Yesterday was World Population Day, and the UNPFA's theme for this year is 'Everybody Counts'. Their focus is on collecting reliable data and analyzing it in a way that drives good decision making.Which reminds me - the last day for collection of data for the 2011 census in Tamil Nadu is the 15th of July, and the enumerators haven't yet paid me a visit. The word is that they're having a tough time because most people are unaware of the census being conducted, and refuse to let them into their houses. Moreover, I believe that many of them don't speak Tamil, and are having a tough time communicating with the residents. You would think they would send Tamil speaking enumerators to conduct a survey in Tamil Nadu!
Anyhow, it all makes me a bit skeptical about how accurate the results will be. Do you remember the day the country celebrated the birth of it's billionth baby? To me it felt like a day of mourning. It is true that the average number of children per woman dropped from 6 in the 1960's to 2.5 in 2005, but unless it drops further, the population will continue to grow. And we simply do not have the resources to keep up with that growth.
Imagine for a moment that everyone restricted themselves (voluntarily) to having one child. It would mean that the population of the country would halve in one generation. Having two children would maintain the status quo. Having three or more, in my opinion, is absolutely unforgivable. I know it is a pretty harsh thing to say, but I firmly believe that almost every problem in our country stems from overpopulation.
So, on this World Population Day, I'm asking you to consider having just one child. Consider adopting another. Consider the future of the planet. Make your own decisions in the end, but please consider the options.
As I said, this is just my opinion. Maybe you have a different one. Maybe you disagree strongly with my views. Maybe you already have two (or more) children. I would love to hear your views on the subject. Please leave your comments or email me at childofchennai@gmail.com. If you liked this post, maybe you could share it with people you think might be interested. It would be nice to have a variety of opinions.
