I repeat,
The Count your master’s known munificence
Is ample warrant that no just pretence
Of mine for dowry will be disallowed;
Though his fair daughter’s self, as I avowed
At starting is my object.
My Last Duchess These lines tell us more about dowry than any drier article ever can.
There are a few axioms of Indian marriages.
If the groom is a government official, doctor or lawyer, then he can ask for greater dowry than a private worker. If the bride happens to be pretty and working, then the dowry goes down. If the guy is a high paid techie, then he can demand the moon from the girls parents whether she be working or studying.
Dowry is never disallowed in our society and pre-nuptial agreements are virtually unheard of. A 23 year old PhD student, Priyanka Verma, who is also a teacher at Vanasthali Vidyapith, has been recently left in the lurch by a highly paid software engineer at Gurgaon. Problems began at the engagement party.
The boys family demanded a car. Rs 10 lakh was asked for buying a flat at Gurgaon. The girls family tried to buy peace by giving them the car. The boy said the car was too small. And ultimately the bridegrooms family has disappeared. The wedding was supposed to happen on Tuesday and everything had been arranged accordingly. Now the girls family has lost face and somewhere the boy along with his parents, is enjoying life to the hilt.