If RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat drew attention to the declining fertility rate in India and urged Indian families to have at least three children to avoid extinction, two chief ministers of southern states – MK Stalin and Chandra Babu Naidu had appealed to families to have more children, citing lesser political representation (in Parliament) and the burden of an ageing population respectively.
Even as the debate is hovering around population decline, the reasons cited are varied – from demographic changes to the burden of an ageing population to fear of social, cultural and moral decay.
In Karnataka, religious leaders have been advocating for bigger families to overcome the challenges of a dwindling Hindu population. Earlier this week, the third World Havyaka Convention held in Bengaluru saw the Havyaka Brahmin pontiffs appeal to the community to have at least three children per family and also offered to adopt the fourth child.
Pontiff Gangadharendra Saraswathi Swamiji of Swarnavalli Mutt suggested that girls should marry at 18 and boys at 21 years and have at least three children. This will help overcome the population decline, and cultural and moral decay prevalent among the youth today. Marrying them young will resolve all three issues, he claimed.
The seer also defended his statement saying marriage would not be a hindrance to pursuing one’s education or career. “If a couple has more than three children, they may send their kids to the Mutt as the Mutt will take their responsibility,” he added.
Anandabodhendra Saraswathi Swami, the junior pontiff of Swarnavalli Mutt, called upon the community to opt for simple weddings and to have at least three children. “One child should be dedicated to preserving the Vedas, one should guard the country, and the third child should take care of the family and agriculture,” he added.
Raghaveshwara Bharathi Swami of Ramachandrapura Mutt stated that the Havyaka population had dwindled over the last three decades. “Our community, which is making huge contributions globally, is following the two-child norm when communities which contribute little to the society are opting for bigger families. If Havyaka families give birth to more children, our mutt will take care of the children’s upbringing and educational needs,” he said.
Avadhoota Dattapeetha Sri Ganapathy Sachidananda Swamiji had expressed concern over the unwritten one-child norm being practised by Hindu families. “Our religion and culture cannot be sustained or preserved for posterity if families choose to have a single child. It will erode Hinduism,” said the seer.
Recently, Hindu Jagarana Vedike leader Jagadish Karanth stressed the need to increase the majority Hindu population to counter threats from other religions. “Hindus should be united as the Hindu religion is in danger. India is at the risk of Islamisation as Hindu families are opting for less number of children. We need people in crucial positions. If India has to be secure at the borders, we need young men to guard it. But we are letting other infiltrate into our government and the country and one day Hindus will have no say in the affairs of the country,” said Karanth.
The changing demographics and an ageing population are causes for worry for nations across the world. In India, religious and political leaders have been voicing their concern over the decline in India’s total fertility rate (TFR) – the average number of children born to a woman in her lifetime. There would be zero population growth if the replacement level of fertility is 2.1. Anything less than this would mean a decline in population.
In southern states, the fertility rate has dropped to 1.6 compared to the national average of 2.1 and though the states had a demographic advantage until 2047, signs of an ageing population were hard to miss.
