Fatima Firdausi, an Indian girl from the state of Bihar, became famous overnight for refusing to marry a man whose family had demanded a huge dowry. To support her Indian youths on social media have created a buzz with the hashtag #dowry. Firdausi's act is truly brave as it was her family, who chose the man she was to wed in the first place. The family knew fully well that the man had specifically asked for a huge dowry prior to the marriage. The Indian practice of seeking dowry, where the bride's family accedes to the wishes of the groom's family in every which way, has crossed all barriers of religion, caste and creed. The seeking of dowry by nearly every Indian community has torn asunder the social fabric. Dowry has become a tradition where the parents of the Indian bride literally get bankrupted to fulfill demands of the groom and his family. In addition they pay to furnish the brides new home, household appliances, bride's clothes and jewelry — both casual and formal ones. Some of the bridegroom's parents even go to the extent of demanding an apartment, a vehicle and an amount to cover the expenses to buy attires for the wedding day, which turns out to be a hefty amount. Apart from these demands, the bride's family has to bear the cost of the wedding — the duration of which is sometimes specified by the groom's family. Some weddings are celebrated for five days, and the guest lists, chosen by both families but whose cost is covered by the bride's family, could leave the bride's family in debt — if they are not well to do. Apart from footing the bill for the whole wedding, some pay even after the nuptials to keep their daughter happy. Even then there have been many dowry deaths in India, where the groom's families harass the bride for extra money or items. If the bride's family fails to fulfill the new demands then some groom or his family either divorces the girl, sends the girl back to her family or kills the bride by using poison or burning her alive. Only recently have the women woken up to battle against this scourge. Social groups, women and men activists have begun raising their voices against this evil practice. But India needs more Fatima Firdausis to do battle for the women of India.
