THE JOURNEY OF A LEGEND Chp-08

8/2/2019 THE JOURNEY OF A LEGEND Chp-08

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...with Indira Gandhi


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ChapterA F ight er F orW omens Right s

HRI Harbhajan Singh was for womensemancipation. He took a bold stand for their rights, deadlyagainst female sex foeticide, he was all for their equal pay

for equal work in all fields specially labour where there islot of discrimination.

Year after year Harbhajan Singh Ji organisedSeminars, Symposia, Conferences, Conclaves etc.International Womens Day on March 8 and on the eve ofSmt. Indira Gandhis Birthday in the month of November

to highlight Womens Role in Nation building.

Not only that he also honoured the select ones withIndira Priyadarshini Awards for excellence in theirrespective fields.

S

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He took a boldstand for theirrights, deadly

against femalesex foeticide.


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His roving eyes spotted many a woman who hadmade their mark and the ones who were out to make amark and honoured them publicly like Miss UniverseSushmita Sen, eminent dancers, Shovna Narayan,

Sonal Mansingh, Isher Judge Ahluwalia a top economist,Ms. Shahnaz Husain the Herbal Queen, Ms Suchi SharmaChief Commissioner Jaipur Municipal Corporation,Ambica Soni, Ms. Ila Arun Pop Singer, Jaya Prada Film Star

turned Parliamentarian, Mrs R.M. Bathew ChairpersonUnion Public Service Commission, Zohra Sehgal the

... with Smt. Pratibha Patil

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His roving eyesspotted many awoman who hadmade their mark

and the oneswho were out to

make a markand honoured

them publicly.


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At Home with U.Ps Firebrand Lady Smt. Rita Bahuguna

noted artist, Pinaz Masani, Ms Meira Kumar an IFS turnedpolitician, and to top them all Mother Teresa with a decentcash Award for her to utilise the money in the service of thepoor.

He was in constant touch with leading luminaries

like Mohini Giri, Girija Vyas and Rita Bhauguna for furtherefforts in that direction for the betterment of their poorlot.

According to Harbhajan Singh all available labourneed be deployed for capital construction and that alonewould ensure a reasonable level of living for all andreducing the birth rate, to attain equality of opportunity for

all, there was dire need for land reforms, womens rights

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He was inconstant touch

with leadingluminaries like

Mohini Giri,Girija Vyas andRita Bhauguna

for furtherefforts in that

direction for thebetterment oftheir poor lot.


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in property, universal education and primary health carewere the burning and important issues that requiredimmediate attention and he fought for each one of that ashis goal till his last breath.

He was for making the dawn the beginning of anew era where freedom will mean equal opportunitiesfor all.

Harbhajan Singh Ji never waited for an invitation tofight for womens right. In fact he organised many aseminar, conference to focus on issues that related to theLadies of the Land. He took up cudgels against theauthorities to press for their just demands over the yearsthrough his vehicle Indian Observer.

Escorting Smt. Ila Pant a leading social activist to the dais

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In fact heorganised many

a seminar,conference tofocus on issuesthat related to

the Ladies of the

Land.


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... with Social activist Ms. Nafisa Ali at a Seminar

I am reminded of once on seeing a woman socialworker pitted against the mighty BJP stalwart Lal KrishanAdvani way back in 1989 General Elections, Mr Singh, withno ego status whatsoever, went upto her offering hisservices as a Speaker and help print brochure and

pamphlets. That lady was none other than Dr. V. MohiniGiri Chairperson, Guild of Service (North India).

Such a fine human being was Harbhajan Singh greatlymissed by people like Mohini Giri who stands poor with hispassing away. He organised Seminars on InternationalWomens Day year after year and on Smt. Indira Gandhis

Birthday to lay stress on womens role in Nation Building,for their equal rights vis-a-vis men, fair representation inGovernment Civic bodies, in Legislatures and Parliament.

He was deeply concerned regarding Femaleinfanticide that long existed in our society especially in

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He was deeplyconcerned

regarding Femaleinfanticide thatlong existed inour society.


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On The Dais with Ms Veena Verma, M.P., Ms. Girija Vyas,now Chairperson Womens Commission and P. J. Kurien, M.P.

northern and western states like Punjab, Rajasthan,Madhya Pradesh, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. But the pointof concern modern age of 'development', newtechnologies like ultrasound diagnostic methodsare being used to identify the gender of the foetusin the women, leading to large-scale female foeticide.This kind of civilized' extermination of a particular sex andthat too in the name of democratic' choice' speaks volumesof the kind of values and human essence that is being

created today in the global world of liberalization. Boththese practices of female foeticide and infanticide arethe result of the deep rooted son preference prevalentin most sections of our society today. This son preferenceis actually acquiring new dimensions and is being

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strengthened by certain economic and social processesunderway today.

Female foeticide in Haryana has not only led to analarming fall in male-female sex ratio, it has added many

cruel dimensions to the nature of violence and crime and iseven causing great disturbances and imbalances at thefamily level and in inter-personal relationships.

Now what is the impact of this decline, especially onthe status of women and on men-women relations?

Honble Venkataraman and Shri Harbhajan SinghHonouring Ms Jaya Prada

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Common perception has it that if women are less innumber than men, it would enhance their status as they will

be much sought after by men. This is to facetious argumentone comes across sometimes and has totally been believedin Haryana and other places. The experience of Haryana isa convincing counter to it in the sense that instead ofincreasing the demand for girls, it has led to manifoldincrease in violence and crime against them and madethem more vulnerable in may ways.

Further, due to this decline in sex ratio, the trend ofexchange called Atta Batta meaning (A girl will bemarried in exchange of an other girl for her brother) ison in many of the communities, particularly Gujjars andothers.

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...with an International Social Activist from Uganda.


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Another very disturbing trend is that most of thewomen, almost all of them in rural areas, in an attempt tohave first male child, take all kind of medicines from quacksand local practitioners and this is leading to variousdeformities in the growth and formation of foetus of the

child.

With the decline in sex ratios the parents of even theeducated families prefer to marry their daughters at anearly age for the reason that it is difficult to find highlyeducated body at a later stage and the gir ls are not safe andsecure in the society. So the earlier they are 'disposed off',

the better it is.

Female Foeticide the sex selective abortion of girls-hardly surprises anyone, anymore. Every year, as Women's

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Shri Harbhajan Singh with Margaret Alva at a Seminar.


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Day approaches, the issue becomes a matter of debate,women oraganisations bring out protest marches,feminists cry foul, the government announces newprogrammes and policies to save the girl child and theneverything is foregottenand the killings of the female

foetuses continuing unabated. The resultthe country ison the verge of a gender imbalance.

In fact, the sex ration in many prosperous towns andcities across the country has already touched dangerouslylow levels. Among those affected are the metros too:South Delhi, South Mimbai, South Cennai, Bangalore,

while the situation has crossed the danger mark in citieslike Fatehgarh Sahib, Patiala, Kurukshetra, Ahmedabadwhere it has fallen below 850.

In Many districts of Andhra Pradesh like Krishna,Chittoor and Ranga Reddy, which are the most prosperousdistricts in the state, the sex ration is highly skewed. Thesame is the case in Salem and Theni district in Tamil Nadu

where the sex ratio has touched as low as 826 and 893respectively. So, education affluence and modernity hasnot changed the depressing scenario for the girl child.

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Shri Harbhajan Singhs turn t o Light the Lamp, G.V.G. Krishnamurt hy,M.V. Rajasekharan and Dr. Bhisham Narain Singh look on

Shri Harbhajan Singh Ji organised the last Conference on8th March 2006 to mark the International Womens Day

... speaking on the Role of Women in Building the Society.

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THE JOURNEY OF A LEGEND Chp-08