The most common business, we, the people of the great nation of India are engaged in is none other than the business of 'marriage'. The dictionary defines marriage as 'the social institution under which a man and woman establish their decision to live as husband and wife by legal commitments, religious ceremonies, etc.' Had this been its true meaning, marriage would never have been turned into such a 'profit-making' business. Even when the world is being sunk in the flood of global economic crisis, there is no denial of the fact that the 'demand' and 'supply' in this business are unaltered.
As human race developed, certain cultures and traditions developed, too. One among them was the concept of marriage. Although the institution of marriage pre-dates reliable recorded history, many cultures have legends or religious beliefs concerning the origins of marriage. All major religions have strong views regarding marriage. Looking at the topic from an indian perspective, marriage has turned out to be nothing less than merely a contract between the spouses, and/or their parents, where the groom is sold for wallets, bags or sacks full of gold and money.
The dowry system is so deeply rooted in our culture, that sometimes one feels that there's going to be no way out - at least not for another century. Even modern, well-educated families start saving up money for their daughter's dowry as soon as she is born, so what can one expect from the uneducated masses, whose only form of education is tradition? This has been the main reason why girl children are not even allowed to be born, and are being killed inside the mother's womb. Experiences from my own encounters with incidents of dowry-related problems give crystal clear images of the painful destiny of Indian girls.
Though prohibited by law in 1961, the extraction of dowry from the bride's family, prior to marriage, still occurs. When the dowry amount is not found sufficient or is not forthcoming, the bride is often harassed, abused and her life made miserable. This abuse can escalate to the point where the husband or his family may even burn the bride. Such brutal incidents may not be shocking to the readers as they would already have come across with numerous similar cases, may be, even in their own neighbourhood. And still, the psyche of the mass has not an iota of guilt for what has been happening around.
In today's 'civilised' society, one who brings home basket full of "Gandhis" from his spouse's family and has a wife who is a 'portable jewellery shop', is one who is held in high esteem. In fact, such people don't even deserve the respect of street-beggars. Unfortunately, four among every six people in our society don't consider dowry a crime. Also,they have their lame excuses to justify themselves. It is time for such absurd and fatuous senseless people to wake up. It is high time our society realises the evils of dowry and fights against them.
The youth has a big role to play against this social menance. If they strive hard against the evil deed of dowry, a society with less exploitation and extortion against women is not far away. Let them dare to raise their voice against dowry, even if , they are going against the idea of their own parents. Let's, at least, the girls stand up and raise our voices against the people who demand cash and kind for holding our hands.
Dowry is a crime against the society. It is a crime, legally, socially and religiously. Those who support it are criminals. Are you one of them? Why still be iniquitous citizens?
