Haryana’s ideal: Blue-eyed blonde kid!

Until now, only builders could imagine white families staying in Ghaziabad and Noida apartments that overlooked New York’s central park. Now, the Haryana government wants its school teachers to ensure the health and wellbeing of little white babies with light eyes and soft blond thatches.



Lighting up the back cover of the Haryana health department's brochure on the special health drive in schools is a large picture of an adorable — and obviously white and western — baby. On the picture runs the legend, 'Swasth Bachcha, Surakshit Bhavishya'.

The publication is titled 'Schoolon ke liye Vishesh Swasthya Jaanch, Swasthya Karyakarta aur Adhyapakon ke liye Vishesh Nirdesh Pustika' (Special health drive in schools, manual for health workers and teachers). It lists the common health problems in children, their diagnosis, and the steps teachers should take to deal with anaemia and iodine deficiency.

At the end of the booklet is a drawing — apparently done by a child — in garish red hues, showing a sinister hand putting a knife in the stomach of a pregnant woman. Under the picture is a plea, 'Don't kill my shadow', and next to that, a woman with tears streaming down her cheeks.




Haryana’s ideal: Blue-eyed blonde kid!

About 15,000 copies of the manual were distributed to teachers in Haryana schools earlier this year, officials said. They did not find it odd that a picture of a blond white baby should be used in a health manual targeted at children in Haryana. They said there was no particular reason for using the photo — probably downloaded randomly from the web — apart from the fact that it looked "very pleasing".



P K Das, mission director of the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM), Haryana, said, "How does it (the picture of a white, western baby) make a difference to people? We created the book but it was not for mass consumption and for teachers only. The photo does not affect anybody."

Das said the picture was selected in consultation with the mission deputy director. But Deputy Director N K Gupta said the "printing department" would know why it was used.

Another official, Dr Ashish Gupta, said the booklet was distributed by the health department, but the department did not get it printed. As for the picture, he said, "It could have been taken from the Internet."



In 2005, the Union HRD Ministry withdrew its annual report following criticism of the pictures of blond, hispanic, Chinese and black children it had used.

Earlier this year, the Ministry of Women and Child Development caused the government embarrassment by putting a picture of a former Pakistan Air Force chief alongside those of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi in a print advertisement for Girl Child Day.

Source: Indian Express