According to the UK times, “ Mr Qureshi reportedly raised an asking price of £50,000 for Rubina to £200,000 at a later meeting. Justifying the increase, his brother Mohiuddin was quoted as saying: “The child is special now. This is not an ordinary child. This is an Oscar child”

What have we shown the world? It’s no secret that the world looked upon India as the land of Elephants and Snake charmers. Then came a time when the world looked upon India for its slums. Just when the perception started changing & we were looked upon for what we really are i.e. a growing and sensible nation bestowed with a Pulitzer & handful of Oscars, we come right back to ground zero with a father of the slums trying to do what many uneducated and uncouth men of the slums have done for centuries i.e. sell their daughters. A vicious cycle really!

Born and brought up in India, in a family where girls are treated with utmost respect and given an equally free hand in choosing their  destiny (even more so compared to some in the west), I am aware of many families in India that hold unapologetic views of their daughters being an unnecessary burden. I have to admit, I thought the scene was changing for the better. However, it is absolutely scary to learn that it’s so deeply rooted that change could be far far away. No sane father would do such a thing!! And may I add, it’s even more shocking to see how the Bollywood fraternity hasn’t protested against such a horrific event (regardless of detailed facts published in newspapers).

Whether this is a true story or not, I seriously hope that many of my friends back home have voted this year, especially the ones in Bollywood (see Lead India ). We do need a new system. But as they say, charity begins at home. Maybe we ought to first clean up this kind of menace in our society, such as fathers who want to encash their kids as if they were a loot from a cheap slot machine in Vegas, and hope that such cleaning up will initiate or jump start the change we are looking for. It’s the bottom up effect. I am glad that Rubina’s mother apparently saw sense and reported the case to Indian police that did its part or at least seems to be doing the right thing.

I guess more than sketching the portrait of a growing economy with a glittering society and Oscar winning children, India needs to dish out some therapy to it’s slumdogs.