285 Indian girls shed 'unwanted' names

[hue]

Source: USA Today

MUMBAI, India (AP) – More than 200 Indian girls whose names mean "unwanted" in Hindi chose new names Saturday for a fresh start in life.

A central Indian district held a renaming ceremony it hopes will give the girls new dignity and help fight widespread gender discrimination that gives India a skewed gender ratio, with far more boys than girls.

The 285 girls — wearing their best outfits with barrettes, braids and bows in their hair — lined up to receive certificates with their new names along with small flower bouquets from Satara district officials in Maharashtra state.

Read more: http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/story/2011-10-22/India-women-names/50869628/1

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Little steps in eradicating gender discrimination. Such a looong way to go!

[TygrBright]

1. Good. But it would be better if they also received new parents.

Honestly, what kind of parent names a kid "unwanted"?

Pretty disgusting.

disapprovingly,
Bright

[athenasatanjesus]

7. It's possible they didn't know what the names meant.

Most people in America give their kids names without any idea of their meanings.

[ThomCat]

17. That would only be true

if we named our kids with direct, literal names the way they mention for their names.

If your daughter is named Faith, Hope, or Charity then you are definitely going to know what you are naming your daughter. If your child has a name taken directly from holy scripture, with meaning taken directly from scripture then you certainly know what it means. You won't be able to claim ignorance.

That isn't like here in the US where your religion is going to be in a different language than your daily speech.

[Ferretherder]

14. What you said.

n/t

[rpannier]

2. I found this reader's comment interesting

Wouldn't it be interesting if Indian families with girls simply refused to provide a dowry . After all, with more boys than girls the girls should be at a premium not the boys.

***********************
It may be the direction they're heading

[McCamy Taylor]

5. They will start raiding poor families for girls and treat them even worse for being poor.

[AsahinaKimi]

3. I applaud this!

:applause:

[La Lioness Priyanka]

4. some of the strangest things happen in india. i mean who knew names were a problem

i didnt. i was born and raised in india and visit yearly.

[Starbucks Anarchist]

13. But some people here will use it as a broadbrush.

"See, India is horrible because 285/1.2 billion = 100%!" :rofl:

[La Lioness Priyanka]

16. ok. so i researched this phenomenon and it happens in a couple of village in maharashtra

its not an india wide issue. no wonder i had never heard of it

[mysuzuki2]

6. I'm sorry that any girl, young woman or child of any gender

would be called unwanted. I only had 1 daughter but I also have 2 sons, 6 grandaughters, 3 grandsons and 2 great-grandaughters. None will ever be called unwanted. A story like this makes me wish I was younger and could adopt several of these children.

[NBachers]

8. And I thought I grew up with "issues"

[Liberal_in_LA]

9. excellent. The first step towards empowerment for these girls

[NBachers]

10. And I thought I grew up with "issues"

[DesertFlower]

11. K&R. nt

[UnrepentantLiberal]

12. Ya know, at the risk of dragging this discussion down to the level of

something you'd read on a conservative forum, can someone explain to me the hatred of women in the third world? (And the silence of people who say they don't?) And don't tell me it's a cultural issue. It's not anymore a cultural issue than slavery was in America in the 18th and 19th centuries.

[Vidar]

15. My hat's off to the Satara district for holding a ceremonony that

might be a first positive step for these poor girls.

[dudkos]

18. And gender discrimination doesn't exist here?

Granted, it's not quite as extreme. But it's there. Ask your wife, your girlfriend, your sister, your mother.