Holding the baby

It is entirely characteristic of the times that a baby becomes an event. Aastha, deemed India's billionth baby by the country's establishm...

It is entirely characteristic of the times that a baby becomes an event. Aastha, deemed India’s billionth baby by the country’s establishment, might as well have been made of acrylic, going by the manner in which she was handled on Thursday. As doctors showcased her and photographers scrambled over each other to capture a glimpse of her form; as ministers beamed down on her and their minions passed her around like prop, everybody seemed to forget that this was no doll but a living, breathing thing. That newborns are not generally subjected to the harsh lights of TV cameras and to the din and crush of the marketplace.

Aastha’s 15 minutes of fame have passed, of course. The congratulations have been expressed, the floral bouquets and gift cheques handed over, the lights switched off. In a few days’ time she will be forgotten — like millions of others like her. Take a closer look at the life of the average Indian girl child, like Aastha. In the first place, her very birth would have spelt tragedy within the family, given the general obsession with male children. If she is lucky, she will survive the dangerous period of early infancy.

Around two million infants are not so fortunate, 70 per cent of these deaths occur in the first month of life, with the girl child experiencing a 43 per cent higher mortality risk in the age group from one to five. These are vulnerable years and there is a very real possibility that she may not receive all the nutrients and micronutrients that her body needs, that she may be deficient in iodine and Vitamin A. At least half of India’s preschool children are stunted and underweight. The bigquestion at this stage is whether she will go to school. The bigger question is will she stay on in school once she has enrolled. After all, 35 per cent of children who enter Class I drop out before completing primary school, the rate for girls being much higher. For every 10 girls who enter Class I, only six reach Class V. Adolescence is a particularly difficult period for a girl growing in India today, with marriage being regarded as her ultimate destiny. At 19, she is more likely than not to be married to someone her family has chosen for her. Motherhood is then just a few months away — 11 per cent of married women in the age group of 13 to 19 years are pregnant with their first child.

This, in short, is the biography of the unknown daughter. Will little Aastha’s life be any different? Much of course will depend on the family and community ambience, on whether she gets a decent education and a supportive environment, on whether the progressive laws and policies that govern the nation actually touch her life in any meaningful way. There is then a great deal at stake in Aastha’s future. Next time the nation gets hysterical about something, it is only to be hoped that it is over a development that is more substantial than the birth of its billionth baby. Let the celebrations await a more auspicious moment. Like the admission of all girls into school, for instance. When this happens, it will help engender other important social transformations — like population stabilisation for instance. And that will be additional cause for celebration.