Dowry: Stop this inhumane practice in India

So talking about THE Dowry.. one of the major evils in our society (and I am specifically talking of India here).. the name itself insinuates one with frustration and many such ill-feelings beyond words.

There have been numerous cases and episodes in the past... some of which came to my notice and astounding others which did not.. mostly because they have never been reported. I still remember how petrified and disturbed I was as a child when I saw a Sunil Dutt starrer about that gory dowry murder where his daughter is burnt alive.. sometime passed by.. I moved on.. I saw dowry being given and taken in society, which I disapproved of.. but since no one asked me.. esp when people give it as gift, with their own will (which does inculcate inappropriate & unjustified behavior).. I had to try to move on.. being demanded of same by the doctor suitors whose parents think that the cost of their child's profession and trying to adjust me in their house is nothing less than many more grands which you can think of (A crore, if am not mistaken).. I did move on.. but then something still more terrible happened.. I lost an MBBS batchmate of mine recently at the cruel hands of those monsters.. and I decided I have had it!

Dr. Ritu.. A daughter... A graduate of a premium medical institute.. My batchmate from MBBS at Lady Hardinge medical college in our capital... A Fighter who sacrificed time and happiness to take care of your sons and fathers... An anesthesiologist at AIIMS who showed up for a medical call in the middle of the night when you were enjoying a movie or dinner or just sleeping peacefully at home.

Three years back, the childhood dreams of this extraordinary girl came true. She was asked to marry a pilot and start a family of her own. She had a beautiful daughter and to an outsider she has a picture perfect life. But did she?

- How dare Ritu's family not give enough dowry? If doesn't matter her parents sacrificed all they had to support 12 gruelling years of medical education.

- How dare she stay out late at night and ignore her household chores? It doesn't matter she just helped save a life of your son who had an accident on the road and even held your mother's hand as she cried after her surgery.

- How dare the wife not roam around her husband after his work or cook at home? If doesn't matter if she skipped her last two meals trying to make sure your new born grandson stays alive.

I hereby pledge with my friends to fight against all odds for justice for Ritu Bhandari, who left for her heavenly abode on September 15, 2016, after she thought she needed a better place than this nation, who still extorts money on grounds that they have bore a male child.. it may sound astounding that a friend's parents were asked about even where all the money went, which she has earned in the past (since she was doing postgraduation).. as if females are slaves and have to pay the price for being one..

I could still go on and on.. because it is India.. and there will be countless such and much worse cases...

Will just say thanks and ask for what ever support you can lend.. starting from signing this.

Thank You.