In the name of the daughter

Shiv Kumar Sharma

Haryana is infamous for its skewed gender ratio and preference for son but a social organisation in Yamunanagar, Only Daughters’ Parents Association, has been working to encourage people to treat their daughters like their sons.

The association not only celebrates festivals, including Teej and Lohri, with parents who have only daughters, but also motivates them to provide their daughters ample opportunities to prove their mettle.

The social organisation was formed  in September 2015 by a group of parents, who have only daughters, comprising 30 families. Now, more than 250 families are associated with it.

Brahm Dutt Sharma, president of the organisation, says that he learnt a lesson from an incident and met some friends, who have only daughters. They formed the association with an aim to encourage people to consider and treat their daughters like their sons.

“The association holds a ceremony every year to honour parents, who have only a daughter or daughters, so that they feel proud of them,” says Sharma, who teaches social studies at a government school in Yamunanagar.

Randhir Chaudhry, president, Shaheed Bhagat Singh Morcha, has also two daughters. He says, “I am a proud father of two daughters. My elder daughter Sharanpreet Kaur is the chairman of three schools in Yamunanagar district. My younger daughter Gurvinder Kaur is pursuing the course of Chartered Accountant”.

He says that he and his wife had never felt the need of a son and their daughters are their strength. “Now, time has changed and daughters are no longer considered a burden on their parents,” he adds.

Khem Lal Saini, cashier of the association, says that parents under the banner of the association are working to spread awareness in society about the likeness of daughters to sons.

“Besides honouring parents, who have only daughters, the association is also promoting the Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao programme that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had launched from Haryana,” says Saini.

People from different fields such as doctors, teachers, farmers, engineers, journalists and businessmen are associated with the association and actively take part in its functions.

Vikash Daryal, director, Tilak Raj Chadha Institute of Management and Technology, Yamunanagar, is also proud of his two daughters. He says that society is incomplete without daughters. Therefore, parents should respect them instead of discriminating against them.

Sanjay Puri, an active member of the association, says that it is disappointing that even in this modern age a mother is harassed for giving birth to a baby girl. Therefore, the association has decided to reach out to more people to make them aware about the need to treat daughters and sons alike.

Dr PP Kalsi, Vinay Mohan, Gagandeep Singh, Sunil Sharma, Bharat Gupta and Vikas Gupta are active members of the organisation who help in planning and executing its programmes.

Parents having only daughters honoured 

}We formed the association with an aim to encourage people to consider and treat their daughters like their sons. The association holds a ceremony every year to honour parents, who have only a daughter or daughters, so that they feel proud of them. — Brahm Dutt Sharma, president of Only Daughters’ Parents Association