The most staple and saleable subject ‘Dowry Evil’ was the topic of discussion on Aamir Khan’s ‘Satyameva Jayate’ this week. The greed and the false prestige of the people could be seen in the cases of especially a rich girl who was taken and ill-treated at the USA. Another case of a bride whose husband never turned up to take her to Australia too testified the same thing; the parents being submissive and obliging to every crude demand of the bridegroom side. Nevertheless, Aamir Khan brought some lives of people who fought this demanding group with courage and publicized it through a sting operation. She was rewarded with a ‘good, no demanding, romantic’ suitor; thanks to the electronic media in which he had seen only the eyes of the girl. There were also some groups which perform with simplicity eschewing pomp and pageantry.
Here. I cannot but recall a case of a bride at Chennai who stopped her marriage and informed the police at the marriage hall because the demands of the bridegroom’ family were reaching uncouth levels. She became a luminary overnight; once again thanks to the media. But, later her life turned to be a misery because none was interested in such an arrogant girl to be in their household. After a few years, she was once again interviewed by a media in which she had lamented her plight. I still don’t know whether any ‘bold man’ came to marry her later.
Well, I myself have witnessed the huge wastage incurred considering marriage as a memorable event in life by serving very exotic food in unlimited numbers. But, an average Indian hardly consider it; it is surprising to me that in the North Eastern part of India (otherwise considered under developed) are highly forward in this matter. No dowry and no demands from the bridegroom side. But an average Indian is always avaricious, a girl’s father is invariably submissive and only such victims are harassed because of their extra docility and cowardice.
A normal Indian psyche has several misconceptions. Dowry is one among them. Aamir Khan in his concluding section advised not to make a marriage expenses as an atom bomb and blow it in one day and instead he said let it be a like a fragrant stick which permeates sweet smell for a long time.
Well, whatever said and done and discussed, I am sure the same subject of ‘dowry evil’ will be discussed in India even after a few decades!
