Taj Mahal Becomes First Indian Monument to Get a Breastfeeding Room
India's very prominent heritage site the Taj Mahal has got a breastfeeding room. It also makes this popular tourist spot the first Indian monument to get such a facility.
It is unfortunate that even if we head towards progress, some basic and natural things like breastfeeding and menstruation still carry a taboo. Breastfeeding in public still has some social stigma to it. But to help counter it and not make the mothers feel any awkward about feeding their child, India's very prominent heritage site the Taj Mahal has got a breastfeeding room. It also makes this popular tourist spot the first Indian monument to get such a facility. Giant Inflatable Boobs Appear All Over London to Promote Public Breastfeeding (View Pics).
Vasant Kumar Swarnkar, a top official at the Archeological Survey of India (ASI) in Agra city said the baby feeding room would be set up by July to help the "millions of mothers who visit with their babies." While Taj Mahal is a historical landmark in itself, the decision to install a room is also a landmark in itself. It is a big step to normalize breastfeeding. However, it is incredibly sad that the stigma around it exists. 5 Myths About Breastfeeding We Should Stop Believing In.
The Taj Mahal, among the seven modern wonders of the world, is one of the most visited tourist spots in the country. Several mothers come along with their children, little ones to this place. So now mothers will have a separate space to nurse their children, without the other tourist glaring at them. Swarnkar said to Reuters, that he spotted a mother struggling to feed her child while the husband trying to cover up for his wife. The ASI then considered about setting up a room which can be dedicated to the mothers. The facility will be extended to more heritage sites like the Agra Fort and Fatehpur Sikri. While the attitudes of people today still need to change, it is at least a positive sign for breastfeeding mothers to come to visit these places with their children.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 24, 2019 01:36 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).