This Article is From Oct 22, 2012

This rickshaw puller has a child strapped to his chest

Bharatpur: It's an unusual sight on the streets of Bharatpur in Rajasthan - a rickshaw puller goes to earn his daily wage with his small newborn daughter strapped to his chest.

A month ago, rickshaw puller Babloo's wife died after childbirth due to anaemia. It left Babloo all alone with a small infant to take care for. With no close relatives on hand, Babloo decided to take his small daughter with him to work.

"She was born on September 15. Five days later her mother died. Since then I have been taking care of her all by myself. I can't leave her at home because nobody is there to take care of her, so I've been taking her with me to work every day," said Babloo.

"When she grows up, I will send her to school. I don't want her to grow up on the streets. I want proper upbringing for her," said the ambitious father.

However, being out in the open has taken its toll on the infant. The little baby is ill and has been in a government hospital in Bharatpur for two days now.

But for a state like Rajasthan, which has among the lowest sex ratios in the country and incidents of families abandoning baby girls is high, Babloo is indeed a shining example of paternal love.


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