Known for gender bias and regressive mindset towards the girl child, parents in Haryana are shunning the trend of giving names like “Maafi”, “Kaafi” and “Antim” to their daughters after birth.
Sunil Jaglan, head of NGO ‘Selfie With Daughter’ Foundation, claimed that in a nationwide survey conducted over three years, they have found a positive shift in attitude towards daughters across the country, especially in Haryana.
Earlier, in many parts of India, daughters were often considered a burden and this mindset was reflected in the names given to them. In Haryana, names such as “Maafi” (seeking forgiveness for having another daughter), “Kaafi” (enough), “Antim” (the last one), “Bhateri” (too many) and “Santosh” (satisfied) were commonly used till a few years back, especially on the birth of more than one girl in a family.
However, these names have now almost disappeared, with parents now preferring mythological and contemporary names for their daughters, said Jaglan, adding that the survey found similar changes in several states.
In Kashmir, the former sarpanch of Bibipur village in Jind district said the names such as “Tathiya” and “Nakaba”, which also implied “no more daughters”, are now being replaced with attractive and modern names. In Assam, names like “Akheri”, “Khanto” and “Iti”— that reflected disappointment over the birth of daughters — have become rare now. Uttar Pradesh has seen a decline in names such as “Oak”, “Bachi”, “Khatman” and “Teeja”, while families no longer use names like “Ramghani” and “Dhapu” in Rajasthan, said Jaglan.
In Madhya Pradesh, names such as “Poora”, “Kaafi”, “Bachi” and “Samapti” are nearly extinct, he claimed. Tamil Nadu, Kerala and West Bengal have also witnessed a significant shift, Jaglan said, adding that names like “Pothumpu” and “Surathumpal” are no longer preferred. “Punjab has also seen a major change, with names like ‘Antni’, ‘Bakhshi’ and ‘Kartaro’ becoming uncommon,” he said.
The social activist said the survey further revealed that Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Maharashtra and Bihar have also moved away from names carrying uncalled for connotations for daughters. “Similar trends were reported in Jharkhand, Odisha, Jammu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Arunachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa, Karnataka, Ladakh, Chhattisgarh and Sikkim,” he said.
Jaglan said the survey shows that society’s mindset towards daughters has changed significantly over the past decade. He credited the initiative and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao” campaign for spreading awareness and encouraging families to celebrate the birth of daughters.
Jaglan said daughters are no longer seen as a burden but as the pride of the family. He added that the campaign has now reached more than 70 countries and that millions of parents are celebrating their daughters by sharing selfies on social media.