Dowery

India’s social life has been vitiated by a large number of practices and traditions that are irrational and have seriously hindered the progress of the people. The system of dowry is absurd and illogical and has continued to be a source of mental agency to almost all people. This is one of the chief causes of social tensions and has done incalculable damage to our social fabric. The Dowry system is a social evil. It is prevalent in all parts and almost in all communities in India. It appears that initially the custom of dowry was aimed at assisting the newly-wedded couple to set up an establishment of their own without much difficulty. But with the passage of time, this custom instead of proving a help to the newljf-wedded couple has virtually corrupted the institution of marriage itself. It is so deeply entrenched in our society that a marriage without dowry is almost unthink­able. Greedy persons have reduced the practice of dowry to a business transaction in the sense that in the settlement of marriages the monetary aspect is given priority over all other considerations, such as the girl’s merits, her education and the family background. So much so that parents blindly agree to any marriage proposal promising handsome dowry, even though it is completely incompatible with physical and intellectual standards. Instanaces are many where greedy parents have married their bright and promising sons to mentally retarded, imbecile, ugly and disabled girls only for the sake of money