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Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!tektronix!hplabs!hao!nbires!ut-sally!raghu
From: raghu@ut-sally.UUCP (Raghu Ramakrishnan)
Newsgroups: net.nlang.india
Subject: dowry
Message-ID: <3110@ut-sally.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 6-Oct-85 01:02:47 EDT
Article-I.D.: ut-sally.3110
Posted: Sun Oct  6 01:02:47 1985
Date-Received: Wed, 9-Oct-85 03:50:12 EDT
Distribution: net
Organization: U. Texas CS Dept., Austin, Texas
Lines: 27


Some people have posted articles saying that the incidence of dowry is
much less that one would be lead to believe by some (other) articles
on net.nlang.india. They were concerned about the image this conveyed
to non-Indians, and wanted to know if the anti-dowry posters had first hand
knowledge of dowry occurrences, especially in the US.

I am one of those who posted some anti-dowry articles. I am aware of
specific instances where dowry was taken among my friends and relatives
in India. One of these involved a guy with a US degree and green card.
I know of an instance in which the dowry issue resulted in a match being
scrapped. I also know cases wherein considerations of dowry precluded
the consideration of certain matches. I am a south Indian.

I must admit that I have first hand knowledge of just 3 or 4 cases, and
the rest is hearsay. But most people I have talked to confirm the 
importance of dowry in arranged matches. 

I am not aware of specific cases in the US wherein dowry was involved, but
this could simply be because I haven't asked any of my friends who got
married!

If my impression of the prevalence of dowry is wrong, I'm glad. However,
given my (limited, perhaps) knowledge, I think it is sufficiently
widespread to be a serious issue, and I don't apologise for airing it
on the net. After all, as someone pointed out, the purpose of this net
is discussion; and not the projection of an image.