By Dileep Thekkethil
A Kerala-girl has called off her marriage and publicized it on Facebook after she came to know that the groom’s family asked for dowry.
The Dowry Prohibition Act of 1961 has forbidden any person from accepting or giving dowry, but this patriarchal norm has been prevalent in many societies even after the passage of the law and Kerala, one of the most literate states in India, is no exception to this.
The Facebook post of Ramya Ramachandran surfaced last week when the groom’s family started demanding dowry soon after the engagement.
An online daily quoted Ramachandran saying, “before the engagement they had said they wanted only me. Post the engagement, they demanded 50 sovereigns of gold and 5 lakh rupees.”
Ramachandran also added that ideologically she is against the practice of dowry and she believes that by purchasing a man and a family that is totally unreliable she would end up losing.
Translation of her FB post which went viral:
“This is for all those who ask me about my wedding date. The family, which earlier said they wanted only me, demanded 50 sovereigns of gold and 5 lakh rupees after the engagement. I am against the practice of dowry and I believe that buying such an unreliable man and his family at such a big sum is a loss. Hence, I am calling off the wedding. Thanks.”
Soon the post went viral and Ramachandran started receiving comments, congratulating her for taking the bold step of calling off the wedding.
“Bold decision. You represent the new generation, and will be a role model for the young,” wrote Joseph Vadakkemury Antony.
A few days after her Facebook post became a talking point, Ramachandran thanked all those who supported her. She wrote, “”Thanks for your huge support. I’m overwhelmed. I juz wanted to let my circle know about the cancelation of marriage, never expected this to be abreak. Meanwhile, I would like to explain that it was my declaration of a decision.Never hadthe intention to hurt anyone specifically. Please don’t use my post for personalizedhumiliation, instead use it against our social norms. People are ignorant for their own convenience and profit.”