The guidance prepared by the organization highlights that the chanting of mantras, shalokas, Ramayana and Mahabharata will create positive vibration and connect with the baby in the womb. This connect will produce Sanskari and Patriotic babies. Such approach of the RSS is not new but the aggressive nature with which such myths are being propagated is dangerous and a matter of grave concern.

Commenting on this Dr Ms Param Saini, a leading Clinical Psychologist, said that “positive feelings and thoughts during pregnancy or listening to soothing music be it Ragas have always been promoted to help relieve stress and stay calm during pregnancy as this results in producing endorphins in the body and a happy mom connects well with her baby. A higher level of endorphins also helps in relieving pain during labour”. We all know that the pregnant woman impacts her baby with her diet, oxygen saturation, stress, anxiety, mental and physical activities. Indian women have always been listening to all kind of Garbh Sanskar mantras and still fail to produce “Most Sanskari & Patriotic Children”.

It is the nature influenced by genetic inheritance and other biological factors and external factors such as what kind of exposure, experience and learning play a crucial role in influencing child development. This is another attempt by RSS to promote their agenda.

Dr Narjit Kaur a leading Gynaecologist at Ludhiana said that the documentary and guidance designed by the Rashtriya Sevika Samiti is not supported by any scientific evidence. It is only promoting the myths which do not stand anywhere in the modern scientific world.

The “Arogya Bharti”, another RSS outfit established in November 2002 has been holding workshops to prepare women to deliver “Uttam Santati” — a perfect, “Customised Child” with the purpose of making strong India.

Arogya Bharti claims that through giving good food and advise about the time of sexual intercourse based on planetary configurations they do “Shuddhikaran” (purification) which leads to transformation of genes and production of healthier superior babies. According to them recitation of religious hymns helps in production of healthier babies. By doing this they claim that generations to come will improve.

As per a report published in Indiatimes on 08 May 2017, the claim that through this exercise, Arogya Bharti has been able to produce 450 such babies so far, has to be followed up in time to find out whether the children produced in such a manner are superior to other children! There has to be an epidemiological study on the claims by comparing the results with control groups. That all this is being done under the shield of Ayurveda is exploiting people's faith in our traditional system of medicine.

The RSS patronized Arogya Bharti claim that they got this knowledge from Nazi Germany which preached the concept of superiority of German race. This they claim is through the production of strong babies which was done by mother of Germany. One of leading surgeons from Germany and leading member of the German affiliate of International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW), Dr Christopher Kreamer whom I contacted to substantiate this claim said that there is nothing like mother of Germany. “Though I have never heard of this ‘Mother of Germany’ -but it was so interesting for me to hear with a right wing movement (and government!) that I wanted not only to tell you that, in my eyes, this ‘Mother of Germany’ story is misleading. Germany's resurrection has several other reasons which are political and economic and in no way based on the concept of mother of Germany".

In a highly patriarchal society in our country large number of people give preference to male babies. The whole concept of Uttam Santati is patriarchal and masculine. We are already fighting hard to restore gender balance in the population. There are ample laws which prohibit sex determination tests because it is illegal and against the constitutional obligations of equality among genders, now even trans-genders. Then, how and why, such a campaign is being allowed? Among the 450 super babies which the proponents of this exercise claim to have produced, how many are male and how many females must be made public. Since many of these babies have grown by now their comparison with other average children must be done.

However such an exercise to talk of Garbha Sanskar meets several objectives of some outfits to spread obscurantism, medieval ideas & myths and hate campaigns against other religious groups. It is for the medical bodies, rationalist societies and right thinking people with scientific outlook to question such absurdities.

Modernity cannot be achieved through medieval ideas. Health of our people, particularly of the women and children cannot be left to be exploited by the people with irrational ideas. There has to be a concerted effort to develop a healthy India through scientific outlook. We cannot let our country be again looked as a country of serpents but be seen globally as a nation marching forward in post independent period as a modern industrially, agriculturally educationally fast growing country with the efforts of scientists, technocrats, workers, peasants, professionals and other sections of intelligentsia with achievements in medicine, space and nuclear science. The health of women and children must be a priority with special emphasis on their nutrition, education, empowerment and socio-economic security. (IPA Service)