Five Women Discuss Tamilisai's Notion On Reading Sundarkand During Pregnancy

Telangana governor Tamilisai Soundararajan has recently stated that pregnant women should start chanting Sundarkand and reading Indian epics like the Ramayana for the physical and mental well-being of their babies. She made this remark during the launch of the "Garbha Sanskar" programme, which is organised by an RSS-linked body.

It is to be noted that Soundarajan is not only the governor but also a gynaecologist and foetal therapist. The doctors affiliated with the organisation state that in the "Garbhas Sanskar" programme initiated by Samvardhinee Nyas, expecting mothers are provided with a blend of "scientific and traditional" prescriptions and are expected to turn out to be "sanskari and deshbhakt" (cultured and patriotic).

Read Sundarkand In Pregnancy

Samvardhinee Nyas is a part of the Rashtra Sevika Sangh, a women’s organisation of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). Under this programme, the doctors will prescribe activities like reading religious texts like the Bhagavad Gita, chanting Sanskrit mantras, and practising yoga. The programme is designed to be followed from preconception to delivery and extend up to the baby’s second year. The programme also offers guidance to the expecting mother’s family members.

The concept that listening to certain spiritual texts and music would have a calming and peaceful effect on the foetus and the pregnant mother is acceptable. The frequency, vibration, and energy do have a positive effect on both the mother and the baby. It could also definitely be a good bonding exercise for the mother and foetus, as the mother’s voice is clearer and more soothing to the baby.

That being said, a child is an individual being. As an individual, shouldn’t the child have the autonomy to embrace any religion or belief or choose whether or not to have any religious affiliations at all? How is it fair to ask the mother to imbibe particular beliefs and practises in an effort to grow a "sanskari and deshbhakt" baby? Isn't raising a good human more important?

Millennial Women Opine On Tamilisai's Remark

"There is specific energy attached to certain mantras, and continuously chanting or listening could be relaxing, calming, and healing in a way similar to meditation. However, propagating this to expecting mothers so that they will give birth to cultured and patriotic babies is problematic. The system is changing, and the future is going to be more inclusive and progressive. So it’s only regressive to force a baby into believing that only following a certain lifestyle is cultured", said Subashini Sreeram, an IT professional and mother of a preteen.

"As parents, we ought to teach humanity to our children and not enforce any religion on them"

Suggesting a much-needed alternative, entrepreneur Deepika Angannan pointed out that couples should be attending prenatal classes, which will provide them with an end-to-end guide—from conceiving a baby when the couple is physically, emotionally, and financially ready for pregnancy, postpartum, parenting, etc. "I don’t think any sacred text teaches about any of this, which is practically essential for both the expecting mother and father. In what way does religion play a role in preparing a woman for real motherhood? It’s more important for couples to be aware of these issues and prepare to parent their children in a respectful and gentle way," said the mother of two boys.

"I do believe that words have a prominent impact during pregnancy and childbirth. However, imagine a child learning the contents of a particular sacred text and then being exposed to the real world. It’s going to be conflicting for the child, as the world we live in today is different," said Ila Asthana, a relationship coach. She further mentioned that parents should rather model the positive practises and behaviours that they would like to imbibe in their children and not just read sacred texts to them in the womb. She also questioned the efficacy of this, asking if it meant that a child whose mother didn't read all this wouldn't become a good person.

Muthal Venkatachalam, a social work scholar, said that she feels this is clearly an indulgence in religious practise under the pretext of science. "Though there are positive signs in pregnancy of doing yoga, having a good environment, and consuming good content, that doesn't mean you have to read the Ramayana, Mahabaratha, or Sundarakandam. It can be your personal choice, but definitely not as a cultural movement or propaganda. This inflicts fascism and discrimination from the womb, not culture and tradition," she stated.

Preethi, a yoga trainer and mother of a toddler, said, "Mental health is very important for expecting mothers. In our culture, we do a lot of things that have substantial scientific backing. Reading, chanting, and listening to certain religious works help calm the mother's mind and connect with the baby. But I don’t think it's in any way related to growing cultured and traditional babies. What matters is how we raise our children and the principles and values we inculcate in them."

Suggested Reading: Why Dictating Timeline To Read Holy Books Takes Away From Personal, Spiritual Experience Of Choice

Views expressed by the author are their own