Page 119 - SocialHarmony

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Healthy Child and Happy Gujarat

(Healthy Child Initiative, Trimandir, Adalaj. April 2, 2008)

If each and every citizen of Gujarat acts as a mother and
nurtures feelings of motherly care in his heart, I do not think
that any additional efforts will need to be expended to keep
our children healthy. In this, “Healthy Child Year”, let us create
a bridge of inspiration which can bring love and affection to all
children.

If looking at a child can raise tender emotions in our heart,
it will create a bond between us and the child. The power of
such emotions is unimaginable. Once a man was travelling in a
bus along with a young child, suddenly the child began crying.
The man tried various things to make him stop – cradling him,
murmuring to him, giving him water – but nothing worked. An
old lady, whose motherly emotions were awakened by the
child’s incessant crying, went up to him and told him to sit away
from the window to calm the child. She could understand the
cause of the child’s discomfort when even his own father could
not. This is the power of motherhood. I am sure there is no one
who does not want to see his child playful and happy. If we
make an honest effort, we can ensure that every child in Gujarat
is healthy and happy.

Caring for an Expectant Mother
The health of the pregnant mother determines the health

of the child. Thus, the future of the entire nation directly depends
on the pregnant mother. Around twelve lakh women deliver