My favorite subject has always been English speaking and writing, so why not share it with you all?
So, "Dowry" is our first topic.
"I left my home, I left my parents, but it wasn't worth'
they didn't want me, they just wanted diamonds."
The phrase I started with isn't really a quote, but more a vision of a girl who has left everything for a new family, but they aren't happy with her, they are happy with the dowry she brought with her. Isn't this heartbreaking? But do any of us here even understand what dowry is exactly?
People believe that dowry is just money given by a bride's family to a groom's family at marriage, however, this is not the case.
Dowry is a sum of money, property, or any other thing given by the bride's family to the groom's family at the time of marriage, but is there ever a limit to greed? Never, even after marriage, many women are tortured or physically abused as a result of it.
But when such a thing started, does it have any end? We are filled up with such questions.
It is an ancient custom and it continues to be expected and demanded as a condition to accept a marriage proposal in some parts of the world.
In Hindi, we call it Dahej or Dahej pratha it is followed in India for a very long time even before the British period. The thought behind this pratha is to ensure that the daughter is financially stable and well treated after her marriage but its a nightmare for many of the women out there, parents who can't afford the demands of the groom and his family, and sometimes they have to take the marriage loans to get their daughter married. Sometimes the demands of the family get too much that marriages are canceled and such things leave their scar on the women and their families.
The dowry system is essentially a manifestation of Indian society's patriarchal structure, in which males are regarded as superior to women in terms of physical and mental qualities. With such a cultural system in place, women are frequently regarded as second-class citizens, only fit for household duties. Such beliefs are frequently linked to them being considered as a financial burden by their father and then by their husband. The dowry system, which feeds the perception that a girl child is a potential burden on family income, worsens this attitude.
“I live in a society where giving and taking dowry is a pride.”
In our country, dowry is frequently used to demonstrate social status. The amount of money spent on a daughter's wedding or the amount of gold given to them is frequently used to determine one's social worth. This viewpoint strongly supports the practice of dowry demands. The boy's family rises in social status as a result of the dowry their new bride brings in, which is a measure of his wealth.
Dowry was very popular in India, in ancient times. It's not the case now though, but it isn’t finished even. It is even practiced in many parts of the country now also.
Do you know, how it changed over a period of time? What makes it a change?
Everything over time has played its role and changed it, but we the youth were the most to make it possible.
“It takes 2 hands to clap.” You won’t give, they won’t take.
Nowadays, the groom’s family does not even consider dowry, they just care about the girl. Also, from bride’s family, they just deny it directly if they are asked for it. But such families are still in small numbers.
Moreover, females have become so independent and blunt they don’t want to marry a person who even thinks about it.
But where we played the role?
We played and have to play an important role until such practices get abolished. We need to educate everyone, that a life of girls matters, those materialistic things, money, or property are worthless over a female.
We not only even need to educate people but also to stop such practices if we see them being practiced and just report them as the law is there.
Several laws have been passed to prevent the practice of dowry and the discrimination it causes against women. The Dowry Prohibition Act was passed on May 20, 1961, to eliminate this heinous practice from society. Not only does the statute make it illegal to accept dowry, but it also makes it illegal to provide it. Property, valued security, such as cash and jewelry, are among the items that are exchanged during the marriage. Making dowry demands is punishable by a minimum of 5 years in prison and a fine of 15,000 rupees. Sections 498A of the Indian Penal Code and Section 198A of the Criminal Procedure Code deal with acts of cruelty committed by the husband or his relatives against the wife. The addition of Section 113A to the Indian Evidence Act allows the bride's family to accuse the husband's family of aiding and abetting the suicide of their daughter within seven years of the marriage.
The government and people have always shown support for a social cause and we do need to too. Let's just abolish it until a girl says
“I left my family, I left my parents, yes it was worth it
they wanted me, not the diamonds.”
