Dowry

Dowry is a system of giving money or property in the form of gift by a family to another family when a boy and a girl of the families are married to each other. The bride's family can give dowry to the bridegroom's family or by the bridegroom's family to the bride's family. But in the context of Nepal the bride's family generally gives dowry to the bridegroom's family. There are many evils prevailing in our society. The dowry system is one of them. Even though it is modern era, the dowry system has badly rooted our society. Almost every family with a girl child has the fear of this system because it is sure that sooner or later they have to face this problem. A Nepali girl is not like a Western girl. She cannot choose a husband for herself. In the Eastern society marriage means business. The "business" in which the life of a girl is at stake. In marriage market life of a person is sold and bought. The better is the boy the higher is the price.
Dowry system has its own history. During past time her family gave dowry as a keepsake for the bride. The family could give anything at their wish. But slowly with the change of time the demand began to be enlarged and the form of giving keepsake changed to the "evil dowry". Through dowry, we try to buy a good husband for the girl. We want to make her life happy through dowry, which now has taken an ugly turn. Money plays a leading role in today's marriage.

The system of giving dowry has become a curse for the bride's family. The birth of a girl in the family is sad news. It is all because of the dowry system. Some girls of poor family who cannot afford for enough dowry for the bridegroom's family are even burnt alive or murdered mercilessly. The girl has to suffer a lot if the boy's demands are not fulfilled. The girl's family has to face all kinds of insults and sufferings. The boy's family wants the girl's father to spend more and more and make the marriage ceremony a high grade one. Since the birth of a girl child in the family, the father starts saving rupee by rupee, yet the marriage market is higher. Sometimes the girl's family is forced to take loans or to sell land and house. Even though the government has fixed a limited amount to deal as dowry, the bride's family is badly affected by the demand of unlimited amount.

This wretched system has to be rooted out from our society because it is that evil which has made the lives of many innocent girls a "hell". We should encourage marriage without dowry. We have to make aware to the people about the impacts of this system because dowry taking and giving both are sins. We have to root out this evil and reform our society. Let our young boys and girls come forward and accept the challenge.