T’puram: A five-day-old baby girl was placed in the cradle at the state capital’s Ammathottil (Mother’s Cradle) on Tuesday early morning. She weighed just 2.57kg. She was the 1,000th child to be received by Kerala State Council for Child Welfare’s cradle baby scheme, and fittingly, she was named ‘Sahasra’— which means ‘thousand’ in Malayalam.The Ammathottil initiative was launched on Children’s Day on Nov 14, 2002.Naming the milestone child, the child welfare general secretary G L Arun Gopi said Sahasra represents much more than the thousandth arrival.“Sahasra is a testimony to a thousand lives and the beginning of a thousand hopes,” he said.Reflecting on the journey of the programme, Gopi noted that history has repeatedly shown one striking reality. “It is no coincidence that the majority of children abandoned and also the majority of children sought for adoption are girls,” he said.The numbers tell that story. Of the 1,000 children received through the scheme, 681 are girls and 319 are boys. Thiruvananthapuram alone accounts for 667 children, making it the district with the highest number of admissions since the programme began.Over the years, every child has been welcomed with a carefully chosen name. The first baby admitted in 2002 was named Nithya, the 100th child became Shathasree, and now the thousandth is Sahasra. Many others have been named after seasons, nature, national icons, celebrated personalities and sporting legends, reflecting the council’s belief that every child deserves an identity filled with hope.The council is now working to modernise the initiative. High-tech cradle facilities are being established in Wayanad, Idukki and Kannur, while older centres across the state will be upgraded. Since the present governing body assumed office in 2023, 111 children have entered the programme, while 258 have found permanent homes through adoption, including 31 abroad.
