A lot has been written and said about social evils prevalent in Hindu society but historians or sociologist have not explained reasons for such practices. Female child infanticide is one such practice blighting Hindu society.
From a historical perspective no ancient record or Hindu books of itihasa (history) such as the Ramayana and the Mahabharata have recorded or alluded to the destruction of girl child in India. On the contrary, since time immemorial Hindus have respected and adored women, raised them to most exalted positions. Where else will you find a woman being identified as 'Shakti' the primordial life-giving force? Hindus have Durga, Laxmi, Saraswati, Kali and many more such female deities venerated as the highest form of God and creation sometimes even greater than Brahma Vishnu and Mahesh. Where else would you find female leaders being venerated like Rani Chennama, Rani Durgawati, Rani Laxmibai, Mira Bai and many others. Where else would you find daughters being called ‘amma’ or 'akka' an old Sanskrit word for Mother or Devi by fathers and brothers?
Where did all this go wrong? How come Hindus who loved and venerated their girl child as mothers, as 'Sakshat Devi' (Embodiment of Mother Goddess) started despising them? Killing them at birth.
The roots of this practice lie in the Muslim invasions of India. Muslim invaders motivated by religious fervour devoid of humanity, culture or civility saw conquered Hindu subjects and their women folks as their property to do as they please. They would regularly kidnap and rape women folk, later selling them into slavery, prostitution or just leaving ravaged women on the streets to become social outcasts. There are many reports in historical text, which confirm this (see Bibliography) where Muslim rulers, governors, local officials and common Muslim soldiers would maltreat Hindu women.
People living in troubled times and in the path of these marauding Muslim invaders in the north west of India which is modern Punjab and Haryana today bore the brunt of such inhumane acts. As a direct result of such atrocities committed by Muslim rulers the girl child became an unwanted burden an offspring that can only bring misfortune and stigma to the parents and to be done away with at birth. How many parents could bear to see their beloved daughters some as young as 10 years old kidnapped or taken away at the point of a spear or sword to be raped by soldiers in plain sight or carted away as loot to be sold into slavery in the markets of Baghdad.
It is to be noted that this girl child infanticide was prevalent mainly among the peasants and other rural classes who lived in the undefended countryside in the paths of these Muslim marauders and had no recourse to law, arms or ransom.
The practice was so deep rooted in some parts of north western India that Sikh gurus had to make it a religious code not to kill the girl child and later the British had to implement laws and even use force to stop the practice.
The roots of this practice lie in the Muslim invasions of India. Muslim invaders motivated by religious fervour devoid of humanity, culture or civility saw conquered Hindu subjects and their women folks as their property to do as they please. They would regularly kidnap and rape women folk, later selling them into slavery, prostitution or just leaving ravaged women on the streets to become social outcasts. There are many reports in historical text, which confirm this (see Bibliography) where Muslim rulers, governors, local officials and common Muslim soldiers would maltreat Hindu women.
People living in troubled times and in the path of these marauding Muslim invaders in the north west of India which is modern Punjab and Haryana today bore the brunt of such inhumane acts. As a direct result of such atrocities committed by Muslim rulers the girl child became an unwanted burden an offspring that can only bring misfortune and stigma to the parents and to be done away with at birth. How many parents could bear to see their beloved daughters some as young as 10 years old kidnapped or taken away at the point of a spear or sword to be raped by soldiers in plain sight or carted away as loot to be sold into slavery in the markets of Baghdad.
It is to be noted that this girl child infanticide was prevalent mainly among the peasants and other rural classes who lived in the undefended countryside in the paths of these Muslim marauders and had no recourse to law, arms or ransom.
The practice was so deep rooted in some parts of north western India that Sikh gurus had to make it a religious code not to kill the girl child and later the British had to implement laws and even use force to stop the practice.
In modern times the practice of girl child infanticide had taken such deep roots in certain sections of the society especially the peasantry, landed communities and poorer sections of the society that it was being practiced blindly as a tradition or received wisdom from the elders that girl child is of nuisance value and not to be had or purely to avoid property and financial loss following the marriage of the daughter.
In the present day, cases of female infanticide is not a nation wide phenomenon but prevalent to some extent in the Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh as a result of Islamic oppression and devastation in those parts. Even in the days of oppressive Muslim rule girl child infanticide was a practice that was very regional and class based, thus it would be wrong, a canard even to call it as a practice prevalent in Hinduism in general.
The case in point is that Hindus in Rajputana, eastern Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bengal, Deccan and further south have had no such practice. In fact Muslims in India including Pakistan Punjab do not practice it, why? Because being Muslims their women folks were safe from attacks of their coreligionist.
Thus don’t accept the lies that are spread on the evils of Hindu society. Because behind these practices are some very hard facts that our JNU educated Marxist historians and sociologist wont tell you and in the name of ‘secularism’ squarely blame all the evil in the world on Hinduism itself.
Bibliography:
The Story Of Civilization by Will Durant
History of the Maratha People by CA Kincaid
Chachnama, First Arab invasion of Sindh by Kazi Ismail
Tuzk-i-Timuri, Memoirs of Timur the Lame
In the present day, cases of female infanticide is not a nation wide phenomenon but prevalent to some extent in the Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh as a result of Islamic oppression and devastation in those parts. Even in the days of oppressive Muslim rule girl child infanticide was a practice that was very regional and class based, thus it would be wrong, a canard even to call it as a practice prevalent in Hinduism in general.
The case in point is that Hindus in Rajputana, eastern Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bengal, Deccan and further south have had no such practice. In fact Muslims in India including Pakistan Punjab do not practice it, why? Because being Muslims their women folks were safe from attacks of their coreligionist.
Thus don’t accept the lies that are spread on the evils of Hindu society. Because behind these practices are some very hard facts that our JNU educated Marxist historians and sociologist wont tell you and in the name of ‘secularism’ squarely blame all the evil in the world on Hinduism itself.
Bibliography:
The Story Of Civilization by Will Durant
History of the Maratha People by CA Kincaid
Chachnama, First Arab invasion of Sindh by Kazi Ismail
Tuzk-i-Timuri, Memoirs of Timur the Lame
