A common abuse for women who step out of line from the strict control of patriarchal communities was to ask them to drown themselves in the well: kuen mein dub mar (Hindi) or kua re budi mara (Oriya) — go drown yourself in the well. In the urban context, this has taken a different trajectory with shame now increasingly identified with bearing a female within one’s womb. The wells near nursing homes from New Delhi to Nayagarh in Orissa, teeming with the bodies of female foetuses, bear testimony to this.

The unfavourable female-male ratio (FMR) of 927 girls to 1000 boys in the 2001 census is clearly due to sex determination and sex-selective abortion. The demand and supply of this service has been articulated within the contours of a reinforced patriarchy. This form of socialisation and internalisation of son preference is propelled by consumerism. Having a baby of one’s choice, in this case a son, has the full sanction of society, the media, the market and the state. Women, both as victims and agents in this scenario, go in for repetitive sex selective abortion in the second trimester of pregnancy in order to have a son. This too is a ritual of subjugation. The metaphorical abuse — go drown in the well — taking a literal form with the negation of the right to give birth to a female or to be born female.

While the declining sex ratio in north Indian states is common knowledge, what is relatively less known is that the declining sex ratio is manifesting itself almost uniformly throughout India, except for some northeastern states and tribal belts. Orissa’s child sex ratio stands at a decent 969 — 42 points above the national average. While Orissa has one of the highest maternal mortality and infant mortality rates in the country, it has escaped being categorised as unfriendly towards women. In fact, Oriya society has been perceived as egalitarian in comparison to its northern counterparts.

... contd.