Now let us come to the ‘most derogatory provision’, i.e., the provision of Daughter Marriage Loans. Advocates of this provision opine that this Loan is given to meet the marriage expense of daughters because in their opinion a daughter’s marriage bears more expense than a son’s marriage. But this is not so. This is entirely wrong, based on partiality and sick mentality! It is not ‘marriage loan’ because a son’s marriage and a daughter’s marriage entail almost equal expenses. They say that expenses are more in a daughter’s marriage. How? Because of dowry, whether they accept this fact or not! The funniest thing is, while dowry is officially prohibited (Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961), the government issues Daughter Marriage Loans to government servants, which is financing the payment of dowry by the back-door. In the words of most Indians: “A father can never let her daughter leave his home empty hand. He gives his blessing plus few gifts which in primitive age known as dowry.” This is another superstition! If a father really loves his daughter, he must give her equal share in property and education and provide her with a job before marriage as he does in the case of his son. A son’s education or job is not equal to a daughter’s marriage, as most of the people think! It should be remembered that ‘marriage is equal to marriage’ and ‘education is equal to education’. A son’s education or career is ‘not equal to’ a daughter’s marriage. It cannot and it should not. Both (son and daughter) need both (education/career and marriage). What the girl needs is not alms in the form of blessings or gifts or jewellery or crocodile tears shed by her parents but she needs her right in property, in education and in job-opportunity. Parents must give their daughters their equal share in property and that should be kept in the single name of the girl/daughter, with a nominee of her choice. Thus in the name of blessings and gifts the parents deprive their girl children of their (girls’) actual rights of receiving the full share in property as their brothers do. Hence, if dowry is kept apart, then the expenses for a daughter’s marriage and a son’s marriage are same. Hence, the provision of Daughter Marriage Loans should be done away with.
Posted on: Thu, 20 Mar 2014 07:09:34 +0000