Pink Ludoos
Recently, in Cheema Kalan village near Ludhiana, some well known Punjabi singers entertained to bring awareness of social
problems like sex-selective abortion. Singers in attendance included Sarabjit Cheema, Jaspal Jassi, Babbu Mann, Jasbir Jassi and Inderjit Nikku. Why were these singers willing to take time out of their recording and busy performing schedules? Sarabit Cheema said:
Singers do have an ethical responsibility to spread meaningful messages among the people which helps bring a transformation in the society. We want the youngsters should listen and join us because usually they follow us after watching us on television. It is our duty to share consequential messages to the society which the youth will follow.
Meanwhile, in Amritsar, a new-born girl was found abandoned in the Harmandir Sahib complex with a letter written by her mother, requesting that the girl be looked after.
“We have no option but to raise the girl,” SGPC secretary Dalmegh Singh said from Amritsar…
An SGPC official said the important thing to realise was “fate and her mother had willed the child to live” in a state where aborting girl children was rampant.
We know son preference exists and sex-selective abortions occur in our diaspora communities too… but for whatever reason, the issue hasn’t received as much coverage in our media and conversations. There hasn’t been an organized response in the US.
In Canada, under the Assisted Human Reproduction Act, sex-determination is banned but many clinics in the US willingly divulge the sex of the fetus to curious parents, often targeting their advertising to South Asian communities. It is common for women to hop the border from Vancouver to the US for sex-determination tests, according to Belle (Balbir) Mott the writer who authored ‘Pink Ludoos.’
Pink Ludoos 
is a comedy that came out in 2004, and the plot is likely to make some people uncomfortable and create some much needed conversation:
In a community which values boys over girls, Gugan, a young feisty Indo-Canadian girl sets on collision course with her traditionally-minded mother when she gets pregnant out of wedlock…with triplet girls!
I’m still waiting to get my hands on the movie to see it for myself, but the title itself gives reason to pause. The idea is simple but powerful. Ladoos, those delicious yellow balls of sugar and besan are normally only passed out at the birth of boys. By coloring them pink, the statement is clear- a daughter is being celebrated, not despite the fact that she’s a girl but because she’s a girl. And though I don’t like pink, I like this concept.
Isn’t this something that we could easily implement in our own lives and communities, through family and gurdwaras? Maybe just passing out the normal yellow ladoos at the birth of a girl isn’t enough… maybe we need to make that extra statement.
18 Responses to “Pink Ludoos”
Something like this was put on a poster board a few years ago at Jakara. An organization one of the groups call for was Ladoo's Pink and Blue (i believe), and I think even just posing this idea to Desi shop owners who sell mithiyahee would be a great thing. If nothing else our generation will want to give out Ladoo's for a daughter hopefully. A great test market would be Vancouver or Toronto and its burbs (Singhdale and Mississauga).
Something like this was put on a poster board a few years ago at Jakara. An organization one of the groups call for was Ladoo’s Pink and Blue (i believe), and I think even just posing this idea to Desi shop owners who sell mithiyahee would be a great thing. If nothing else our generation will want to give out Ladoo’s for a daughter hopefully. A great test market would be Vancouver or Toronto and its burbs (Singhdale and Mississauga).
Will this film be available in the UK?
Will this film be available in the UK?
yellow or pink, now i want a ladoo.
it's good to read that that entertainers are being proactive on the matter. i believe where there was a previous post where female feoticide was at issue, and involvement and positive message from just such celebrities was suggested. any awareness raising participation or creative solution to such problems is always a plus, so this is uplifting.
yellow or pink, now i want a ladoo.
it’s good to read that that entertainers are being proactive on the matter. i believe where there was a previous post where female feoticide was at issue, and involvement and positive message from just such celebrities was suggested. any awareness raising participation or creative solution to such problems is always a plus, so this is uplifting.
Dear idiot,
I would think that this film would alreadybe available in the UK since it first came out in 2004 and was commercially released in 2005, but I'm not basing that on any real knowledge- just the assumption that with the size of the Punjabi-Sikh community there, all Punjabi movies can eventually be found there (correct me if I'm wrong). The director and screenwriter are Canadian though, and I don't know how broadly it's been distributed.
It was made by Brightlight Pictures and directed by Gaurav Seth. Good luck! Hope you find it!
Dear idiot,
I would think that this film would alreadybe available in the UK since it first came out in 2004 and was commercially released in 2005, but I’m not basing that on any real knowledge- just the assumption that with the size of the Punjabi-Sikh community there, all Punjabi movies can eventually be found there (correct me if I’m wrong). The director and screenwriter are Canadian though, and I don’t know how broadly it’s been distributed.
It was made by Brightlight Pictures and directed by Gaurav Seth. Good luck! Hope you find it!
I remember that poster board at Jakara! I think just giving out ladoos, yellow or pink, when a girl is born sends the statement to our parents generation. I think the blue and pink ladoos is something that really only our generation would understand.
Also, I love the comment about celebrating the birth of a girl not despite the fact that shes a girl but because of it. And once someone figures out where this movie can be found, let everyone know.
I remember that poster board at Jakara! I think just giving out ladoos, yellow or pink, when a girl is born sends the statement to our parents generation. I think the blue and pink ladoos is something that really only our generation would understand.
Also, I love the comment about celebrating the birth of a girl not despite the fact that shes a girl but because of it. And once someone figures out where this movie can be found, let everyone know.
The DVD is for sale in bunch of UK based shops, check pricebomb.co.uk for all the different vendors.
The DVD is for sale in bunch of UK based shops, check pricebomb.co.uk for all the different vendors.
This discussion of yellow, pink and blue ladoos to celebrate the birth of a girl took place with a group of youth part of Jakara Bakersfield (the poster at the Jakara conference was great and started this conversation in Bakersfield!). We decided that we could not expect individual families to do it (even if we offered to buy them or give money because of specific social dynamics in our community). Instead we as a group would need to establish a separate fund and deliver the ladoos to the individual family stating that we are celebrating the birth of your daughter (regardless of how you and/or the community perceives her birth) … if you want you can do the same (some may already want to).
This discussion of yellow, pink and blue ladoos to celebrate the birth of a girl took place with a group of youth part of Jakara Bakersfield (the poster at the Jakara conference was great and started this conversation in Bakersfield!). We decided that we could not expect individual families to do it (even if we offered to buy them or give money because of specific social dynamics in our community). Instead we as a group would need to establish a separate fund and deliver the ladoos to the individual family stating that we are celebrating the birth of your daughter (regardless of how you and/or the community perceives her birth) … if you want you can do the same (some may already want to).
This is awesome! I was listening to Gurdas Mann's new CD and he does a few lines in one of his songs about how had his grandfather killed his mother he wouldn't be around.
I think its great that singers are taking an active role! And Reema – excellent way of putting it (because not despite).
My mom's cousin recently had a baby girl and when congratulating the grandmother my mom said "Doesn't matter if the child is a girl or boy as long as they are healthy" – now I know her heart meant to say "Yay! Happiness! Baby!" But I know a part of it was reassuring the grandmother.
In my opinion there is no need to even discuss the gender other than knowing what it is. I spoke to my mom about that – she got it, but I don't know if would change the way she would naturally react.
This is awesome! I was listening to Gurdas Mann’s new CD and he does a few lines in one of his songs about how had his grandfather killed his mother he wouldn’t be around.
I think its great that singers are taking an active role! And Reema – excellent way of putting it (because not despite).
My mom’s cousin recently had a baby girl and when congratulating the grandmother my mom said “Doesn’t matter if the child is a girl or boy as long as they are healthy” – now I know her heart meant to say “Yay! Happiness! Baby!” But I know a part of it was reassuring the grandmother.
In my opinion there is no need to even discuss the gender other than knowing what it is. I spoke to my mom about that – she got it, but I don’t know if would change the way she would naturally react.
Human being is undoubtedly naturally dignified and has been awarded with the top most rank in the count of all the creation of this universe. This granted dignity is not enough and the knowledge lets a man earn his dignity through his behavior and attitude towards life.
anyone heard about the pink ladoo campaign?
http://www.pinkladoo.org