"Bacha posh".

In Afghanistan's heavily patriarchal, male-dominated society where women and girls are usually relegated to the home, bacha posh dari for 'dressed as a boy' is the one tradition allowing girls access to the freer male world.

In a Kabul neighbourhood, a gaggle of boys kick a yellow ball around a dusty playground, their boisterous cries echoing off the surrounding apartment buildings. Dressed in sweaters and jeans or the traditional male clothing of baggy pants and long shirt, none stand out as they jostle to score a goal. But unbeknown to them, one is different from the others.

Less than eight years old, Sanam is a bacha posh : a girl living as a boy. One day, a few months ago, the girl with rosy cheeks and an impish smile had her dark hair cut short, donned boys' clothes and took on a boy's name, Omid. The move opened up a boy's world : paying soccer and cricket with boys, wrestling with the neighbourhood butcher's son, working to help the family make ends meet.

Under the practice, a girl dresses, behaves and is treated as a boy, with all the freedoms and obligations that entails. But there is a time limit : once a bacha posh reaches puberty, she is expected to revert to traditional girls' gender roles. The transition is not always easy.

With a crackdown on women's rights by Afghanistan's new rulers, the Taliban, who seized power in mid-August, the bacha posh tradition could become even more attractive for some families. And as the children eventually revert to female roles, the Taliban might not deal with the issue at all, says Thomas Barfield, a professor of anthropology at Boston University.

The reasons parents might want a bacha posh vary. With sons traditionally valued more than daughters, the practice usually occurs in families without a boy. Some consider it a status symbol and some believe it will bring good luck for the next child to be born a boy.

The transition back, however, isn't always busy.

- Courtesy NIE.

My take.

Quaint traditions and customs!

Tailpiece.

Today's the 1st of Makaram.

Got up around a 20' to 7, the chores and was ready by 10. Washing machinex of the clothes.

Went to town in Hameed's auto rickshaw to fetch our fruit basket and grocery from the Harishree Supermarket.

Participated in the Aazhchakkoottam : "Police Criminality and Human Rights" by Mr Jacob Punnoose, Former DGP from 1600 - 1715 hrs. An interesting lecture! 

A quiet evening. Kittu didn't fetch up at all and Mrs Kittu was there around that time that saw his entry, both in the morning and in the evening.