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'Female foeticide great sin'

Save daughters to attain salvation, sadhus preach at Mahakumbh
Last Updated 24 January 2013, 19:54 IST

Amid chanting of vedic mantras and a dip in the holy waters at sangam, the saints and sadhus at the Mahakumbh have also been involved with a burning social issue — female foeticide.

“You (devotees) desire for moksha. You take a dip at the sangam for that but you will not get it unless you protect your daughters,” saints have been telling devotees at their discourses at the Mahakumbh on the bank of the sangam at Allahabad.

At some ashrams, slogans like ‘save daughters, save the world’ and ‘female foeticide is the greatest sin’ can be seen written on the banners. The devotees are asked to utter them at the discourses.

“Respect the girls if you want to cleanse your sins. It is a matter of shame that we are killing our unborn daughters,” said swami Maheshashram. The god will never forgive and grant us salvation, he added.
He said the incidents of female foeticide have been increasing. “It is essential to inculcate the right kind of sanskara (culture) in people so that they do not kill girls,” said the swami.

Another saint Mahamandaleshwar Paramhans Datiji Maharaj, who has a large following in the country, has launched a campaign.

Datiji Maharaj said he has been creating awareness among people on the issue for the past several years.
One can come across many slogans pertaining to protecting girls at his ashram here. “It is shocking that girls are being killed in a country where woman has been accorded the highest place,” he said.

Datiji Maharaj runs many programmes which aim not only to save girls and prevent female foeticide but also empower the womenfolk.

Many others have also taken up the issue at the Mahakumbh. “Kumbh has provided us a great opportunity to put across the message of protecting girls. Such a large gathering does not take place anywhere in the country,” said Mahant Bhola Giri, who hails from Vadodara in Gujarat.

One can reach out to millions here, he added.

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(Published 24 January 2013, 19:54 IST)

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