Dowry System in Mithila – Sweta Jha, Rambhadrapur Darbhanga

हमर नाम श्वेता झा
गांव – रामभद्रपूर दरभंगा
*Dowry* *System* *In* *Mithila*
Dowry System is an ancient culture of India performed during marriages . This system consists of cash, jewelries, furniture as gifts from the bride’s side to the groom . In Mithila the *Khoinch* Pratha (system) was performed in ancient times give some cash according to your worth to your daughter as your blessings. But nowadays it has been seen that the *Khoinch* pratha is replaced with *Tilak* in which groom demands a lot of cash, gold, car, furniture from bride’s family, doesn’t matter can they afford or not. It has given a very dark shadow on Maithil Samaj.
In Mithila, daughter is considered as the form of *Maa Durga* but just because of this horrible system people are afraid and unhappy on girl child’s birth. At the time of marriage, bride’s side has a very huge responsibility of arrangements such as, Dowry, welcome of *barat* etc . There is ritual in Mithila named *Agyadala* which is performed after the arrival of barat as the permission from groom’s side for the marriage. Some cunning people don’t give *Agya* at that sensitive time just because their unusual demands hasn’t fulfilled. Can u imagine the mental condition of bride’s father that time ? that fear of insult from the whole society ? that only encourages sometimes someone to do suicide! But the groom’s family consider dowry as their magnificence and do several unfair things to the bride’s family. The mentality of society is formed in such a way where every girl’s father wish to buy a perfect life partner for his daughter. People think that it’s their dignity to give a very huge amount of cash and other gifts as dowry . The system is ruining the beauty of *Mithila*.
The dowry system needs to be ended as soon as possible otherwise it will become the most unwanted but compulsory ritual of Mithila. For the end of this we need to change our mentality and vow that we won’t give or take dowry. Everyone have to raise their voices on their own . We need to make our children independent that they don’t expect anything from anyone. We have to understand that dowry is not cool it’s embarrassing. Giving your daughter according to your happiness is not bad but the force for giving dowry is most unfair thing to everyone. It won’t let our Mithila to develop further.