In a quiet shift, B’gavi family welcomes newborn girl with fervour

Belagavi: In a heartening gesture, social activist Sambhaji Thorawat and his wife Suman accorded a grand welcome to their newborn granddaughter in Belagavi district Monday.Marking the birth of the girl child with pride, the family in Nippani taluk's Barwad village celebrated the occasion with fireworks, distributed jalebis across the neighbourhood, and organised a vibrant procession – complete with traditional music, floral showers and a festive fervour. At a time when the birth of a girl child is often met with disappointment in many families, the Thorawat family decided to walk off the beaten track. The unique celebration drew widespread appreciation from neighbours and residents as a model promoting gender equality. The baby girl was born to Vaibhavi Thorawat and her husband Vicky Subhash Kamble alias Chavan, residents of Senapati Kapshi in Maharashtra. Suman described the birth of the child as a blessing, saying the family believed Goddess Mahalaxmi had entered their home in the form of a girl child. Speaking to the TOI, Sambhaji said: "We organised celebrations to send out a strong message to society. We do not differentiate between a boy and a girl." "Having worked as a social activist for the past 26 years, and also as a journalist, I have closely observed these social imbalances based on gender discrimination. It is important that society stops considering girls as inferior to boys and instead recognises their true value," Sambhaji added.