Lallan and His Digital Love
Amidst the sandy dunes of Rajasthan lay a small village called Rajgarh, where the golden rays of the sun painted the sky in a unique hue. This village had an unusual problem—there were far more men than women. Generations of traditions and the desire for sons had led to a decline in the birth of daughters. As a result, many young men in the village were growing old waiting for marriage.
One such man was 27-year-old Lallan Rathore, the only barber in the village. His shop was not just a place for haircuts; it was a gathering spot where people sat, talked, and dreamed. But Lallan was different. He was in love.
But not with a real girl.
Lallan had fallen in love with an artificial intelligence (AI) model named "Naina," who was famous on Instagram for her beauty and captivating smile. Every day, Lallan would stare at her pictures and videos. Her expressions, her poetry—everything felt real to him.
The walls of his shop were adorned with Naina's pictures. Initially, people found it strange, but over time, Lallan’s shop became famous. Now, people didn’t just come for haircuts; they came to catch a glimpse of Naina. Some praised her beauty, while others laughed at Lallan’s obsession.
"You’ve lost your mind, Lallan," his friend Ravi said one day. "She isn’t real."
"But she makes me happy," Lallan smiled. "She never gets upset, never leaves me, and always stays with me."
But deep down, he knew that she would never step out of the screen and hold his hand.
One day, while scrolling through Naina’s posts, he saw a comment from a woman: "It’s so tragic that you only find love in digital faces. If only we had saved our daughters, 'In the pursuit of sons, you have lost your happiness.'"
These words echoed like a storm in Lallan’s heart. He wasn’t in love—he was lonely. He looked at the walls filled with Naina’s pictures and, for the first time, felt an emptiness within.
The very next day, he removed all of Naina’s pictures and replaced them with a new poster:
"Save Daughters, Save the Future."
Lallan’s message spread through the village. Some mocked him, but others, especially the elders, began to understand this truth. They realized that they had taken away their own sons' chances at love and companionship.

Lallan was not the only one suffering from this pain. His friends—Ravi, Mohan, and Shankar—had also given up hope of finding love in the village. But unlike Lallan, they refused to accept loneliness. They decided to leave for the city, where they believed love could be found.
"There are no girls here, Lallan," Mohan said one day. "We either wait our whole lives or go where we can find companionship."
"Where?" Lallan asked.

"The city. There are bars, clubs... and places where women are available," Ravi hesitated before speaking.
Lallan understood what he meant. He had heard of many men from the village spending money in red-light districts just to experience companionship for a few hours.
Within days, one by one, his friends left the village. Mohan became a waiter, Ravi started working as a laborer, and Shankar took up a job in a factory. Whatever they earned, they spent in places where women were forced to sell their dignity.
But none of them found true love.

When Lallan saw them return, he saw the same pain in their eyes that they had before leaving. The city had emptied them. They could buy moments of company with their money, but deep down, they were just as lonely as before.
"You were right, Lallan," Mohan admitted one night. "This isn’t love. We are all just wandering, searching for something that no longer exists in our village."
Lallan learned a lesson from their experiences. Their village had lost its daughters by choice, and now, the same men were wandering in search of love. Those who once celebrated the birth of sons were now suffering the punishment of their own deeds—loneliness.
One day, a small child in his shop asked, "Lallan bhaiya, why don’t you get married?"
Lallan smiled and pointed to the poster in his shop. "Because our village forgot to save its daughters, and now we are paying the price."
The child didn’t understand, but his father, who stood behind him, slowly nodded, as if realizing this truth for the first time.
Lallan continued running his barber shop, but his story became a lesson for the entire village. And though he never found his real Naina, he found something greater—a purpose.

True love can only exist when it is given a chance to live. If we don’t save our daughters today, there will be no love stories left tomorrow.

Hope for Change

Over time, Lallan’s message spread throughout the village. Social workers and teachers came and emphasized the importance of gender equality and girls’ education. Gradually, mindsets began to change. Families that once only wished for sons now celebrated the birth of daughters. The number of girls in schools started increasing, and a new hope arose in the village.
Lallan’s small barber shop became a center of awareness, a reminder that change was possible. And though Lallan never married, he smiled, knowing that future generations of Rajgarh would now experience true love—because this time, they had chosen to save their daughters.