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From marriage pandal to jail over dowry Noida (UP), May 15: India has a new heroine - a gutsy 21- year-old bride who said 'No' to her future husband's dowry demands and called off their wedding just hours before the ceremony. Nisha Sharma, a software engineering student, was supposed to wed last weekend. The Hindu priest and 2,000 guests had already assembled for the lavish festivities when she called the police, and demanded they arrest the groom, who spent what would have been his wedding night, in jail. Sharma met the groom, a computer teacher, in March, through a matrimonial advertisement, a frequent way Indians find mates under the nation's widespread system of arranged marriages. "(He) said that I don't want anything, his mother also said we don't want anything. At the time (marriage) he walked out of the pandal (marriage place) and said all he wanted was just money. He said, I don't like this girl. I only want money. After three or four days I will push her from the terrace," said Sharma, whose hands and feet were still painted with intricate henna designs, the traditional hallmark of an Indian bride. Sharma also said: "My message is that if the in-laws ask for dowry don't give them even a penny. If your parents give you anything then you are eligible to take it. Nothing other than that." Police booked the groom on Monday under the country's anti-dowry Act, passed in 1961, but still not widely enforced. Since that day, Sharma has become a celebrity, for defying an age-old tradition, strongly prevalent in the country of one billion people. Coming to terms with her new-found "avatar", Sharma is proud to be able to inspire young girls and women to follow in her footsteps. "I think that girls are inspired by me because yesterday some girls came and said they want to be like me. They said, we also want to marry but are afraid that we are from poor families and people will ask for dowry. They also said now they are inspired by me and are not afraid of anyone," she said. Meanwhile, Sharma's parents, relatives and friends are a relieved lot who are extremely proud of her and amazed by her courage. Hemalata Sharma, Nisha's mother, said discovering the intentions of the to-be in-laws now means nothing as long as her daughter was safe. "I was surprised by their behaviour but we are very happy that at least our daughter is safe," she said. Despite outlawing dowry two decades ago, the practice still flourishes. Many families abort female foetuses or kill girls at birth, fearing they would be unable to pay crippling dowry costs. Increasing incidence of dowry-related deaths and mental and physical torture of women by their husbands and parents-in-law have been a cause for concern for many families with daughters. According to statistics released by the government, about 5,000 dowry deaths are reported every year in India. Nearly 7,000 dowry deaths were recorded nationwide in 2001. For every case of dowry violence or murder registered, an estimated 100 go unreported. Last year saw 1,200 cases reported, and there already have been 1,902 cases of matrimonial disputes this year, most of them over dowry. Prostitutes seek status of labour (Go To Top) Kolkata, May 1: Sex workers of this city want their profession to be legalised. To press this demand, they took out a rally, organised annually, on Wednesday, on the eve of May Day. Carrying flaming bamboo and jute torches, the slogan-shouting sex workers accused the Central and state governments of violating human rights. One of them, Swapna Ghosh, said they should be given the status of organised labour and decried the constant harassment by the police. "We work very hard and get customers, but the police consistently keeps clamping down our business. These people should understand that despite all opposition, sex workers will have to continue their business. So it's better that they let us do our work and give us labour status," she emphasised. "Like every year, this year also we demand the legalisation of the business. We will continue with the agitation till the government listens to our demands," said Mrinal Kanti Ghosh, director of Mahila Samanvay Committee, a women's voluntary organisation. Official records say there are at least 40,000 sex workers in Kolkata alone. Prostitution is illegal in India, but all major cities have their "red light areas" where the going rate can be as little as two US dollars. Labour and voluntary organisations have been demading legislation to ensure labour status for the prostitues for over seven years now but to no avail. Most prostitutes, estranged from social security systems and ostracised by society, lead extremely sorry lives. They rarely possess ration, health and identity cards. Most of them do not even have access to medical facilities. Ninety-four per cent of the country's three million sex workers are Indian, while the rest are mainly from neighbouring Bangladesh and Nepal. At least 600,000 minors are also employed in the profession. ANI |
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