Pink Ladoo Project

The Pink Ladoo Project is an initiative that first launched in the United Kingdom in order to address the gender-biased social norms of South Asian communities. The tradition of celebrating the birth of a boy by distributing sweets, typically 'ladoos', to friends and family is deeply-rooted in patriarchal values. There are no explicit traditions similar for celebrating the birth of girls. The leaders of the Pink Ladoo Project believe this gender-biased tradition insinuates that "from birth, South Asian girls [are] worth less than their male counterparts". Thus, this project was launched in October 2015. The 'pink ladoo' is much more than a sweet; it is a symbol that protests gender inequality and it represents a strong movement towards empowering South Asian girls and women.

Underlying Traditional Practices

Patriarchy in Cultural Customs

Patriarchy is a common practice in South Asian communities. It allows males to hold primary power, to predominate in decision-making of all kinds, and in the household setting, to have authority over women and children. Specific South Asian traditional practices privilege males while simultaneously devaluing females. The Pink Ladoo Project targets these specific practices in South Asian cultures in its campaign. Practices include father-to-son inheritance and India's Dowry System. Girls are devalued as they are unable to carry on the family name given that they eventually will marry and move to another household. In South Asian communities, women are constantly defined by their relationships to males.

The Pink Ladoo Project shares a powerful story of a woman being given away by her mother at her wedding. This is a traditional practice that is reserved for the father, brother or other male lead of the household. In this case, the bride, Hernoor Grewal, describes that her father was not present at her wedding and she does not have any brothers. Her family chose to have women take the main roles in cultural customs throughout her wedding that are often dominated by males. Grewal's story makes the statement that women are powerful and capable without males.

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  Grewal being given away by her mother at her wedding.

Preference for Boys

The preference for boys begins prior to the birth of the child. In a recent census done in India, there were 940 girls for every 1 000 boys. The rural state of Haryana has the worst ratio, where there were 830 girls for 1 000 boys recorded. This skewed gender ratio is caused by horrific practices. Female infanticide is "the deliberate killing of female infants soon after birth". Although sex-selective abortion and neglect of children that are girls are both more common than female infanticide, this sadly still occurs in South Asian communities. Not only are these practices inhumane, but they also will likely lead to serious long-term social effects. The film, Matrubhoomi: A Nation Without Women (2003), raises concerns for the long-term effects of preferring male children over females by displaying an Indian society of solely males in the year 2050. It showcases large amounts of illegal activities such as human trafficking, bride-buying, and gender violence. In one scene, a father is shown drowning his baby girl in a tub of milk in front of all the villagers. While this film shows the most extreme consequences of selective births, it ignites an important social discourse of privileging and preferring males over females.

The Project

Khaira's Story

The founder of the Pink Ladoo Project, Raj Khaira, was inspired to take on this initiative from her personal experiences with gender prejudice in South Asian families. She witnessed her extended family react differently upon the birth of her sister versus at the time of her brother's birth. Her sister's birth was not celebrated, many were "upset" and no sweets were distributed. Khaira explains that it is a South Asian belief that distributing sweets upon the birth of a daughter will "curse" the parents with having even more daughters rather than a son. Having lived with such gender-biased sentiments in her Punjabi household, Khaira desired to make a change to this practice.

What is a Ladoo?

Ladoo is a traditional Indian sweet that is made from a mixture of flour, sugar, and other ingredients such as nuts, sesame seeds and coconut that vary throughout the country by region. Indian sweets are associated with festive events such as weddings and Diwali, and are also handed out at temples as religious offerings . The significance of a ladoo is that it represents good luck and well wishes. It dates back to the Chola Dynasty of Southern India as it was distributed to travellers and warriors as "a token of luck or offering from the Gods". The classic yellow ladoo is the most popular ladoo that is distributed at the birth of a son. The 'pink ladoo' signifies that girls have their own identity and their independent rights, therefore, they deserve their own unique celebratory sweet.

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  Pink ladoos distributed to celebrate the birth of girls.

Mission

The Pink Ladoo Project is a stark reminder that there is much work that needs to be done to accomplish gender equality globally. The project is grounded by the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals, specifically by Goal 5: Gender Equality. The Pink Ladoo Project aspires to "achieve gender equality and empowerment for all women and girls".

The 'pink ladoo' is merely a sweet, but this project is much greater than itself. It encourages South Asian communities to celebrate the birth of sons and daughters equally. Khaira states that "the birth announcement is the first tradition to be skewed towards the male child, and the pink ladoos hope to change that". The 'pink ladoo' is a part of a larger conversation which works to eliminate all forms of discrimination, violence and harmful practices against women and girls. In South Asian communities, the 'pink ladoo' recognizes the necessity for girls' education, the full value of a woman's participation in society and equal opportunities for leadership for both genders. Importantly, this project contributes to ensuring universal access to sexual reproduction health and reproductive rights. The individuals behind the Pink Ladoo Project remind the South Asian public that this is not an initiative to devalue the birth of sons or to instruct others on how to celebrate the birth of daughters. Families can celebrate however they wish to do so; the Pink Ladoo Project hopes this strikes ideas to pursue gender-equal celebrations.

The Launch

On October 11, 2015, the UN International Day of the Girl, the Pink Ladoo Project distributed boxes of 'pink ladoos' at the Birmingham Women's Hospital in partnership with the sweet shop, Barfia London . As Khaira describes, this is the ideal site to launch the campaign as hospital staff witness the first moments of devastation from South Asian diaspora families once hearing that their baby is female. By celebrating the birth of a girl in the prime moments with 'pink ladoos', a positive discourse is encouraged.

Spreading the Sweetness

Since October 2015, the project has spread largely to Australia and Canada. 'Pink ladoos' have been distributed in the Canadian cities of Toronto, Edmonton, and Regina, and the project plans to promote in Surrey, BC as well . Social media has helped vastly with spreading awareness for this issue and creating a platform with individuals to share their stories of gender inequality in South Asian communities. A profound statement was made when volunteers at the CEPT university hospital in Gujarat, India distributed 'pink ladoos' in 40°C weather. This is a non-profit organization, so no proceeds are gained from sales. The importance of this project is to start a conversation and contribute to the social movement of gender equality.