As an Economist I became aware of the declining sex ratios in India among 0-6 year old infants when I saw the results of the 1991 Population Census. The child sex ratio fell from 976 in 1961, to 964 in 1971, 962 in 1981, 945 in 1991, 927 in 2001. This was indeed alarming. The global birth pattern would show approximately 964 or 954 girls for 1000 boys born. This benchmark was reached by India till 1981. Then began the alarming decline.
Recently while I was driving home the All India Radio was narrating a story by Munshi Premchand titled ‘ तेंतर’. Munshi Premchand is a celebrated Hindi novelist and short story writer (1880-1936). He was the fourth child born after three girl children. The title of this short story derives from this.
I googled the word ‘तेंतर’ and found this meaning: तीन लड़कों के बाद हुई चौथी (लड़की) अथवा तीन लड़कियों के बाद हुआ चौथा (लड़का).
That is, a girl born after three boys, or a boy born after three girls. The first, a girl born after three sons, I thought would have brought great joy. But unfortunately, superstition in North India is that this girl brings great misfortune to the family, Either she dies, or takes away the mother or grandmother.
One can easily relate to Premchand’s short story as he himself was a ‘तेंतर’, the fourth male child after three daughters. He did not have the happiest childhood either. The story is about a ‘तेंतर’ girl child. Her grand mother and mother are terrified, though her father tries to persuade them that it is only a superstition. The mother refuses to breast feed the child and the grand mother curses her. The three brothers are curious and want to play with their sister, but her mother does not allow this.
One night the father notices the child lying still, not crying, and staring at the roof. He feels sorry for the child and picks her up. The next morning he takes the child outside and with the help of his sons gets the child to suckle a goat. Everyday he does this and the child begins to blossom. The brothers are thrilled to play with her and shower her with love and affection.
The grandmother is not happy with this turn of events, and tries many tricks to bring trouble to the family and prove the superstition. But she fails and the child prospers. So the superstition is proved wrong! The story ends with ‘तेंतर घर के लिए अशुभ नहीं हैं’ ‘The fourth girl child is not inauspicious’!!
In the context of falling sex ratios in the 1990s and 2000s, remember that this story was written around 1900-1936. Hopefully we have moved beyond these superstitions and the child sex ratios will reflect this as well.
Unni-Verse 