Question

essay on the topic dowry system

Answer 1

Dowry is related to the ancient Hindu customs of kanyadan and stridhan. In kanyadan, the father of the bride offers the father of the groom money, property or other gifts, whereas for stridhan, the bride herself gets jewellery and clothes at the time of her marriage, usually from her parents and relatives. It is provided in the Dharmashstra that the meritorious act of kanyadan is not complete until the bridegroom is given a dakshina.

Several unsatisfactory explanations have been advanced to explain this practice. It is said that, in the olden days, dowry served as a form of protection for the wife against the possibility of her ill-treatment by the husband and his family. Even today, it is sometimes contended that dowry facilitates the groom and his family in taking up the onerous responsibility of supporting the bride for the rest of her life.

Others argue that dowry is meant to help the newly-weds to set up their own home. Still others justify it by saying that dowry is given as compensation to the groom’s parents for the amount they have spent in educating and upbringing their son. Most such explanations, however, make little or no sense.

The dowry system, aptly described as ‘a social evil’, is unfortunately deeply rooted in Indian culture. Even among the educated sections of society, dowry continues to form an essential part of the negotiation process that takes place in an arranged marriage.