Opinion - Letters to the Editor   

A miserable practice

Sir, — Dowry, like many concepts in India, is well defined and documented, but in practice, it is miserable. No one can dispute the right of women to a due share of parents' wealth, as well as the need for funds in a young family. In the hands of fair and reasonable families, dowry has been a practical and good old system to meet these. When greed overpowers need, things get nasty. In an increasingly consumerist society, the pressures are higher than in the past.

If the following are assured, dowry problems will decrease drastically: All forms of assets due to the bride, including ornaments, and when the transactions will be made, should be documented at an authority such as the registrar of marriages, at least 10 days before the marriage. 75 to 90 percent of transactions should be completed before the marriage, and the rest within 6 months of the marriage, with binding documentation.

All demands for money or assets not agreed upon will be illegal after the marriage. A reasonable part of the assets brought forward by either party should go back to the respective families, in case either of them die within five years, without any children.

An agreement for separate management of the assets of husband and wife, as available in Germany, would also be helpful.

Abraham Karammel

Mainz, Germany

* * *

Sir, — It is commendable that an educated woman has raised her voice to say a big no to dowry harassment . Ours is the only "cultured" and reasonably developed country in the world where dowry is still an indispensable part of almost any marriage. In a society where dowry is taken for granted by the groom, this incident would serve as a deterrent to those who will now think twice before shamelessly demanding money from the girl's parents. Even before the match-making commences, it is the boy who always has the power to select or reject girls.

The unsung Vidyas and Nisha Sharmas of the country, who have languished for years, should now take the cue to deter any such offenders in the future, once and for all.

R. Arvind,

Chennai

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