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When a baby is born in your family, you have all the reason in the world to celebrate! A man in Madhya Pradesh’s Betul district took his celebrations to a whole new level. In a bid to share his happiness with the rest of the world (or at least his district), he decided to give away free petrol!
A petrol pump owner by profession, Deepak Sainani was thrilled when he heard that his sister Sikha Porwal had welcomed a beautiful little girl on the ninth of October this year. Deepak Sainani had opened his new petrol station earlier this year in March, and after the news of his sister’s pregnancy, he was looking for a thoughtful way of sharing his joy with his customers for the event of the baby’s birth. The fact that his niece was born amidst a lot of celebration on the auspicious occasion of Navratri added to his joy. But that is not all. This was also Deepak’s way of showing his gratitude to the mother of the child. He said his sister was responsible for this joyful occasion, and he wanted to thank her and gift her something, so he decided to distribute free petrol as an act of gratitude to Sikha.
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When asked about why he chose to celebrate by distributing free petrol, Deepak said that at first, he was hesitant. He was, after all, a businessman, and he worried that people would think this was a marketing gimmick. However, after much thought, he decided that by distributing free petrol, he wouldn’t only be celebrating his niece’s birth but also showing his customers his gratitude. Deepak shared that his sister was differently-abled. He went on to say that the birth of a boy child is often a big deal, and people are ecstatic and thrilled, but the same cannot be said when it is a girl. He said that girl children should be celebrated too. We agree with Deepak — the birth of a child should be celebrated irrespective of the gender of the baby. We often come across people who anticipate the birth of their child with so much joy and enthusiasm, but when they see it is a girl child, they are suddenly disappointed.
So, how exactly did Deepak go about distributing petrol? During the peak hours when he saw the most footfall, he gave his customers extra petrol on every purchase. Those who bought petrol for a hundred rupees enjoyed five percent extra petrol, while those who purchased petrol between two hundred to five hundred rupees were offered ten percent extra petrol! With petrol and diesel prices soaring off late, we can agree that this was a genuinely excited gesture and the man was delighted about the news of his niece!
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Gender-selective abortions or female feticides are sadly a common occurrence across the world, particularly in countries such as India. While the birth of a boy child calls for celebration, the birth of a girl child is often accompanied by a sense of doom and negativity. A lot of people who are backward in their thinking look down on girl children and consider them to be weak and a sign of bad luck. So, when we see a man celebrating the birth of a girl in his family, we think it’s worthy of the limelight because it doesn’t happen that often!
Considering that gender-selective abortions are raging in a country like India, the government began an initiative known as theBeti Bachao Beti Padao Yojana. Through initiatives such as these, awareness about the plight of innocent girl children is made known. In communities and regions where female feticide is common, a lot more attention and education will be required.
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To play our part in abolishing such evil practices, we could talk about gender-selective abortions and why it is wrong. Sometimes, a mother won’t even have a say in the killing of her child. After nine months of carrying her baby, the members of her family kill the baby without paying heed to her objections. In some cases, when the gender of the child is made known during pregnancy, forced abortions are performed. And then there are cases where, sadly, the mother proactively agrees to either abort her girl child or kill the baby soon after birth.
Gender screening is prohibited in an attempt to bring down the number of gender-selective abortions. However, this does not stop a lot of insensitive, regressive-thinking, evil people from killing a newborn. We know that the birth of a girl child is a blessing and that the little one will grow up to become a strong woman someday. Unfortunately, not a lot of people see it that way — this has to change. Maybe, with more men like Deepak, people will drop the shroud of ignorance and accept the power of a girl child! What are your thoughts on this? Let us know in the comments below!
