Eunuch gives shelter for unwanted girls

Ratlam, MP, May 24 (UNI) Eunuchs of this west Madhya Pradesh town have set an example by adopting abandoned female infants.

In this endeavour, Ratlam's eunuch Guru Poonam Jaan, who eked out a living with small donations by entertaining others, had already taken the responsibility for the upbringing of two baby girls- Sonu and Roshni.

Striking a humane note, she appeals the parents, who are averse to keep their girl child or kill them in foetus, to handover 'unwanted' babies to her.

This gesture brings a ray of hope keeping in view the alarming rate of female foeticide in India and the widening the gender ratio.

Poonam asserted that she got an inspiration to adopt the baby girls from a local Gandhinagar-resident family, which handed over a month old ailing infant Sonu to her on the superstitious belief that the baby will be cured of her illness in the spell of charm of eunuchs.

Now two and a half-year old Sonu is a healthy child and enrolled in a prominent private school. Another six-month-old girl Roshni was handed over by poor labourers Mohan and Pushpa, who were unable to look after the girl.

Poonam says she wants to provide better education to the girls to make them professionals like engineer, doctor or bureaucrats and for this, she is seeking aid from the government.

UNI