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My sister spoke up when her marriage was being fixed with a groom whose family was asking for a dowry. We need to speak up and be the change we want to see.
“You just book the flat, I’ll speak to the groom’s family. They shall be ready for the marriage,” said the person over the phone.
“But my daughter is against this, she will not accept it,” said my mother.
“Bhabhiji what has she got to do with all this? She is the bride, you are her parent. You know dowry is a custom,” he replied back.
My 25 year old unmarried sister who was an Orthopedic doctor heard this conversation. She immediately took the phone from my mother and disconnected the call, and looked at my mother.
My mother asked her, “Why did you cut the call? What’s wrong with you?”
My sister asked, “Something is wrong with me? What do I look to you? Am I a commodity? A burden for you?”
“Are you mad? You’re my daughter! You are perfect, there is nothing wrong about you my child. I am just concerned about your future,” my mother replied.
With a sad face, my sister then said, “Mummy did you educate me to see a day like today? And what is wrong with my future? I am well educated, getting salary of almost 1 lakh a month. If someone wants to marry me, I should be enough for him and his family… don’t you think so?”
She continued, “Mom you are insulting your own daughter by giving a dowry. Am I not good enough for the groom’s family that you’re bribing them with dowry to get that boy married to me? If you don’t respect me, how do you expect his family to respect me after you get me married? Instead of getting married into such a family I would prefer being unmarried!”
My mother’s eyes was filled with tears. She picked up her phone and called back the same man who she was speaking to before and said, “Bhaiyyaji Please say no to the groom’s family. I would not like to get my daughter married into a family where they give material things more importance than my beautiful daughter. My daughter is educated, and good enough to get suitors who would marry her for the beautiful soul that she possesses and not Dowry. I am proud of my daughter and respect her decisions.” After stating this, she disconnected the call.
My sister hugged my mother and they both cried, not in sorrow but in happiness.
Be bold enough to bring in change and to stand by it!
Image source: pixabay
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