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  • The Struggle Against Dowry

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    Taibur Rahaman
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    Manikuntala Sen records the passing of the Dowry Prohibition Act in Parliament in 1961, which banned the practice of dowry in India. However, she notes that it has been difficult to effectively enforce this law and eradicate the degrading custom. Even with the law, many women continue to lead lives of anguish and often find respite only in death due to dowry-related violence. She stresses that it is essential for women to organize against dowry themselves, as neither society nor the government can fully protect women's honor and lives until women unite to put an end to this barbaric practice.

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    Manikuntala Sen records the passing of the Dowry Prohibition Act in Parliament in 1961, which banned the practice of dowry in India. However, she notes that it has been difficult to effectively enforce this law and eradicate the degrading custom. Even with the law, many women continue to lead lives of anguish and often find respite only in death due to dowry-related violence. She stresses that it is essential for women to organize against dowry themselves, as neither society nor the government can fully protect women's honor and lives until women unite to put an end to this barbaric practice.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
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    Download as doc, pdf, or txt
    635 views2 pages

    The Struggle Against Dowry

    Uploaded by

    Taibur Rahaman
    Manikuntala Sen records the passing of the Dowry Prohibition Act in Parliament in 1961, which banned the practice of dowry in India. However, she notes that it has been difficult to effectively enforce this law and eradicate the degrading custom. Even with the law, many women continue to lead lives of anguish and often find respite only in death due to dowry-related violence. She stresses that it is essential for women to organize against dowry themselves, as neither society nor the government can fully protect women's honor and lives until women unite to put an end to this barbaric practice.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Flag for inappropriate content
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    of 2

    THE STRUGGLE AGAINST DOWRY

    Posted on July 28, 2011 by


    Manikuntala Sen
    Manikuntala Sen (1910-87), a member of te undi!ided "ommunist Party of #ndia, $as
    famous for% er un$a!erin& 'oliti(al ideals and er sin(ere efforts for te u'lift of
    $omen% )om in )a*risal, no$ in )an&lades, Manikuntala left er (onser!ati!e ome
    e!en+$ile se% $as a (olle&e student and (ame to "al(utta *oinin& te (ommunist
    mo!ement% Se tra!elled e+tensi!ely trou& rural )en&al durin& te ,amine of 19-. and
    in te aftermat of te 'artition of 19-7, settin& u' Maila Samitis and $omen/s &rou's
    and so(ieties% Se $as ele(ted t$i(e t' te 0est )en&al 1e&islati!e 2ssembly in 1932
    and 1937 and on te se(ond o((asion be(ame te de'uty leader of te 4''osition%
    #n 56e Stru&&le 2&ainst 7o$ry/, a (a'ter from In Search for Freedom, An Unfinished
    Journey, te 8n&lis !ersion of er autobio&ra'y, 'ublised in 2001, Manikuntala
    re(ords te 'assin& of tl*e 7o$ry 5Proibition 2(t in Parliament (1991), and 'oints
    out,te diffi(ulties of makin& te la$ effe(ti!e% Se stresses te need for te $omen
    temsel!es to or&anise a&ainst tis 'ra(ti(e so demeanin& to $omen%
    6e Hindu Code Law
    1
    $as duly 'assed but it did not 'ro!ide beleaguered
    1
    $omen res'ite
    from te !iolen(e tat &ri''ed teir li!es% 8!en no$, tanks to a dis&ra(eful so(ial
    'ra(ti(e, many $omen lead li!'s of anguish,

    often findin& res!i"e


    -
    only in deat% 6e
    name-of tis 'ra(ti(e is do$ry and many $omen,/ irres'e(ti!e of $eter tey are 'oor
    o+ ri(, are its unted !i(tims% 6e la$ 'roibitin& su( 'ra(ti(es ad been 'assed mu(
    earlier in t #Lo$ Sabha%
    &
    )ut one must remember tat te Congress
    '
    (ould only &et te
    la$ 'assed by a''lyin& te !ar"y whi!
    7
    on its o$n members% #n oter $ords, e!en $itin
    te "on&ress tere $ere differen(es of o'inion% #n te (!!osi"ion
    8
    too te or"hodo)
    *

    fou&t a&ainst te bill%
    0en te la$ $as bein& otly debated, $e too arran&ed many meetin&s and &aterin&s
    amon& $omen, and (olle(ted many si&natures in its su''ort% 0e found tat many 'oor
    ouse$i!es in to$ns and !illa&es and many 'easant $omen s'oke u' a&ainst te bill%
    6is
    $as 'rimarily out of fear% #f a $oman (ouldn/t &et married $itout 'ayin& a do$ry, ten
    $at $as te 'oint of su''ortin& te la$: 7urin& our sessions $e eard o$ mu( land
    'easant families or lo$er and u''er middle (lass families ad to &i!e u' or o$ many
    ad be(ome ban$ru!"
    10
    in tryin& to &et teir dau&ters married% Still, tey (ould ; not
    &ater (oura&e to state, 5<o, $e sall not 'ay do$ry anymore%/ 6is $as be(ause
    someo$ or te oter a $oman must be married off% 6e (ondition of te $oman $as
    'ateti(= e!en if se $as edu(ated or i&ly a((om'lised in mana&in& a ouseold, se
    ad no $ort in so(iety/s eyes% >er $ort lay in terms of ances"ral
    11
    *e$ellery, money or
    'ro'erty tat $ould be &i!en $it er% )urdened $it tis insult and seddin& tears at te
    tou&t of er bankru't fater, te &irl $ould a!e to sit on te bridal !iri or stool% >o$
    else $ould se &et to a!e a family of er o$n and belon& to and run a ouseold: 2fter
    all, o$ many (ould be like Snehala"a+
    ,
    w
    6ese days, o$e!er, te numbers of Snealatas are &radually in(reasin&% 0en a bride/s
    fater (ould not meet all te do$ry (laims at te time of te marria&e, e $ould 'romise
    to do so later, buying "ime%
    1
    )ut if te 'romised amount (ould still not be 'aid $itin te
    &i!en 'eriod, in (ertain (ases, te ne$ bride fell !i(tim to te !iolent atta(ks 5 of er
    usband and 'arents-in-la$% Su( in(idents did not, take 'la(e only in 'oor families but
    also amon&st rich -arwaris%
    u
    6e% &room/s family often didn/t set limits to its (ruelty?
    te bride (ould be killed or dri!en to sui(ide% >is family dreamt of a ne$ marria&e for te
    &room , $iti ne$ do$ry% Su( in(idents are often, 'ublised in ne$s'a'ers today% 8!en
    te Mar$aris a!e *oined te anti-do$ry 'ro(essions%
    #n s'ite of ram!an"
    1&
    disre&ard of te anti-do$ry la$, te &o!ernment (ould not enforce
    19

    it% 4ter$ise, o$ $ould $e a((ount for te e+tra!a&ant dis'lay and o!ulen"
    11
    $eddin&s
    of te ri( in te eart of "al(utta: >o$ $as it tat e!en durin& 'eriods of a(ute
    ele(tri(ity (risis, ri( 'eo'le/s omes da@@led $it li&t: 0y did not te 'oli(e kee'
    tra(k= of $at $as bein& e+(an&ed in tose 'la(es: 0y $eren/t e+am'les made of a
    fe$ bla"an"
    n
    offenders:
    "ertainly, if te ri( $ere e)onera"ed,
    19
    ten $ere $ould te needy find selter: # a!e
    seen te (ruel im'a(t of do$ry in te !illa&es% #n to$ns, it $as 'era's $orse% # (ame
    a(ross/'arents, des'erately 'oor, makin& ends meet by $orkin& Aas ser!ants in many
    ouses% Bet for
    teir dau&ter/s marria&es tey $ould a!e to &i!e te bride&room a transistor, a
    $rist$at(, a &old rin&, &old buttons and a (y(le as &ifts% 6e &room may be an ordinary
    'easant or a small farmer% #f te/'arents (ould not satisfy is (laims e!en by instalments,
    te dau&ter (ame ba(k to er% 'arent/s ome% )e(ause te law "ha" banned, !olygamy
    ,.
    (ould not be enfor(ed, te &room $ould remarry $it im!uni"y%
    ,1
    6ere is *ust one $ay to &et rid of tis degrading
    22
    (ustom% #t lies in te ands of $omen%
    2s lon& as tey do not unite a&ainst do$ry, tis barbari( 'ra(ti(e $ill s'read, not
    diminis% 6ose uns(ru'ulous men $o $ent to 8n&land at teir faters-in-la$ 5s
    e+'ense or took (as and lu+ury items from tem, tose mean-minded men $o (annot
    s"and u! "o
    2.
    teir 'arent/s base demands, (an only be brou&t to teir senses if $omen
    for(e tem to mend teir $ays% #f $omen temsel!es do not stand u' a&ainst su( men,
    ten neiter so(iety nor &o!ernment (an 'rote(t teir onor or teir li!es% 6e cam!aign
    ,/
    a&ainst do$ry sould be an essential item o te agendas
    ,1
    of all $omen/s or&ani@ations%

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