Baba on a 'roll' against female foeticide

Saving girl child

For Ludhakan Baba (the rolling baba), no other issue is more important than female foeticide, and for creating awareness about the issue, he and other saints and babas are on a ‘yatra’.

“He is called the “rolling baba”, as during his ongoing yatra he has been rolling on the road even if they are full of gravel,” says Mahant Govind Das who has been accompanying him.

Das said the ‘yatra’, which began in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, on November 21 last, would culminate in Kolkata after traversing through Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand.

On Wednesday, the ‘yatra’ crossed Uttar Pradesh’s Jalaun district, about 200 kilometres from Lucknow.

“The objective behind rolling on the road is to send a message to society — Stop female foeticide and save the girl child,” said Parmanand Giri, another baba accompanying Ludhakan Baba.

“This way, a large number of people are attracted towards the yatra. They may undergo a change of heart by being witness to the ‘sacrifice’ by a saint for the cause,” Giri said.

Hundreds of people lined both sides of the road to watch the “rolling baba”, as he entered Orai town in Jalaun district. People showered flower petals on him and took a pledge not to indulge in female foeticide.

The saints said the “rolling baba” had also undertaken similar yatras in his attempt to create social awakening on different issues.

Female foeticide has assumed alarming proportions across the country, especially in the northern parts, including Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Punjab.

According to an estimate, 1.20 crore female foeticides had taken place in India in the past three decades.

The number of females in the country has been on the decline. The 2011 census shows that the number of girls per thousand males is merely 914. This number is even less in Punjab, Haryana, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh. In Punjab, it stands at 846 while in Haryana the ratio is 830 per thousand.