MP: Two families name daughters 'Anchahee', as they wanted sons
What's the story
Two instances of parents naming their daughters as "Anchahee" (unwanted) have come to light in Madhya Pradesh's Mandsaur district. Both the families are based in Billaud village, about 35km from the Mandsaur. The name appears in birth certificates, school records, and also on Aadhaar cards. One of them is a student of BSc first year, while the other is in Class 6. Here's more.
Superstition
We named her Anchahee to get boy next time: Mother
Kanti Bai, the mother of the college-going Anchahee, said, "My husband is suffering from a paralytic condition. We prayed for a son, but I gave birth to a fifth girl in a row. We named her Anchahee, so that next time we get lucky and have a boy." However, her next child too was a girl, after which they opted for family planning.
Ashamed
The girl wants to change her name, feels ashamed
Anchahee, the graduating girl, said she wants to change her name. "As a child, I didn't find any fault with my name. But I learnt about its significance when people started making fun of me. I feel ashamed now. I wanted to change my name when I submitted the Class 10 examination form, but the school authorities refused to allow that," she said.
Another Anchahee
A Class 6 girl has also been named Anchahee
The college-going girl also said that her parents no more regret not having a son. Kanti Bai claimed that another girl named Anchahee, studying in Class 6 is living in her neighborhood. She said the younger Anchahee is the third girl child of her parents, and the story behind her name is also similar. The other girl's family could not be contacted for comments.
Previous incident
Similar incident was also reported from Maharashtra
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan had launched the "Ladli Laxmi Yojana" in 2007 with an aim to bring about a change in people's attitude towards the girl child. A few years ago, a similar incident was also reported from Maharashtra. The state's administration had found that parents yearning to have a son named their daughters as 'Nakushi', which translates as unwanted.