BHAT-DHARA - CATCHING RICE - A FOLK MILESTONE IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF BANGLADESHI CHILDREN - AN INVESTIGATION OF PARENTAL BELIEFS AND DECISION-MAKING IN INTRODUCING YOUNG-CHILDREN TO FAMILY MEALS

This ethnographic study explores bhat-dhara (''catching rice''), a cul tural milestone in Bangladesh, indicating the child's readiness for fa mily meals. Following focus group discussions on bhar-dhara concepts, a household rice allocation rule and child heights were obtained from 30 participating families with children aged 2-9 years, Criteria for b hat-dhara include: eruption of two-year-old molars; ability to walk; c arry 1-2 kg weight; name and reach for foods, and self-feed; and a lin ear appearance. Girls reach bhar-dhara earlier than boys. A two way ca usal relationship is suggested between malnutrition and late bhat-dhar a. The bhar-dhara adaptation may contribute to the following survival mechanisms: protection of infants from cholera through prolonged relia nce on breast milk; provision of staple foods for girls to survive tod dlerhood despite an ideology that trains them for scarcity; and sancti oning practices that withhold food from weak and unaffordable infants who fail to reach bhar-dhara.