Excerpt from my book 

Dowry is a Serious Economic Violence: Rethinking Dowry Law in India 

(2023)

Amazon

Centuries ago, when Karl Marx wrote exhaustively about the callous exploitation of workers by the capitalist class, he may not have imagined how in South Asia, women as brides would be treated as commodities, pitilessly exploited, and violently murdered in their own homes by their abusive husbands for extorting wealth. As the ruthless oppression of the toiling masses could not be prevented by laws or policies, the merciless torture and murder of women could not be regulated despite establishing a legal mechanism in place. Over the decades, predatory capitalism has irrevocably acquired an altered form, and the free-market approach has devised a new mechanism of manipulation (Faber D, 2018). Similarly, the viciousness of the neoliberal forces, clubbed with patriarchy, feudalism, conservatism, rampant materialism, and excessive consumption propelled by extensive consumerism, is aggravating the desire among men and their families to accumulate quick wealth using marriage as a tool to extract resources from women and their families. The bourgeoisie-proletariat categorization, in the situation of dowry practice, is expanded to include the classification of savagely privileged men versus women – rich or poor, and in urban or rural areas. Women from all backgrounds dreadfully suffer for the material gains of men and their families in a harsh and hostile environment fuelled by the neoliberal, Brahmanical capitalist patriarchy.

Invest in Daughters, Not Dowry

 Invest in Daughters, Not Dowry

Gold medals shine far brighter than gold ornaments.
Every daughter is born with immense potential — to dream, to achieve, and to lead. Within her lies the power to bring pride to her family, uplift her community, and transform the future of the nation.

Yet, for generations, outdated traditions like dowry have weighed her down — not just with the burden of gold, but with the message that her worth is measured by wealth exchanged at marriage.

It's time to change that.

Instead of spending on dowry, invest in her education, her skills, her training, and most importantly, her dreams. Give her the tools to pursue excellence — in academics, in sports, in science, in business, in art — wherever her passion leads her.

A daughter empowered is a daughter unstoppable.
She can break records, shatter stereotypes, and stand tall as a symbol of courage, capability, and commitment.
She can bring home gold — not as dowry, but as medals won through talent, hard work, and perseverance.

Dowry is a chain.
Support is a springboard.

So choose wisely. Choose to lift her up, not weigh her down.
Invest in her future, not in rituals that dim her light.

Because when a daughter rises, her family rises.
When families rise, communities thrive.
And when communities thrive, the nation soars.

Celebrate daughters not with gold, but with opportunities.
Celebrate her not for what she brings in marriage, but for what she brings to the world.
Let her shine — not in dowry, but in golden achievements.

 For more, see https://amzn.in/d/hkTrhtL 

Nigam Shalu (2023). Dowry is a Serious Economic Violence: Rethinking Dowry Law in India