A Maharashtra family in Beed welcomed baby girl Gargi with a grand chariot procession, celebrating her birth as the first daughter in four generations. The Dahifale family said no girl had been born in their family for nearly two centuries.
The birth of a baby girl has sparked an extraordinary celebration in Maharashtra’s Beed district, where the Dahifale family welcomed the newborn with a grand chariot procession, marking what the family described as the first daughter born in nearly two centuries.
The baby, named Gargi, was given a ceremonial welcome after she and her mother were discharged from the hospital. The family arranged a decorated chariot for the occasion and brought the mother and newborn home amid drums, cymbals, dancing and celebrations.
According to the Dahifale family, no daughter had been born in their family for around 200 years. The arrival of Gargi therefore became a deeply emotional and memorable occasion for several generations of the family.
Gargi’s grandfather said he considered himself fortunate to witness the birth of a girl child in the family. He described the occasion as a long-awaited moment that had ended the family’s longstanding regret of not having a daughter.
“It is a great fortune to have a daughter in the family. For so many years, we had the regret of not having a daughter, and today that has been fulfilled,” he said.
The newborn’s grandmother, Surekha Dahifale, affectionately referred to Gargi as ‘Lakshmi Devi’, invoking the Hindu goddess traditionally associated with wealth and prosperity. She said the family decided while still at the hospital that the newborn should receive a grand welcome when she returned home.
The celebrations reflected the family’s happiness and its desire to make Gargi’s arrival a special event. The traditional procession, accompanied by music and dancing, attracted attention as the family brought the mother and child home in a festive atmosphere.
Gargi’s father also expressed his happiness over becoming the father of a daughter. He said daughters often share a particularly close bond with their fathers and promised to raise his daughter with affection and care.
“Daughters are usually more close to their fathers; we will raise her like a flower,” he said, adding that while people often wish for a son, having a daughter brings a different kind of happiness.
The celebration has also highlighted changing attitudes towards the birth of girl children in India, where communities have increasingly sought to promote the value and dignity of daughters.
A notable example comes from Piplantri village in Rajasthan, which gained attention for a unique tradition associated with the birth of girls. Under the practice, 111 saplings are planted whenever a girl is born.
The initiative was started by former village sarpanch Shyam Sunder Paliwal following the death of his daughter. Over time, the practice became associated with environmental conservation as well as efforts to challenge social attitudes that traditionally favoured the birth of boys.
Rajasthan has historically faced concerns over an imbalanced child sex ratio and cases of female foeticide. The Piplantri initiative sought to transform the birth of a girl into a moment of collective celebration while also encouraging families and communities to invest in the future.
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The Dahifale family’s chariot procession in Beed similarly turned the arrival of a daughter into a public celebration. For Gargi’s family, her birth represents not only the arrival of a new member but also a rare milestone after generations without a daughter.
