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Sunil Jaglan
सुनील जागलान
Born (1982-06-19) 19 June 1982 (age 42)
Jind district, Haryana, India
Alma materKurukshetra University
Occupations
  • Professor
  • social activist
Years active2010–present
Known forWomen’s empowerment, rural development
Notable work
SpouseDeepa Dhull
Children2
Websiteselfiewithdaughter.org

Sunil Jaglan (born 19 June 1982) is an Indian academic and social activist working for rural development, women's rights, and the welfare and education of the girl child in India. He is the founder of the Selfie With Daughter, a social media campaign that aims to promote gender equality and raise awareness about the importance of daughters in society to improve the sex ratio in India.

Jaglan serves as an advisor for the Sarpanch Samvaad initiative of the Quality Council of India, Gurugram University, and UNICEF. He is the founder and CEO of the non-profit organisation, Selfie With Daughter (SWD) Foundation and author of the book Lado Rights: Mahila Adhikaron Ka Sankalan.

Early life

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Sunil Jaglan was born on 19 June 1982 in Bibipur village, Jind district, Haryana.[1] He obtained his Bachelor of Computer Science degree from Kurukshetra University.[2]

Career

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Sarpanch, Bibipur Panchayat (2010-2015)

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Jaglan began his career as a mathematics teacher before resigning from his position after being elected as the sarpanch (village head) of Bibipur, a village in Haryana in 2010.[3]

In 2012, he became an advocate for girls' rights, when nurses at the hospital refused to accept sweets for the birth of his daughter.[4][5]

Jaglan launched more than 100 schemes for women’s empowerment during his tenure as an elected sarpanch.[6]

Jaglan also initiated Mahila Gram Sabha (Women-Oriented Village Assembly) in 2012 and took the issue of female foeticide in Maha Khap Panchayat. Jaglan introduced the idea of having women participate in these Maha Khap Panchayats and organised these panchayats with Zoom during COVID-19.[7][8]

Lado Rights: Mahila Adhikaron Ka Sankalan (2018)

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He is the author of Lado Rights: Mahila Adhikaron Ka Sankalan published by Hindi Book Centre in 2018, which is based on Women's rights in India.[9][10]

Pranab Mukherjee Foundation, SGT University (2018-2024)

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Jaglan worked as a consultant at the Pranab Mukherjee Foundation from 2018 to 2023.[8]

He later joined Shree Guru Gobind Singh Tricentenary University, Gurugram in 2023 as an outreach advisor and later as a professor of practice in the same university.[11][12]

Quality Council of India, Gurugram University and UNICEF (2024-Present)

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In November 2023, Jaglan was appointed as an executive member of the Quality Council of India to improve the quality of the Panchayati Raj system in villages throughout India.[13][14]

In 2024, Jaglan was appointed as an advisor by UNICEF to develop Child & Women Friendly Panchayats.[15]

He was also appointed as a consultant at Gurugram University, Haryana in 2024.[16]

Campaigns

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High-tech and women-friendly panchayat (2010-2012)

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During his tenure as sarpanch, Jaglan initiated a project by creating the official panchayat (village council) website, the first of its kind in the region. This website provided a comprehensive overview of the village's voters, infrastructure upgrades, and its historical background. Jaglan is noted for this innovation and referred to as the "high-tech sarpanch."[8]

As an advisor to the Sarpanch Samvaad initiative, he has led strategies aimed at creating women- and child-friendly panchayats.[17][9][18][19]

Fight against female foeticide (2010)

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A survey revealed that Bibipur had 47 unmarried men well past the marriageable age, a situation attributed to the shortage of women in the area. This scarcity motivated Jaglan to fight against female foeticide, a campaign that earned Bibipur ₹1 crore from the Chief Minister of Haryana Bhupinder Singh Hooda in 2012.[20][21]

If I had seen an equal number of men and women in my village, I might not have taken up the fight against female foeticide

— Sunil Jaglan, The Times of India

He motivated women to raise awareness about the issue through plays, rallies, and door-to-door campaigns. There’s been multiple instances where women initially wanted to abort female foetuses but ultimately decided against it due to the awareness efforts. In these cases, while the women themselves considered abortion, their fathers-in-law intervened to prevent it. The village now has several families with only daughters.[20]

Lado Panchayat (2012)

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The Lado Panchayat was initiated by Jaglan in 2012 to encourage female participation in governance, addressing issues like female foeticide, raising the Marriageable age, education, health and women's property rights.[22][23][24]

Local issues are identified through consultations, and participants are connected via WhatsApp. A randomly selected Pradhan leads the meetings, and resolutions are drafted for submission to local and state authorities.[25][26]

Flag unfurling by a mother of single girl child (2012)

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On 15 August 2012 (Indian Independence Day), Jaglan invited a woman to unfurl the national flag for the first time. The village aimed to honour the mother of single girl child, highlighting the challenges faced by such mothers in the community.[27]

Traditionally, the flag unfurling was performed by the village sarpanch, but Jaglan, chose to give this opportunity to the woman as a recognition of efforts against female foeticide. Several women were also honored for their contributions to the save girl child campaign during the event.[27][28]

Campaign against Purdah practice in Haryana (2013)

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Jaglan took a stand against purdah, a prevalent practice in his community. He encouraged his wife, Deepa, to remove her veil. When she did, he drove her around the village, inspiring 70 other women to follow suit that day.[29]

Jaglan then launched a campaign against purdah, reaching over 100 villages. In 2017, he organised an event in Taloda village of Haryana where more than 50 women publicly discarded their veils. His efforts have led to 42 women representatives abandoning purdah, along with women in Sultanpur and Kaliwala villages. The Pranab Mukherjee Foundation has also joined this initiative, working to promote these changes in 100 villages across the state.[29]

Lado Pustakalaya (Women’s library) (2014)

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Jaglan established the Lado Pustakalaya, lit. 'Women’s library' in Bibipur village. It provides an environment for exam preparation, featuring individual study desks, charging stations, air conditioning, and WiFi. The library offers a peaceful space for uninterrupted study, which is often lacking in rural homes.[30][8]

The former President, Pranab Mukherjee, praised the concept of Lado Pustakalaya and requested the establishment of these libraries under the Bibipur model of women empowerment in his hundred adopted villages in Haryana.[31]

Gaali Bandh Ghar (2014)

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In 2014, as the sarpanch of Bibipur village, Jaglan passed a resolution to ban abuse against women, resulting in a campaign that encouraged open discussions in the gram sabha about incidents of abuse.[32][33][34]

In 2016, while implementing the Bibipur Model of Women Empowerment and Village Development in Taloda village under the Sabla campaign, it was determined that strict action, including filing FIRs, would be taken against those who abused women.[32][35]

By 2019, recognising the need to address the issue from its roots, Jaglan emphasised the importance of starting discussions about abuse at the household level to foster societal awareness. He noted that eliminating abusive language from daily life could help prevent public abuse. Consequently, the Sabla campaign introduced the initiative "Gaali Bandh Ghar" to further this objective.[32]

'Selfie with Daughter' campaign (2015)

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In June 2015, Jaglan launched the 'Selfie with Daughter' campaign to raise awareness about female foeticide and promote the value of daughters in society. The initiative encourages parents to take selfies with their daughters and share them on social media, fostering a positive mindset towards the girl child.[36][37]

The campaign has been recognised globally and supported by notable figures, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, contributing to improvements in Haryana's gender ratio. Over eight years, it has garnered participation from individuals in 80 countries and has significantly influenced cultural attitudes towards daughters.[36][38]

President Pranab Mukherjee launched an application for the campaign, describing the app as an innovative concept and an act of gentle persuasion, Mukherjee congratulated Jaglan for his efforts in initiating the campaign in Haryana.[39]

Daughter’s nameplate (2015)

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Jaglan launched the "Digital India with Laado" campaign in 2015, aimed at replacing the names of family heads on nameplates with their daughters' names.[40]

As part of this initiative, village panchayat representatives visited each household to install nameplates that displayed the name of the daughter, accompanied by the tagline "Digital India With Laado."[40]

Jaglan began the campaign by replacing his own name with that of his daughter.[40]

The campaign was later relaunched in 2020 under Laado Swabhiman Utsav on a bigger level, especially in the region of Hisar and Mewat.[41][42][43][44]

He also organised sports competitions for girls, awarding a kilogram of ghee as a prize, bringing focus to women's nutrition.[45]

The Period Chart (2019)

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Period Chart Campaign is a movement aimed at normalising menstruation and reducing stigma. The initiative was inspired by Jaglan’s discussions with his daughters about menstruation.[46]

Recognising the need for open dialogue, Jaglan consulted with doctors and gathered information on the challenges women face during their menstrual cycles. This led to the creation of period charts in 2019.[37]

The campaign promotes displaying period charts with dates and duration in households, encouraging transparency and fostering support from male family members during menstruation.[37]

The charts first came up in some villages in Nuh and Jind districts of Haryana and later spread to seven Indian states with more than a thousand women participants.[37]

Personal life

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Jaglan is married to Deepa Dhull, the couple has two daughters Nandini and Yachika.[5][47][29][48]

Awards and honours

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  • Rajiv Gandhi panchayat Sashaktikaran Abhiyaan Puruskar along with the cash prize of ₹15 lakhs in 2014.[49]

It was the first time any panchayat received these awards from the Ministry of Panchayati Raj, Government of India.[49]

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Son Rise, a Hindi-language documentary film directed by Vibha Bakshi, that is based on Jaglan’s role in women empowerment and the welfare of girl child was released in 2019.[50][51][18] The film received multiple accolades, including the National Film Award for Best Non-Feature Film at 66th National Film Awards.[52]

Son Rise was selected as the opening film at Indian Panorama, at 50th International Film Festival of India(IFFI) and was awarded the Best Documentary at the New York Indian Film Festival.[53]

Abha Sahgal and Sutapa Mukherjee's book Skypath English Series Textbook Class 08 contains a chapter based on the works and contributions of Jaglan, which is included in the syllabus of class 8 in CBSE (Central Board of Secondary Education) schools.[54][55]

Controversies

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In 2015, Jaglan got suspended by Jind Deputy commissioner (DC) for alleged irregularities in the panchayat's functioning. It was alleged that he used government funds to install submersible tubewell at his friend’s private residence rather than at a common place.[56]

The suspension was later stayed by Punjab and Haryana High Court.[57]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Haryana sarpanch behind PM Narendra Modi's selfie campaign". India Today. 30 June 2015. Retrieved 22 December 2024.
  2. ^ "सिर्फ किताबी ज्ञान काफी नहीं : सुनील जागलान". Amar Ujala (in Hindi). Retrieved 23 December 2024.
  3. ^ Choudhury, Disha Roy (24 January 2019). "Teach your daughter about her rights, says Selfie with Daughter campaigner Sunil Jaglan". The Indian Express. Retrieved 1 November 2021.
  4. ^ Munjal, Dhruv (4 July 2015). "Sunil Jaglan has become the 'girl child' mascot". Business Standard India. Retrieved 1 November 2021.
  5. ^ a b Yasir, Sameer (4 August 2023). "Where 'No One Wanted Girls,' a Dad in India Takes On the Patriarchy (Published 2023)". New York Times. Archived from the original on 22 November 2024. Retrieved 22 December 2024.
  6. ^ "Selfie drive to save daughters". Gulf News. 9 July 2015. Retrieved 22 December 2024.
  7. ^ Yadav, Jyoti (4 June 2020). "Locked down khaps junk tech distrust, use Zoom to discuss honour killings & couples eloping". ThePrint. Retrieved 1 November 2021.
  8. ^ a b c d Dsouza, Krystelle (20 September 2024). "His Daughter's Birth Turned Him Into a Feminist: Sunil Jaglan's Fight Against Female Foeticide". The Better India. Retrieved 22 December 2024.
  9. ^ a b "An Extraordinary Gentleman: Sunil Jaglan". Themancompany.com. Retrieved 22 December 2024.
  10. ^ Jaglan, Sunil. Lado Rights : Mahila Adhikaron Ka Sankalan (in Hindi). ISBN 978-9383894567.
  11. ^ "SGT University's Sunil Jaglan features in an episode of Mann Ki Baat – SGTTimes.com – SGT Latest News, India News, Breaking News, Today's News". 25 April 2023. Retrieved 23 December 2024.
  12. ^ "Inaugration SPARSH Centre and Library Report". sgtuniversity.ac.in. Retrieved 23 December 2024.
  13. ^ Chaurasia, Masummba (12 December 2023). "Chandigarh News: क्वॉलिटी काउंसिल ऑफ इंडिया ने सुनील जागलान को एक्जिक्यूटिव मेंबर किया नियुक्त". Panchjanya (magazine) (in Hindi). Retrieved 22 December 2024.
  14. ^ "Haryana: देशभर के सरपंचों को ग्रामीण विकास का मंत्र देंगे हरियाणा के सुनील जागलान". Amar Ujala (in Hindi). Retrieved 23 December 2024.
  15. ^ "Chandigarh: सुनील जागलान यूनिसेफ में सलाहकार नियुक्त, बोले- मुझे महत्वपूर्ण जिम्मेदारी के लिए चुना गया है". Amar Ujala (in Hindi). Retrieved 22 December 2024.
  16. ^ https://gurugramuniversity.ac.in/administration/proceeding(AC,EC,COURT&FC)/ec/32nd%20E.C.%20agenda%20&%20Table%20agenda-10.06.2024.pdf
  17. ^ Sharma, Unnati (21 October 2024). "Lado Panchayat — How Haryana's rural women are rewriting rules of patriarchy". Village Square. Retrieved 23 December 2024.
  18. ^ a b Das, Shruti (26 January 2019). "#SonRise: ordinary men in an extraordinary fight". Newslaundry. Retrieved 23 December 2024.
  19. ^ Khan, Ayesha. "Unwanted daughters: Fighting female foeticide in India". FairPlanet. Retrieved 23 December 2024.
  20. ^ a b "Village vows to let girls live". The Times of India. 17 July 2012. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 23 December 2024.
  21. ^ a b "Hooda gives Rs 1 crore to Bibipur for speaking against female foeticide". The Indian Express. 16 July 2012. Retrieved 23 December 2024.
  22. ^ Nabi, Safina (21 April 2022). "India's Women Are Building An Alternative To Toxic Masculinity". Reasons to be Cheerful. Retrieved 24 December 2024.
  23. ^ Bajwa, Harpreet (1 July 2021). "Haryana: Call to raise marriage age to 21 in girls' panchayat". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 24 December 2024.
  24. ^ "'Lado Panchayat' hails govt move to increase marriageable age". The Times of India. 19 December 2021. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 24 December 2024.
  25. ^ "Selfie With Daughter - Lado Panchayat Concept". selfiewithdaughter.org. Retrieved 24 December 2024.
  26. ^ Sharma, Unnati (21 October 2024). "Lado Panchayat — How Haryana's rural women are rewriting rules of patriarchy". Village Square. Retrieved 24 December 2024.
  27. ^ a b "Woman to unfurl Tricolour at Bibipur on I-Day". The Times of India. 11 August 2012. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 23 December 2024.
  28. ^ "The Tribune, Chandigarh, India - Haryana". Tribune India. Retrieved 23 December 2024.
  29. ^ a b c "पहले जीवनसंगिनी का घूंघट उठाया फिर 100 गांवों में जगाई अलख, सुनील जागलान ने पर्दा प्रथा के खिलाफ छेड़ी मुहिम" [Sunil Jaglan of Jind launched a campaign against purdah system in Jind and now 42 panchayat representative women have stopped wearing veil and four women have stopped wearing burqa]. Dainik Jagran (in Hindi). Retrieved 22 December 2024.
  30. ^ Sharma, Unnati (10 May 2024). "Lado Pustakalaya: Women's village library nurtures dreams of aspiring scholars". Village Square. Retrieved 23 December 2024.
  31. ^ Deshmukh, Rujuta. "Meet modern Savitris of Bibipur who fought for access and equity – Selfie With Daughter". Retrieved 23 December 2024.
  32. ^ a b c "Gali Band (Ban on Abuse )Ghar campaign". selfiewithdaughter.org. Retrieved 23 December 2024.
  33. ^ "Gaali Bandh Ghar: A Fight Against The Misogyny Of Cuss Words". Outlook India. 7 February 2022. Retrieved 23 December 2024.
  34. ^ "हरियाणा में शुरू हुआ 'गाली बंद घर' अभियान, 142 गांवों में लगाया गया पोस्टर". News18 (in Hindi). 10 September 2023. Retrieved 23 December 2024.
  35. ^ Saikia, Pari; Nabi, Safina (26 January 2022). "Cut the cussing: the Indian man on a mission to end sexist swearing". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 23 December 2024.
  36. ^ a b "Activist behind 'Selfie with Daughter' campaign calls it success, thanks PM Modi". Onmanorama. Retrieved 22 December 2024.
  37. ^ a b c d Sandhu, Khushboo (17 August 2022). "Menstruation: Indian women fight period shame with charts". BBC News. Retrieved 22 December 2024.
  38. ^ "Haryana village crowns daughters with pagris". Deccan Herald. Retrieved 22 December 2024.
  39. ^ "President Pranab Mukherjee Launches 'Selfie With Daughter' App". NDTV.com. Retrieved 22 December 2024.
  40. ^ a b c "'Digital India With Laado' campaign". The Hindu. 6 July 2015. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 23 December 2024.
  41. ^ Pant, Shubhra (24 February 2021). "Haryana: Period charts at home is former sarpanch's latest campaign | Gurgaon News - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 1 November 2021.
  42. ^ Pant, Shubhra (17 October 2020). "Photos: Only 'beti' on nameplates of homes in this Haryana village | Gurgaon News - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 1 November 2021.
  43. ^ Goswami, Shreshtha (21 October 2020). "Haryana Villages To Have House Nameplates With Only Girls' Names". Retrieved 23 December 2024.
  44. ^ "Haryana village names houses after daughters & 'bahus'". The Times of India. 2 November 2021. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 23 December 2024.
  45. ^ Doval, Nikita (6 July 2015). "I don't want to be a member of a gender-biased society: Sunil Jaglan". Mint (newspaper). Retrieved 1 November 2021.
  46. ^ "Period Chart Campaign". selfiewithdaughter.org. Retrieved 24 December 2024.
  47. ^ "सेनेटरी नैपकिन बांटकर मनाई शादी की सालगिरह". Outlook India (in Hindi). Retrieved 22 December 2024.
  48. ^ Nabi, Safina (5 December 2024). "A new generation of gender advocates". Asia Democracy Chronicles. Retrieved 22 December 2024.
  49. ^ a b c Pareek, Shreya (20 July 2015). "The Story of a Village in Haryana and its Fight against Female Foeticide". The Better India. Retrieved 23 December 2024.
  50. ^ Akhtar, Sadia (16 January 2019). "'Why force women to give birth to boys?' asks Selfie with Daughter campaigner". Hindustan Times.
  51. ^ Majumdar, Anushree (1 May 2019). "In Son Rise, award-winning filmmaker Vibha Bakshi captures the horrors of female foeticide in Haryana". The Indian Express. Retrieved 23 December 2024.
  52. ^ "National Awards 2018 Winners". The Times of India. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 23 December 2024.
  53. ^ PTI (4 August 2020). "'Moothon', 'Son Rise' win awards at 20th New York Indian Film Festival". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 23 December 2024.
  54. ^ Sahgal, Abha. Mukherjee, Sutapa (ed.). Skypath English Series Textbook Class 08. New Saraswati House India Pvt Ltd. pp. 134–140. ISBN 978-93-5272-751-3.
  55. ^ "जानें कैसे किताबों में 'सुपर सरपंच' बने सुनील जागलान - सुनील जागलान स्टोरी बुक". ETV Bharat (in Hindi). 15 July 2020.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  56. ^ "Jind village divided over suspension of sarpanch". The Tribune. Retrieved 24 December 2024.
  57. ^ Sabharwal, Vijay (29 June 2015). "Selfie with daughters: Haryana village head hailed by PM was suspended for irregularities". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
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