Toddler tantrums

Kids love to play. Kids belong to their own world, have their carefree life where anything can be a toy and any place a playground. The internet got amused with the antics of Justin Trudeau's youngest kid but the most important thing was that he did what all kids his age love to do, they just don't care about rules and protocols. Most people with young kids have problem in public places as they are expected to keep their children under control. Whether in a flight or a public gathering, parents have a constant dread of what their child would do next. They are told to discipline their child, frowned upon or scorned if their child does not sit quietly. But you cannot expect a child to behave like a grown up. A child needs to play, to track, to question, to explore, to satisfy his curiosity. He is learning about many things. You cannot make a child sit quietly and not ask the many questions that are swarming in his head. Many a times, people forget what their kids are at young age or maybe they do not understand the different circumstances in which the children are. Parents are taunted that their kids are worse of the lot, that no other child behaved that way, but the truth is every single child behaves in just the same way. The only two times when a child is quiet are if he is unwell or he has been beaten up. A child is carefree, he jumps, he walks, he talks unmindful of where he is our who is with. That is the pure joy and innocence of childhood. That is the wonder of young age.

Postpartum depression: an overlooked tragedy

Motherhood is beautiful. Becoming a mother is an unique experience. But not everybody is prepared for the challenges that becoming a mother brings forth. The recent case of a young married woman who killed her 25 day old daughter in Delhi because the incessant crying of her baby drove her mad shook everybody. People labelled her evil and witch and everything else, demanding the strictest punishment for her. But the fact is that what she said might be what happened; the uncontrolled crying of her baby drove her mad, till she couldn't take it any more.
Postpartum depression is a very common phenomenon but sadly like most mental health issues, overlooked and neglected in the Indian society. Physical changes in the body, hormonal changes, low self esteem because of looks, lack of sleep, lack of support and help, household chores and an uncontrollable baby, there are many reasons that can drive a new mother to depression. Many a times, a new mother is completely unaware of what life would be after the baby comes and is left overwhelmed and confused. Inability to handle the child along with keeping up with the appearances, might drive her to frustration and a complete loss of balance. When I gave birth in the United States, my doctor asked me if I would like her to prescribe some medication for postpartum depression. Sadly, such is not a case in developing nations. In places like India, people tend to overlook the fact that the birth of a child may actually be a traumatic experience which may require medical help. One of the best advice that I got after delivery was to sleep whenever the baby slept. Lack of sleep because of nursing and diapering at odd hours can be a trigger towards frustration and depression in a young mother.
Postpartum depression is a reality, a fact that needs to be handled carefully. Living in nuclear family without any help or support, overburdened with work and life changing experience of giving birth can drive a mother towards depression. Having training classes during pregnancy, counselling sessions and support from family, friends and most importantly the partner can help in avoiding depression and any other mental imbalance.

Marriage and conversion

Every person has a right to marry and found a family with the person of their choice. Every person has a right to follow any religion of their liking or to not follow any religion at all. An adult woman has a right to marry a man whom she likes irrespective of his religion. If she studies about his religion and likes it enough to convert then there is nothing wrong with it. Conversion only for the purpose of marriage because of some loopholes like the permissibility of polygamy while not actually following it is not allowed but conversion for the purpose of following it and marriage being incidental to it is not wrong. No court can nullify the marriage of two consenting adults who have come together with their own free will. Mixing inter-religious marriages and conversions with human trafficking is wrong. Courts have a right to protect the victims of trafficking but they do not have a right to nullify the marriage of two adults. It is wrong to presume that every inter religious marriage is for the purpose of forced conversions. A third party interfering with the marriage of adults is not an acceptable thing.

Mandatory language in schools

Language is not just a means of communication, it embodies the culture and practices of a place and its people. It grows along with the practices of the people who speak it, evolves as their culture evolves. Language is an organic being which is very much dependent upon its speakers who are also its protectors.

The Karnataka government has recently made the teaching of Kannada language mandatory in schools. The government is also mulling over punishing those who do not follow this order by either imposing a fine of rupees two lakhs or withdrawing the recognition of such schools. This action of the government maybe a part of the vote bank politics but it is also an attempt to preserve a language from becoming endangered. At a time when majority of the spoken languages are at the verge of becoming endangered or extinct, any attempt to protect a language is not bad. The Constitution protects the linguistic minorities and gives them rights to protect their language. Any other attempt to protect and propagate a language should also be welcomed.

Every child alive

The birth of a child is a very special moment for his parent but the recent Unicef data suggest that 7000 newborn babies die every day. While the loss of a child is tormenting, the fact that majority die from preventable causes is even more disturbing. The data suggests that more than 80% of the newborn babies die due to complications during birth or prematurity or infections during birth. To tackle such instances, there is a need to have better hospital facilities, trained nurses and midwives, supply of medicines and awareness about the threats to the life of babies. The initial days of a baby's life are very crucial and the mothers should be provided with support both in the form of supplies and information to tackle the needs of the child and also to provide the child with the required medical attention. Allocating sufficient funds for medical facilities so that even women in remote areas can access proper medical help at the time of delivery and during the early days is an important step for the governments across the globe to tackle neonatal diseases and deaths.