eliminate the tradition of dowary

IT IS an issue that has been raised for many years but the practice has taken root. I am talking about the most dangerous disease pervading the society, viz., ‘dowry’. The dowry system is so deeply rooted in Indian society that there seems to be no way out. As soon as a girl is born, her parents start saving money for her. This is not only the case with the uneducated class but also the case with the educated class. Even the educated class patronises this tradition. Dowry is one of the major reasons why parents do not wish to have a girl child. That is why sometimes they kill her in the womb of the mother, so they do not have to undergo the pressure of fulfilling the never-ending demands of her in-laws. As reported many times, women are burnt alive by in-laws who suffer from this disease called dowry and many are still putting up with this injustice citing tradition.

It all started with the parents giving their beloved daughter a gift or gifts at the time of marriage, depending upon their status and finances. But now it has become mandatory. ‘The gift from parents has become a demand from in-laws.’ Sometimes the gifts get so exorbitant that the girl’s parents have to invest whatever they have earned all their life. No girl is wholeheartedly accepted without dowry. In most cases, the happiness of a girl is related to the wealth she brings in. This is all the fault of parents who started this practice and again it is the fault of parents who continue this practice lest their daughter should remain unmarried. I would say it is better to remain unmarried than get married and remain unhappy all the same.

My parents laugh at me when I say that I will not permit them to give dowry during my marriage. They think that I am a child and hence don’t understand the norms of this cruel society. The demand for dowry makes a girl feel that she is a curse and not a blessing. Being a girl, whenever one talks about dowry, I feel I am worthless. I do not have the privilege of leading a dignified life which is every individual’s right. My condition is worse than that of even a commodity that we can purchase with money. I dread that I will be exchanged for money; else I need to offer the money myself. This thought haunts me and it is killing me from the inside. I am an independent girl and a lovely child of God. How can I allow anyone to place a price on me? Instead of leading a life that makes me feel inferior, I would love to live alone, leading a dignified life. What is more, I would recommend this strategy to every girl.