This refers to the article, “Economic benefits of educating girls” (May 16) by Kulwant Singh. For a girl child, the entire journey from womb to tomb is adorned with adversities. At every stage of life, she is vulnerable to exploitation and is compelled to realise that she is a ‘burden’ on the family. It is a shame that in a country where the Almighty is worshipped in its femaleavatar, women and girl children often find themselves at the receiving end. The diktats of some khap panchayats calls for a compromise between a female and the person who violates her dignity, ban on use of cell phones and wearing of Western outfit etc are manifestations of regressive paternalism pervading the Indian society.
It is time society changed its social attitude towards females. There is a need to dismantle the obsolete notions of parentalism that exist across the Indian polity. People should embrace Government initiatives like Aapki beti humari beti, Beti bachao beti padhao and Selfie with daughter to bring them at par with their male counterparts.