Why is Dowry System still prevailing in India??

The system of dowry had its origin in the Vedic period which began only as a formal rite in the institution of marriage. Among the various types of Hindu marriages, ‘Kanyadan’ played a significant role in the evolution of the dowry system. During Kanyadan, a bride was given as a gift to a bridegroom by her father. As stipulated in the Dharmasasthra, Kanyadan is a meritorious act and it is not complete until a bridegroom is given a dakshina while performing and solemnizing the ceremony of Kanyadan.

In other words during Kanyadan form of marriage, the bridegroom has to be given something in cash or kind which constitute Varadakshina.Thus Kanyadan form of marriage became associated with Varadakshina,i.e the cash or gifts in kind to be paid by the parents or guardian of the bride to the bridegroom. Thus Dakshina or Varadakshina was offered out of affection and did not constitute any kind of compulsion or obligation or consideration for the marriage. It was a voluntary act or practice followed in those days to comply with the stipulations enjoined in Dharmasasthra without any coercive overtones.

However, in the course of time, the voluntary element associated with Varadakshina during Kanyadan marriage has disappeared and the coercive element has crept in. It has taken deep roots not only in the marriage ceremony but also extended to the post-marital relationship.

Thus what was originally intended as a token Dakshina for the bridegroom has now gone out of proportions and has assumed the modern nomenclature ‘dowry’. Considering its ramifications and the impact it created in the society, the dowry system has grown into a greedy monster, which is constantly looking out for hapless preys especially from feminine gender.

Dowry system is a huge problem in India and has been a source of great disturbance and embarrassment in our society. Dowry is a cultural system where the parents of bride (girl) pay huge amounts of money, expensive gifts and jewellery to bride groom (boy) and his parents during marriage. Historically, it was a system of honoring a bride groom for his willingness to accept a girl for marriage.

Earlier, this system was prevalent only among very wealthy families. Unfortunately, greed of dowry has struck to most ordinary families in India. In the marriages of all levels of society, Dowry is usually an unspoken requirement. These bride grooms have been rated with dowry worth Millions of rupees. Depending on the social status, education qualification and affluence of family the amount of Dowry can vary significantly.

Infact many believe that a person who is not demanding the Dowry might have some faults in him, so that he cannot bargain for dowry. Legally, dowry is a banned practice in India but it still happens all over the place. Many educated and sensible youths have gone against the idea of Dowry and they simply have a noble intention of marrying a girl without taking any money.

Dowry is usually a promise to give the money and wealth to the guy and his parents. Later if the girl's parents cannot afford to give those things, the treatment of their daughter at the guys home can get quite bad. She may get harassed everyday because her parents were not able to give enough dowry.

It is true that a young man may require financial support to settle comfortably in his life and to fulfill other needs. But it should not be a reason to ask for dowry and to spoil the life of a girl. Gifts that a girl gets from her parents home should solely be their wish and there should be no pressure to spend more while marrying their daughter. There are many instances when a wife commits suicide, because of her helplessness to tolerate the harassment for dowry.

Remedies against the dowry system and its evil effects on society:

As early as 1939, the evils of the dowry system were felt. Sporadic State legislations were not do to prevent the widely prevalent dowry system. Subsequent to independence, the Government of India began to enact legislations empowering women in India.

1) In the Hindu Succession Act, 1955, a woman was placed on equal footing with men, entitling them to have property rights. The Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961, tries to do away with the system of dowry by declaring that both taking and giving dowry as a crime. It stipulated punishments up to 2 years for dowry harassment and up to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment for deaths caused by dowry harassment. Certainly, these enactments act as a deterrent against the system of dowry. However, by and large still the system of dowry prevails and the culprits go scot-free since no body comes forward to prefer a complaint against them.

2) It requires concrete and sustained efforts to campaign against the system of dowry and eradicate it once and for all from the society:-:

i) It should begin from the schools and colleges in which the student community should be properly educated against the evils of dowry system and they should even take a vow that they will not give or take dowry from their prospective spouses.

ii) Promoting love marriages on the one hand helps to abolish the caste system and on the other hand it helps to throw away the dowry system into the dust bin.

iii) Spreading the message against the dowry system by conducting periodical legal aid camps and offering counseling to the victims as well as the general public will help to spread the awareness among them against the dowry system.

iv) Creating more stringent provisions in the dowry prohibition act like awarding a higher punishment to those who take or give or even demand dowry. Imposing punishments like imprisonment to those who cause the death of the victim by dowry harassment is a way of giving stringent punishment.

v) The root cause for the existence and continuation of the dowry system is that parents of the bride despite being poor agree to the unreasonable demands for dowry made by the parents of the bridegroom. Therefore, they should make it a policy that they will never agree or make any compromise on the issue of giving or taking dowry, how long their daughter may remain unmarried.

It requires commitment to eradicate the system of dowry. Perhaps a whole generation may have to suffer to get rid of this evil system. Instead of suffering from dowry harassment or losing your precious lives, it is better to remain unmarried for a common cause and for the benefit of the posterity.

http://www.oppapers.com/essays/Dowry-System-In-India

http://factoidz.com/dowry-system-in-india

Why do people always change their mobile numbers??

People please answer this question in comments. And a panel of experts people will rate the most dumbest and the most intelligent answer. Prizes may also be given.

My answer - I want to move with the world... So why always be struck with old number. Its not my wife right??

My answer 2- In good olden days my favorite was was was Madhubala, then came Jeenat, Madhuri and Deepika Padukone(sorry if i spElt wrong). Now its Sharapova, Angelina Jolie. Yes dumpsters i moved global, as intelligent people would say it The WORLD IS A GLOBAL VILLAGE. Ok oK lets come back to my answer. So when all these can change i ask why not mobile numbers damn.

My answer 3- Yes dumb! i can give as many answers as i want, so can you.