Shanmugam, who was present at an event organised to greet the baby, said: 8220;Not only our numbers but the quality of life too has defied all expectations. There is a higher proportion of girls entering schools.8221; He said life expectancy had risen to 62 from 37. The emphasis now, he said, was on women8217;s rights.

The Minister also launched the national population website at the event. 8220;This day we dedicate to introspection. Let8217;s work towards improving the quality of life,8221; he added.

The United Nations Population Fund, India, has earmarked a Rs 2 lakh education grant for Aastha. The Confederation of Indian Industries and the Punjab National Bank will sponsor the prize.