Girl from Kerala, called off her wedding over dowry and announced it on Facebook. Her post went viral encouraging many others.
In India, besides poverty, illiteracy, economic inequality, etc, there’s one problem that is still a tradition: the dowry system. Even in our modern day where feminism showers the world, the Indian society is still haunted by the wrath of the dowry ‘responsibility.’
Dowry is the property, gifts or money that a bride must present to the groom’s family at the time of marriage. When this concept first arrived, it was a choice. Now, trying to escape the almost unbreakable grip of dowry is one not many can do.
Yet, there are certain cases like Remya Ramachandran’s, where the power of a ‘no’ can inspire the likes of many. Remya, from Kerala, cancelled her wedding with impeccable style and sense. She went onto Facebook and made an announcement: the reason behind her wedding revocation. Indeed, it was the demand for dowry, which began right after their engagement.
She says, “To all those asking for the date of my wedding, the family that before the engagement had said that they only wanted me, post the engagement, they were demanding 50 sovereigns of gold and 5 lakh rupees. As I am staunchly against dowry and because I believe that buying anything for a man and his family who are so unreliable is a loss, I don’t want to continue with the marriage.”
Remya is a brilliant reminder that we should all probably listen to the law under the Dowry Prohibition Act, 1962, where asking for dowry is strictly prohibited. Yet, due to the social shame that derives from not giving dowry to the groom’s family, people disregard this law. However, Remya Ramachandran shows us that it isn’t social shame, for she’s become a social icon.
After Remya made her Facebook post, it went viral. People began to congratulate her on her bravery and encouraged other women to be like her as well.
Once she saw the impact her post had made, Remya wrote, “I just wanted to let my circle know about cancellation of marriage, never expected this to break. Meanwhile, I would like to explain that the decision was my declaration. Never had been an intention to hurt anyone specifically. Please don’t use my post for personalised humiliation, instead use it against our social norms. People are ignorant for their own convenience and profit. Thank you once again.”
Remya is definitely an example of how women shouldn’t strive to be married. When she understood that this marriage wasn’t right for her and for anyone who is forced to give dowry, she called it off. This is something all women need to learn, from their childhood, that their lives don’t become useless if they don’t get married. This is women empowerment at its finest.
Cover image via Shutterstock
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