How much Dowry are you Worth?

Ever wondered how much dowry you must demand your in-laws? If you are already married, are you sure you got the dowry that you deserve? Take a quick check of your worth! Click on the above image or click here. You need to choose a few details like age, education etc. from the given options. And click ‘Calculate Dowry Amount’! That’s it.

I’ve tried it and bet you, nothing can do a better math than this.

Try it for yourself. It takes just a few seconds. Scroll down once you are done.

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Are you happy now?

If you did not bother to try the above calculator for some reason but still eager to know how much dowry you are worth for, here it is!

‘How much Dowry are you worth’ is an initiative by Shaadi.com against dowry 

One of the two words that boil my blood at the very mention is ‘dowry’. Let me not pull the other word in; my blood pressure cannot withstand both at a time. When I read a line somewhere that glorifies the culture and tradition of India, I wish there’s an option to ‘report abuse’. I certainly cannot take pride of a nation that sells daughters and buys daughters-in-law.

One of my colleagues returned to office after a vacation to his native place, where his parents had arranged for visits to his prospective brides’ places. He seemed to be happy about one of them. When we asked him if the alliance is going to be finalized, he replied that the HR round is in process and that his wedding to the girl depends on the settlement amount offered by the girl’s parents.

One of my travel buddies seemed to be annoyed with his upcoming exams. Against his liking, he was pursuing a master’s course through distance education. When I asked him why he had taken up the study despite his disinterest, he replied that his parents believe that an extra degree can fetch him more dowry from his future in-laws.

At a birthday party in a well-earning colleague’s house, we asked him why he hadn’t planned yet to buy a television and a washing machine. He replied that his future wife will bring all that anyway; so he can save his money for now.

The men I am talking about are not illiterates, conservatives or male chauvinists. They are people I’ve had high regard for their broad-mindedness and revolutionary thoughts. In fact, they are raised from educated and so called forward-thinking families.

The dowry I am talking about is not that which ends with what is expected at the time of wedding. It continues as home appliances to set up the newly married homes, travel expenses for their honeymoon, jewelry for the first festivals like first Diwali and first Aashad/Aadi, delivery charges of the first baby, jewelry for the naming ceremony of the baby, jewelry for its first shave and if it’s a baby girl, the second series of dowry begins with her puberty.

The blood-boiler issue I am talking about is not that which originates at the illogical minds and the inhuman hearts. Its source is much deeper – in the blood and genes of our people!

And the people I am talking about are not only rich and greedy men of our society but also those middle class villi mothers-in-law who were once upon a time, a victim of dowry harassment.

How ironical!

Check this page to see the state-wise statistics of dowry crimes.

Kerala among the southern states, Himachal Pradesh and J&K in northern India and the whole of North-east except Assam are reported to be the least dowry-craving states in India. And Uttar Pradesh ranks the highest. They fight for Ram Mandir and Babri Masjid outside and inside, burn their home Goddess alive for money!

Take a closer look at this woman. Is your dowry worth her life?

To all the men who are reading this:

I don’t have words that are powerful enough to bring in those genetic modifications needed for this red revolution. Just look around your home. If at least 90% in it came from the combined money earned by you and your wife, feel good about the man in you. If that 90% came from the hard-earned life of your father-in-law, call yourself spineless. And mind it, your wife is never going to like your parents until you return all of it back to her parents.

If you are not married yet, let me tell you, “save your marriage.” You know what to do – do not remain spineless!

To all the women reading this:

As a mother, teach your sons to lead a life from their own wallets. Do not set expectations in them to live luxuriously on their in-laws’ money.

If you are a mother-in-law, remember that expecting dowry from your daughter-in-law in any form makes you worse than the worst woman on Earth.

If you are a mother, don’t spoil the society by your generous dowry for your daughters. If you want to give away your wealth to them, do it in the form of a will during your last days.

To those readers who take pride in never-have-asked-for-dowry, hear this:

There are two ways dowry is put across the girls’ families.

One, demanding openly. “We want a car and Rs. 2 Lakhs cash. Period.”

Two, subtly hinting. “We don’t expect anything from you. You may give whatever you feel to. But in our custom, we always give decent amount of jewelry to our daughter.”

Even if you and your family belong to the second types, know that you are still spineless.

To readers who think that they are not of the harassing types,

Harassment is not only hitting with stone and beating with belts. If you’ve ever looked down upon someone who did not give ample dowry to their daughters, there stands harassment in your heart.

To rest of the readers who think that it’s something that happened to somebody you read about in the newspaper,

Wake up! It happens at every other home, at every other heart in India. Do not ignore it anymore!

Decide where you would like to take the tradition of India. If you want to remain spineless, I have nothing to tell you. But if you want to be a part of this revolution,

First, Be the Change!

Take this pledge by your heart:

I don’t expect dowry or gifts in any form from my future wife or daughter-in-law. I will make sincere efforts to return all that I’ve got from my in-laws. From now, I belong to the third type of people:

“We are strictly against dowry in any form. If the couple need monetary help in their married life, both the families may do so at their wish and capacity.”

Then, make a difference!

Share the message. Spread the revolution.

Courtesy: All the images and statistics included in this post are taken from Shaadicares.