Dowry System
...rial. As the Hindu law in the past did not give the girl the right to property, the father gave away a part of his property to the daughter in the form of dowry. It was also thought to be a sort of help to the young couple to set up a new home. The custom became an evil as the greed of bridegroom’s parents mounted. Thus from a grace it became a shame of our society. Today girls are educated and some of them are employed and are economically independent. They are in no way inferior to the boys. The arguments that since bride’s parents are very particular about boy’s income, qualification, etc., do not hold weight. Giving of dowry is no problem for the rich. In order to enhance their false social prestige, they give maximum dowry. The poor try to imitate the rich and the process ruins them. This inhuman practice must be put to an end. Law cannot produce any desirable results. The Dowry Prohibition Act, first passed in 1961, remained ineffective and the Amendment Bills of 1976 and 1985, which declared taking and giving of dowry as a punishable offence, have brought little respite to the people. The evil of dowry is grinning at us as never before. This social evil needs a treatment at the social level. The social organizations carry out intensive anti-dowry propaganda. To comb...