Shah Rukh Khan and his surrogate baby have been in the eye of a storm lately. And only because the actor chose to have a surrogate child instead of an adopted one. Pray, why should Shah Rukh Khan adopt a child and not use surrogacy? The explanation to this from the hundreds hollering about it on television channels and newspapers and that since Shah Rukh Khan has the money and the means, he should adopt a child. And when he does that he is setting an example for others. Like Brangelina! Really, how many more children have been adopted in the US because of Brangelina?

That we expect Shah Rukh Khan to set us a way of thinking (which our parents and upbringing should have nurtured) is absurd and reeks of double standards. People adopt children when and if they want to. Ask any couple which has adopted a child, no actor or role model has made them do it. They do it if they have medical issues or because they feel the need to take care of a child in need of a home.

Why should Shah Rukh Khan be a role model? Why should Salman Khan be a role model? Like the accusations against the latter, several people are involved in hit and run cases in the country. Why don’t we go after them as well? Not that it nullifies their act but Salman Khan as a citizen is being tried for the Hit-and-Run run and Black Buck case, not Salman Khan the actor. Why do we want our actor to set ‘right’ examples for us? They are actors; they play their part on celluloid and then off to their personal lives. It is we who take the decision to make them such an intrinsic part of our lives then we cannot differentiate between them as actors and people.

Adoption is not a hugely expensive process in our country. In India there are no charges for adoptions but all prospective parents are required to make their mandatory contribution to the Child Care Fund. This can be in the region of Rs 50,000. There is also a fee that has to be coughed up for the house visit that the adoption agencies conduct regularly, after the baby is adopted. Post that the expenses for looking after a baby, whether surrogate, adopted or one’s own is the same. Yes, surrogacy can cost approximately Rs 1 lakh, depending on various factors. So the expenses Shah Rukh Khan is going to incur to raise the surrogate kid is the same as an adopted kid or if he were to have his own kid.

Yes, if the actor had sought to know the sex of his child, then yes that was something all could bellow about. Under the Pre-conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (Prohibition of Sex Selection) Act, no one is allowed to. But Khan has made it public that he did not have the test conducted.