Society has certain “customs” that are followed blindly. Almost all, if not all of them, are senseless. Bhavya and I decided to write on a few of them for a week of the Ultimate Blog Challenge in July. We’re doing posts on the same theme each day (like A to Z in April). They are fiction here. But it may be someone’s reality. The theme for Day 14 was DOWRY.
UBC DAY 14 – HELPLESSNESS {55 FICTION}
“Just thousand rupees sir,” he told.
The foreigner looked at him curiously.
“Nine hundred,” came the counter-offer.
“It’s a matter of life or death, sir. Only thousand, I beg you.”
The deal was struck. And he rushed back inside.
“Here. I have it.”
His daughter cried, helplessly.
The lakh now complete, the marriage was solemnized.
Author’s Note: In India, the dowry system (dahej in Hindi) is the payment of money or expensive gifts to the groom’s family along with the bride. The gifts are supposedly to help the newlyweds start their new life, but the system itself is said to be a financial strain on the bride’s family. The payment of dowry has been prohibited by both Indian civil law as well as Indian penal code, but the practice still continues, and is considered a factor in observed domestic violence against women. (via Wikipedia)
(14th July 2014)
I am glad you guys are doing this. It is sad that some customs are followed blindly just because they are in existence. Dowry is one such custom. Such mindless practices must stop.
Yes. Hopefully soon, it shall, Jai.
Such a sad state of affairs this is 🙁 I hate this system.. always wish there was some way to uproot it in one go once and forever 🙁
I know. But some things are rooted so deep and in so many places that it is hard to uproot at one go, Bhavz.