A word of just five letters represents the index of our life and we are all aware of it. But no one cares much about this word, which means a lot for many of us. What I’m referring to is dowry, and this may be just a simple word, but it hides an extremely discriminatory practice. Social life has been vitiated by a large number of practices and traditions that are irrational and have seriously hindered the progress of the people. The system of dowry is absurd and illogical and continues to be a source of mental and physical harassment for many. This is one of the chief causes of social tensions and does incalculable damage to our social fabric. The dowry system is a social evil.
Dowry now poses a challenge that even the mighty government cannot tackle. It is a bane for the poor and middle classes. A gunshot kills a person once, but this word kills the victim not once, but every day. The sex ratio of women per thousand men is already low. It is practices like dowry that contribute to female foeticide and the girl child feeling unwanted. What also speaks volumes is that even the religiously inclined do not factor in the inherent gender inequality in society or apply concepts like sin, and “God is always watching us”, and the rule of law when it comes to dowry.
Dowry, in fact, has destroyed our economy. Today, dowry rates are fixed for grooms based on their professions. Doctors, engineers, lecturers, businessmen, executives, and bureaucrats can stake claim to a higher dowry. The merit of the girl has nothing to do with the settlement of the marriage proposal. We generally see that ordinary parents find it difficult to select a boy for their girl who is well-qualified. The greed for dowry has left the blood marks of many women in the houses that they were packed off to after marriage. This is the time to take a U-turn. It is time to reclaim our minds from greed.
Nowadays, in many Muslim countries, as well as in parts of India, the social evil of the dowry system has attracted the attention of the government and many campaigns have been launched. The Dowry Prohibition Act came into effect in 1961, but it received no support from society and the administration also neglected the Act. Hence, it gave no relief to the victims. The proclamation of National Emergency was a blow, albeit temporary, to this social evil. The government seemed determined to root out dowry. Then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi asked bridegrooms to come forward to fight this social evil. She herself set the example by marrying her son Sanjay to Maneka in a very simple ceremony without any dowry. Her call received a warm welcome. Many young men took oaths not to accept dowry. Similarly, thousands of girls vowed to marry only those boys who demand no dowry.
Many state governments took a bold step at the call of the Prime Minister. They introduced new laws to give the Centre’s anti-dowry Act more teeth. Indian states like Punjab and Bihar came first in the fight. Some states restricted dowry between Rs 3,000 and Rs 5,000. These laws proposed that marriages be celebrated in the day time with ordinary decoration to reduce expenses, the number of baratis (members of the marriage party) be restricted to 25, and public servants should not take part in any marriage where dowry is taken or given. But implementation is lax and society is uncooperative. This is the right time for the government to eradicate dowry from our country. The youth should spare no effort to break the slavish addiction to dowry, which has shackled our minds and souls.
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