As reported today in an article in TOI, the 2011 census data shows that:

In the 2011 census, urban CSR is still much worse (902) than rural CSR (919), but over the last decade (2001 – 2011) the fall in rural CSR (15 points) is around four times than that in urban CSR (4 points).

Also,

• Haryana has both the worst urban and rural CSR
• Nagaland has the best urban CSR
• Andaman & Nicobar has the best rural CSR

(Thanks, DK, for forwarding the link)

65 immigrant women from India living in the US and with a history of sex selection participated in the study. Of the 65 women selected for the study, 51 were not aware of the sex of their fetus at the start of the study. The other 14 knew beforehand that they were carrying male fetus (in fact, these 14 had chosen methods to ensure a male fetus). During the study, the other 51 unaware-participants used ultra-sound to determine sex of their fetus. Of these 51 women, 24 women learned that they were carrying a male fetus and chose to continue with their pregnancy. Of the rest 27 women who found out that they were carrying a female fetus, 24 aborted their pregnancy and only 3 women carried their pregnancy to deliver a female child.

[The women who participated in the study came from various religious and educational backgrounds. They had an average of 2 living children; 62 of 65 women had only female children. All 65 participants sought a male child.]

Puri, S; Adams, V; Ivery, S; Nachtigal, R.D. [2011]. “There is such a thing as too many daughters, but not too many sons”: A qualitative study of son preference and fetal sex selection among Indian immigrants in the United States. Social Science and Medicine. 72(7): 1169-1176

Census 2011 report is out and so is the analysis. Provisional data released by the census office for 2011 reveals that:

“(In India) … the sex ratio in the 0-6 age group has been continually declining since 1961 but the fall from 927.31 in 2001 to 914.23 in 2011 is the worst since Independence.” [The Hindu] This indicates an increasing preference to have a male child over a female child.

“The overall sex ratio across all ages has increased by 7-points from 933 in 2001 to 940 in 2011, indicating that a girl child’s chance at life greatly improves once she crosses the age of 6. This is in line with a general improvement in the overall sex ratio over the last twenty years and is the highest since 1971.” [TOI]

“In line with the national trend, in Punjab too the overall sex ratio has climbed from 876 in 2001 to 893 in 2011, but the sex ratio in the 0-6 group stands at 846 (which is still an increase from 798 in 2001).” [TOI] “Punjab is the most improved state with a 48-point increase over 2001 …”

Of all the states, Haryana now has the lowest sex ratio (830) in the 0 – 6 age group whereas Mizoram (971) and Meghalaya (970) are the highest.

Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Mizoram and Andaman and Nicobar Islands have recorded an increasing trend in the child sex ratio (0-6 years). In all the remaining 27 states and union territories, the child sex ratio shows decline over 2001 census.

Below are the official lyrics of the song which are posted on the Facebook.

(Sukhraj Intro)
Rab karkay banay na kadhey maa, Tu Rab karkay banay na kadhey maa,
Rab karkay banay na kadhey maa, Tu Rab karkay banay na kadhey maa;
(Verse 1)
It takes brawn to pull a trigger, brains to know when,
My weapon of choice, I take aim with a pen;
These words my ammunition, a soldier on the battle field,
I take a shot through your speaker tell me how’d it feel?
Callin all soldiers, forget what they told us,
Our generations older, parents cant hold us back;
>From spittin truth, are they forgettin the proof?
Are they forgettin that we the unstoppable youth?
Call it rebellion, let ‘em say i’m a hellion,
They killin baby girls at birth what can i tell ya;
I gotta step in, I gotta go n shake you,
My words are my weapon, let the weight of’em break you;
Feel the pain that I feel when I hear that,
They bury baby girls alive, suck a tear back;
Back home in the land I was born in,
1984 Saint Soldier was sworn in;
I’ve got a mission as a brother as a young Sikh,
As a lover of humanity my tongue speaks;
And it wont quit till my mission is complete,
How many words can I fit on this one sheet;
(Hook)
How many words can I fit on this one sheet,
Hey mister that’s my sister;
Shoveled in a grave nobody even kissed her,
Hey mister that’s my sister;
(Sukhraj)
Kukh vich dhee nu mar dain valiyaa,
Tu Rab karkay baney na kadhey maa;
Kukh vich dhee nu mar dain valiyaa,
Tu Rab karkay baney na kadhey maa;
(Translated as: Killer of an unborn child, God should not allow you to
be a mother)
(Verse 2)
This worlds selfish, I can’t help it,
Honestly, it’s been awhile since I felt this;
Way about the world- won’t u listen to my sound,
Ashes ashes we all fall down;
Dhiyaan na maaro vayee (Translated as: Stop killing our daughters),
Comittin murder in the womb and gettin away;
And when I contemplate the problem I get to the bottom,
But I find that at the bottom it’s awfully rotten;
Cuz we have falsified religion the truth we’ve forgotten,
And I will single out a coward as soon as I spot em;
Cuz u think u have the right to break away at night,
To sneak into the clinic and to take away a life;
Of an unborn girl who woulda prospered in this world,
I bet she woulda loved you, you make me wanna hurl;
The root of the problems,
U can’t accept what u gotten;
And u can’t accept that u brought her,
Into this world she’s ur daughter,
Killed by mother n father;
Why? Why do I bother Lord help us!
Play the cards that you’ve dealt us;
They want kings every hand it seems,
That doesn’t mean they should be killin the queens;
(Hook)
(Verse 3)
Sista sista, I wish I coulda saved you,
They cut off the umbilical and threw you in a grave;
You were too young to die, too young but I,
Mourn for all my sisters, in case nobody missed ya;
It’s a shame you didnt get a name,
But ur burnin in my heart like candle flame;
Can’t handle the pain, but I can hand the blame,
To the bullshit culture that pan handles for fame;
Respect our women, lets love and protect them,
Let’s carry the weight n dont let it affect them;
When you see somebody mistreat or diss her,
You better step in cuz she’s ur sister;
Take it from soldier the community is flawed,
And its time to fight back with unity n brawn;
Intellect, and the Guru on our side no lie,
We’re unstoppable, together you and I;
Stand up my brothers, lets clean up like Pinesol,
Society is blind let us take off the blindfolds;
Open up your its the reason that I rhyme for,
Fght for justice, trust thats what its time for but;
(Hook)

Hey mister, that’s my sister,
Hey mister, that’s my sister;

The study interviewed 3000 couples across different villages in Punjab. Here are some highlights of the results of the study as reported in the Times of India:

• 37% of the couples said they only wanted a male child and if they had one they would not want to have a second child.
• 11% said they would have a second child if they had a daughter as their first child, but would not go for a second child if they have a son as their first child.
• 2% categorically stated that they wanted only a male child “at any cost”.
• The percentage of couples happy with having only a female child is only 3%.

As per the article, “another interesting fact, which came to light, is that the rich were more interested in having only a son compared to the poor. Many rich couples openly said they didn’t want a female child, while among the poor, only one couple said no to a female child even as the remaining 70 couples said they accepted the girl child as a gift of god.”

Comparing the results of this study with the one she had conducted in 2008, and also with several studies others have conducted over the past decades, the one thing that can be sadly concluded is that the attitudes towards the girl child have not changed.

People visiting Punjab after a long time often carry with them the image of how much things have changed over time. However, some things, the more they change, the more they remain the same.

• on the issue of female feticide
• conducted by Niharika Joshi under the guidance of Dr. Ashu Kalaraman
• at the Punjab Agricultural University
• based on a survey conducted across 6 villages in Ludhiana
• having a sample of 200 participants, Jat-Sikh mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law

had the following to report:

Of the mothers-in-law surveyed,

• 78% accepted female foeticide as a social evil but said that it would not cause gender imbalance in the society. They also said it was better for women not to be born than to lead a life of sorrow and misery.
• 12% said that it was okay to practice female feticide
• 10% were against the practice

Of the daughters-in-law surveyed,

• 77% disapproved of female feticide (Only those daughters-in-law were surveyed who already had a girl child and wanted to have another child)

The Academic Council of the university took this decision, which will be applicable on all the 14 BTech courses of the university from the academic session starting 2011 and thus, 14 seats will be made available for single girl child. However, the eligibility criteria for admission for female students falling under this category will be the same as for other students and admissions will be granted on the basis of merit. (Source … )

A year later, the numbers tell a disappointing story. The female-to-male sex ratio for the births registered in Delhi during the next year – 2009 – fell to 915 girls per 1000 boys.

This fluctuation raises a question: Does the rise and fall in the ratio represent the actual ratio of total births in Delhi or does it merely reflect the ratio of registered births in Delhi? Were girls born outside the state but to a Delhi-resident parent registered in Delhi to take advantage of the monetary incentives that Ladli provided?

Skewed Death Ratio

589 female deaths were reported for every 1000 male deaths in Delhi. The concern is that these numbers might not represent the actual ratio but only the reported deaths. There are monetary reasons for people to report male deaths (related to property transfer after death); there aren’t such incentives to report female deaths. Incentives to report female births and incentives to report male deaths. What stories will these death numbers tell us when they are broken up by age groups? What if the female-to-male death ratio is heavily skewed in one age group more than in other age groups? Combined with the already skewed birth ratio, what implications would that compounded skewness have for the Delhi society?

Written in the voice of the female fetus that is being aborted, the song is conceptually similar to Rakhri Di Tand (or Lori) by Gurbhajan Gill [and also to the short story Let me grow in your backyard, Mother by Tina Rathore].

Below the song are the lyrics translated in English [thanks to a user who posted it on youtube].

Lyrics translated in English:

Oh Lord, daughters are being killed before they are even born!
I am leaving, Oh Lord, what kind of life is this, I’m returning to you before seeing the world..
Father, what kind of a heart do you have? We died and you didn’t shed a tear!
Father turned a blind eye but, mother, even you didn’t show any mercy.
Sons will divide your home, but daughters will share your grief.
Mother, don’t kill your baby; [for if you do, then] who will sing on her brother’s wedding day?