Reportedly, the Tharu community in Bihar’s West Champaran has not witnessed any dowry-related complaints for more than a decade. This social norm is followed in a cluster of villages in Bagaha’s Gobarhiya, near the Nepal border. The Tharu, with a population of three lakh people, celebrate more than 500 weddings every year. The community has engineers, doctors, bankers and administrators, among others, yet no one accepts or offers dowry.
The Tharus consider it a sin to accept dowry and, if anyone does, they are penalised or socially boycotted. It would be of interest to find out how the practice of ‘no dowry’ came about and has been successfully implemented over the years. Would this excellent example set by the Tharus be followed all over India? The number of dowry-related incidents and cases would be reduced drastically.
