Nayagarh’s wells tell you about Orissa

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.

Yet a closer look at the 2001 census reveals that the favourable FMR in Orissa tells only half the story. Rural-urban divides in FMR reveal the truth of the Nayagarh wells. A comparative analysis of the census data of 1991 and 2001 shows that FMR in the 0-6 age group have seen a decline in 12 districts, with Nayagarh coming lowest at 901. The urban-rural divides emphasise this point. The urban sex ratio of the child population for Nayagarh, Boudh and Ganjam are below 860. The erstwhile secretary of Women and Child Development for Orissa and eminent demographer, Satish Agnihotri, pointed out in an article in the Economic and Political Weekly that these figures from Orissa are comparable to the worst-off districts in Haryana and western UP.

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