Dowry – The Perennial Curse In Indian Marriages

In India, dowry refers to the durable goods, cash, and real or movable property that the bride's family gives to the bridegroom, his parents, or his relatives as a condition of the marriage. It is one of the worst evils of Indian marriages. It is a custom that is prevalent in all the sections of our society in one form or the other. At the beginning it was voluntary, but later on the social pressure was such that very few could escape from it. EXIN Shagoon stands up against this evil practice and encourages to abolish it from its root.

The dowry system is puts great financial burden on the bride's family. It leads to crime against women, ranging from emotional abuse, injury to even deaths. The payment of dowry has been prohibited under specific Indian laws including, the Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961 and subsequently by Sections 304B and 498A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

The first all-India legislative enactment relating to dowry to be put on the statute book was the The Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961 and this legislation came into force from July 1, 1961. Although providing dowry is illegal, it is still common in many parts of India for a husband to seek a dowry from the wife's family and in some cases, it results in the form of extortion and violence against the wife. 

To further strengthen the anti-dowry law and to stop offences of cruelty by the husband or his relatives against the wife, new provisions were added to the Indian criminal law — section 498A to IPC and section 198A to the Criminal Procedure Code in 1983. In 2005, the, Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act was passed, which added an additional layer of protection from dowry harassment.

Although the essence of origin of dowry is subjected to debate, but the condition it has come down to in today’s time, it is truly inhuman in nature. After all, a marriage is the union of two individuals, it is not a barter system.

In India, dowry refers to the durable goods, cash, and real or movable property that the bride's family gives to the bridegroom, his parents, or his relatives as a condition of the marriage. One of the worst evils of Indian marriages is the dowry system. It is a custom that is prevalent in all the sections of our society in one form or the other. At the beginning it was voluntary, but later on the social pressure was such that very few could escape from it. EXIN Shagoon stands up against this evil practice and encourages to abolish it from its root.

The dowry system is thought to put great financial burden on the bride's family. It leads to crime against women, ranging from emotional abuse, injury to even deaths. The payment of dowry has been prohibited under specific Indian laws including, the Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961 and subsequently by Sections 304B and 498A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

The first all-India legislative enactment relating to dowry to be put on the statute book was the The Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961 and this legislation came into force from July 1, 1961. It marked the beginning of a new legal framework of dowry harassment laws effectively prohibiting the demanding, giving and taking of dowry. Although providing dowry is illegal, it is still common in many parts of India for a husband to seek a dowry from the wife's family and in some cases, this results in a form of extortion and violence against the wife. To further strengthen the anti-dowry law and to stop offences of cruelty by the husband or his relatives against the wife, new provisions were added to the Indian criminal law - section 498A to IPC and section 198A to the Criminal Procedure Code  in 1983. In 2005, the, Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act was passed, which added an additional layer of protection from dowry harassment.

Regulating matrimonial websites: EXIN Shagoon presents the pros and cons of online matrimonial websites

Regulating matrimonial websites are essential as many among them results into fraud cases. Recently an amendment from the Bombay High Court stated Maharashtra to keep an eye on the website operating within the state.

The effectiveness of matrimonial websites are that there you can find out the best member for your family. Despite of that there are arrangements of other essential services like pundits, flowers, cakes, rings and wedding planners to make your big day the best.

On the other hand, there are negative sides. You do not know the people you are communicating with. You are also unaware of their whereabouts, you only trust them on the information provided online, may be not true.

At EXIN Shagoon we always present details of people those who have provided us their actual photo identity cards and other personal details for further contact. All the details with us go through a stringent checking system with the best secrets kept with us.

“We don’t know how the state government can control them, but the state must control the matrimonial websites,” said the division bench of Justice Abhay Oka and Justice Prakash Naik, while hearing a public interest litigation filed by advocate Priscila Samuel following the website burglary through matrimonial websites.

EXIN Shagoon had made an internal study in this context and found out that Bengaluru occupies the highest place in cyber crime and in deceptive matrimonial cases. According to experts, ‘Topping the charts are online matrimonial cheating cases culminating in girls losing lakhs of rupees to scamsters who entice them with offers of marriage. Such incidents form over 40 per cent of the cases reported in cyber police stations.’

Diversity - 8 Kinds Of Marriage In Hinduism

Hindu marriage joins two individuals for life, so that they can pursue dharma (duty), artha (possessions), kama (physical desires) and moksha (ultimate spiritual release) together. It is a union of two individuals and is recognized by law. In Hinduism, marriage also joins two families together. There is more diversity in Hinduism when it comes to marriage than we know of. EXIN Shagoon brings for you the eight types of marriage that has been described in ancient Hindu texts. Not all had religious sanction. The first four were considered proper.

1.      Rite of Brahmana — The Brahma marriage is the marriage of one's daughter, after decking her with costly garments and with presents of jewels, to a man of good conduct learned in the Vedas, and invited by oneself.

2.      Rite of the Daiva— The Daiva rite is the marriage of one's daughter, decked with ornaments to a priest who duly officiates at a religious ceremony, during the course of its performance.

3.      Rite of the Arsha — Arsha marriage is when the father gives away his daughter, after receiving from the bridegroom a cow and a bull or two pairs of either as Bride price

4.      Rite of the Prajapati — Prajapati is when a girl's father gives her in marriage to the bridegroom, treating him with respect, and addresses them: 'May both of you perform together your duties'.

5.      Rite of the Gandharva — The voluntary union of a maiden and her lover which springs from sexual desire is called Gandharva marriage.

6.      Rite of the Asuras — Asura marriage is when the bridegroom receives a maiden, after having given of his own free will as much wealth as he can afford, to the bride and her kinsmen.

7.      Rite of the Rakshasa — Rakshasa marriage is the marriage of a maiden involving her forcible abduction from her home after her kinsmen have been slain or wounded.

8.      Rite of the Pisaka — When a man by stealth seduces a girl who is sleeping, intoxicated, or mentally challenged, it is called Paisaka marriage. This is condemned in the Manusmriti as a base and sinful act

Rakshasa and Gandharva marriage was regarded acceptable to Kshatriyas as was Asura marriage for Vaishyas and Shudras.