In order to make people overcome sex discrimination in Toronto, famously known as 'mini-Punjab', Canada-based Nach Baliye Arts Organisation celebrated 'Lohri for her'.
It is for the first time that Punjabi migrants from India are celebrating Lohri only for girls after taking serious note of increasing cases of female feoticide and increase in crime against women in Canada.
"Violence against young girls who have survived female foeticide is becoming very common in our community.
It has become instant need to make people aware of decreasing sex ratio owing to their orthodox thinking of killing girls in the womb," Sumit Gill, president of the organisation, said.
She also showed concern over misuse of ultrasound and other techniques in Canada by the Punjabi community for sex determination during the pregnancy period.
"The purpose of organising such functions is to tell people that festivals were not meant to celebrate the birth of boys only," she said.
Dr Harsinder Kaur, a women activist from India who was chief guest on the occasion, said the population of girls was rapidly declining in the south Asian community. "According to the 2006 Canadian census, in Brampton, for every 1,000 south Asian boys there were 917 girls, which was a wide gap. At many places in Canada, the problem was grim among the Punjabi community, where sex ratio was on the par with Punjab," she claimed.
"Such functions are a reminder for people to not only celebrate the birth of a child but life," she said, adding that by holding such functions, views and beliefs of many parents can be reformed, who originally believe that a girl child is a liability and burden.