This garba is dedicated to saving the girl child

PALANPUR : This is a garba dedicated to saving the girl child while worshipping goddess Amba. The Samarpan Group of Mehsana has ensured that the participants in its garba contribute towards spreading awareness against the practice of female foeticide given the fact that the district has one of the highly skewed sex ratios in the state.
"The participants have the logo 'Beti Bachao, Beti Badhao' (Save and welcome the girl child) embossed on their dresses as well as hoardings," said Ashvin Patel, president of the Samarpan Group.Sources put Mehsana's sex ratio at 926 girls per 1,000 males. The sex ratio has shown an improvement following a campaign by the government and NGOs over the last few years.
"This is the first such occasion where a garba is espousing the cause of saving the girl child," said an organizer Daxaben. She said that a dozen women also support belts on their shoulders with the slogans of saving the girl child written on them.
Established in 2001, this group is known for introducing new concepts in its social activities including blood donation camps, notebook distributions to poor children and helping people in the times of natural calamities.