The media has been abuzz with the “heroic” rescue of a girl found living with monkeys in the jungles of UP. In its characteristic way, the media has christened this child “Mowgli Girl”, and has been rabidly, even gleefully, describing her situation and lauding her “rescue”.
Most of history is a rather unflattering record of one group of people “rescuing” another, imposing their notions of right and wrong on the “rescued”. And this is the reason why history is littered with the carcasses of the seemingly rescued, and their customs. The Mayans, the Incas, the Aztecs, the Native Americans and their tryst with the Pilgrims, Indians (and half the rest of the world) and their colonization by the Brits — all of these are examples of the terrifying consequences of one group trying to rescue and “civilize” another.
And now this little girl is being put through the same ordeal. So, this goes out to everyone who thinks she was “rescued”, and that in the grand scheme of things, her rescue is a good thing. Here’s a little food for thought:
This girl was found living with monkeys in the jungle. When people tried to take her away, the monkeys tried to fight back. They even chased the people who were taking her away.
Think about that for a second. She was safe, she was not in any kind of imminent danger. In fact, the fact that she walks like a monkey, and eats like one, too, clearly indicates that she was raised by them. They taught her everything they know about survival. Which is much, much, more than her parents did!
My first thought on hearing the story was: She was probably left to die in the forest because she’s a girl. Because sadly, in India, that is a plausible explanation for an 8 year-old being found living in the jungle — that she was discarded by her family, because she’s a girl.
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Reports have surfaced that allege that her parents left her in the forest because of her disability. I will say that one more time. Her parents abandoned her because she has a disability. Which makes it even worse, really!
Every report about this child mentions that she is scared of people. And why shouldn’t she be?!!
Now that she’s been taken from the only life she knew, what happens next? Who is going to take care of her? When have you ever heard of foster parents lining up around the block to adopt a disabled child, and a girl, at that?!! So the big question now is, what becomes of this child? The sad fact is, the way things are in this country, she was probably safer in the jungle!
Animals had the heart to take care of a helpless creature they found in their neck of the woods. Her parents didn’t. They should be ashamed of themselves. Ashamed of the fact that animals showed more humanity towards their child than they could find within their hearts!
