
‘I Want a Boy’: Dr. Aruna Kalra’s Candid Memoir on the Deep-Rooted Bias Against Daughters in India
New Delhi [India], July 16: In India, the birth of a child is often expected to bring joy. Yet, for many women, that joy is clouded by a deep-rooted societal bias—disappointment when the baby is a girl. In I Want a Boy, obstetrician and gynaecologist Dr. Aruna Kalra reflects on over 25 years of experience in government hospitals and private clinics, offering a stark look at the enduring preference for sons across the country.
Through moving stories of her patients, colleagues, and even her own life, Dr. Kalra captures the heartbreak that unfolds quietly in delivery rooms. Mothers refusing to look at their newborn daughters, women risking their lives with repeated pregnancies in the pursuit of a son, and families pushing for sex-selective abortions—all reveal how deeply this bias runs. One ...