Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Killing a Cause

A recent controversy on a photograph put the ad shown below on the front page of leading newspapers during my stay in India.

"Ex-Pak air chief photo ad goof-up: PMO orders probe" screamed the Times of India headline. Further details revealed that a government advertisement has featured the photograph of a former Pakistani air chief alongside Indian icons in a campaign to mark National Girl Child Day. Really? That's the issue here? 

What about the ad which suggests that the sole purpose of women is to bear children? So what next? Kill women after they have given birth to sons? Female foeticide is a rising concern in India and many Asian societies. And in my opinion, this ad is doing more harm than good to the cause.

On the same day I saw this billboard for the Save Our Tigers project. Notice the difference. I must say that India has a better chance of saving its tigers than its women!