The novel practice of celebrating the last Sunday of September in India as the Daughters Day is gaining momentum with each passing year. People at Archies Greetings are all for it. If mothers, fathers, and sons can have their own respective days, let our daughters have one as well, is probably one of the theories they would present you with, if you were to question them about daughters day.
But is it all about attributing a day a year to parents and their offspring individually? Is it just a marketing gimmick to sell “stuff” or does it foster the relationships and values? In a country infamous for female feoticide and a disproportionate sex ratio, and where life is definitely more tough for the fair sex, what relevance would the celebrating of daughters day have?
Purists say that it is yet another attempt by the greeting card companies to hijack a day and sell more gifts and other such stuff. For them, the practice of designating days to relationships and feelings is a western trend which Indians are imposing on themselves.
However, let not rigidity rule our heads. There will be people who'd frown upon you even if you were to present them with a gold ring. If the entire thing may sound fashionable and western, let it be. A girl-child is gift of God, a gift par excellence, and so let us treat her at par with a male child. The females in India (and world over) have endured immense suffering during the course of history and they've still managed to make their presence felt in this patriarchal universe. It's time to be a feminist now.
Celebrate the Daughters Day by showering affection and care on your girl-child. Let this daughters day be a day on which we take a pledge to end discrimination against women. And don't let the companies selling cards play on your minds. After all, its not just about giving gifts and cards. It's about deepening the bond of love with your daughter and making her feel special. Gifts and cards might just add to it but they can't be a substitute for YOU.
