Dowry Bane

bedecked golden bride golden goose for gruntled groom golden noose or life ~25 Jun 2016~ A commentary on the odious practice of demanding dowry from the bride's side in an arranged marriage still prevalent, though outlawed by law, which is often the cause of great harassment leading to suicide, or even murder of brides. The present Law in India provides for immediate arrest of the groom and his immediate relatives on complaint from the bride. Any death of the girl within 7 years for any reason is considered a dowry death unless conclusively proved otherwise. Cultural and societal pressures (including extra-judicial "kangaroo courts" often prevent or hide dowry related incidents. It is either a life of servitude and submission or death in cases of Dowry Deaths. The practice of Dowry is on the decline in present times, but indirect demands are often made.

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Andrea Dietrich

Date: 6/26/2016 9:56:00 AM

Just read the note from ruben. I was able to see that you just wanted to expand on the topic. If you just look at the senryu as a statement about marriage for some folks, it stands very well on its own.

Karam Misra
Date: 6/26/2016 11:58:00 PM

Thank you for the support and for liking the poem, Andrea. I consider the short forms to be very effective to trigger the mind impulses to think a bit more and expand on the subject. I'd like to think of them as catalysts to thought - thoughtlets - or gyanlets, if you will. (Gyan - in Hindi and Sanskrit means enlightenment, knowledge.) ~karam~

Andrea Dietrich

Date: 6/26/2016 9:54:00 AM

I have read about the bride burnings and was appalled. But then there are the horrid lynchings done by Klu Klux Klan in US dark past. So each culture can have evil going on and it's good your country took steps to try to stop this practice. I hope one day they totally succeed. I really like this one, karam.

Karam Misra
Date: 6/26/2016 11:53:00 PM

Bride burnings is rare these days. Like the sati of old, Dowry and child marriages/labour are banned in India; but unfortunately old archaic traditions and exploitation of the underprivileged are entrenched in the cultural ethos even today. Most of these were introduced with altruistic purpose but have got distorted through the centuries. ~karam~