Dowry has been defined as “The price paid by the parents for getting their daughter married ”. From times immemorial, it has been the custom in the Hindu society, for the bride, immediately after her marriage, to leave her parent’s abode and go to live with her husband’s family. It is therefore natural to give her generous gifts in token of their love and affection. These gifts of precious things and essential commodities will help the newly wed to start their life happily without much difficulty.

But with the change of time, this well conceived custom has lost its good intention by becoming a meaningless ritual. Unfortunately the whole affair has assured the proportions of a scandal. The dowry is given no longer voluntarily nor it is purely out of love and good will of the parents for their daughter, for her new married life. Now the recipients of the dowry, the groom and his parents are demanding it as a matter of right, which has become a symbol of status. The groom’s family try to extract the maximum from a matrimonial alliance. They insist on receiving huge amount of cash, car, motorcycle, luxury items like TV, refrigerator, washing machine, AC,  and in certain cases house or even plot for constructing house. The more the dowry, the more the respect the bride commands in her new place, and in case of less  dowry, the more the humiliation she has to put up with.

Cases of harassment of young brides and bride burning on account of inadequate dowry have multiplied during the recent years. Even the death of the brides in most of cases which are claimed as accidents, are purely cold blooded pre planned murders committed by the members of father-in-laws. Sometimes these deaths are suicide due to the failure of the bride’s father to keep his promise made at the time of the marriage. So, whatever or whoever is responsible for such a sad state, the problem is real, and it demands the immediate attention of every well meaning civilized individual.

Marriage is a universal phenomenon in our society and it is said that marriages are made in the heaven, it is predestined. So, this evil system of dowry has been reducing the sacred institution of marriage to a hell, full of torture, pain and misery. It degrades a young maiden, who is considered as Lakshmi of the home to the level of a saleable community. Poor people have to incur heavy to provide their daughter with a handsome dowry. Some people also resort to unfair means to meet dowry demands, which poses a grave threat to the moral values of the society. This stupid system also ruin the married life of the couple. The youth has to play a vital and key  role in eradicating this evil practice. Young boys should take a pledge that they will neither demand a dowry nor accept it. Young girls to be promised not to marry a boy who demands a dowry.