Even as millions go to bed hungry, new mouths are born in India with metronomic regularity. This month the population soared over the 500-million mark, prompting Prime Minister Indira Gandhi to complain that her task is a lot like "building a house on land that is constantly flooded." Having just completed a "family-planning fortnight" to sell anew the slogan that "A small family is a happy one," the government—which has been endorsing birth control for 36 years—is still looking for ways to make this revolutionary idea catch fire across the land.
Many Indian...