| « Previous | Home | Next » | drummers 16 May, 2006 |
 photo: sue lindley the practice of giving a dowry - a gift of money, jewellery etc from the family of the bride to that of the groom's family - is now officially illegal under the indian constitution, however that little fact does not stop it from being widely demanded and equally widely given: many people being scared that, if they don't pay - and pay well - then the health and welfare of their daughter might be put at risk. indeed such is the pressure of keeping up with the joneses (dowry wise) many families go to extreme lengths to avoid giving birth to female offspring. it seems to me that the main beneficiaries of the dowry system is not necesarily the families themselves, but men in the middle such as the jewellers: it was noticeable that some of the biggest and most opulent shops in kerala were jewellers, certainly they're making a lot of money somewhere and india is not exactly the richest of nations. anyway, good luck to mr jagee and his new shop. | |
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Posted by davidlindley Archived under: india, people |
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