Dowry Cannot Guarantee the happiness of your Daughter

There is a practice that is regional and that does not quite sit well with me and that is Dowry. While marrying off their daughter, parents would go overboard to get all the things that you would need in a newly built home, furniture, appliances and at times A CAR. Parents give it so their daughter is treated well and the guy and his family takes it by justifying that it is at the end of the day for their daughter. Why I am attributing to family is that family is quite involved in almost all the matters. I don't have problem with this until they do not end up creating practices like dowry. Dowry will be taken even if there is no space at guy's place. Many of the people around me would justify it by saying we have to do it , it is a common practice. No! it was not until YOU MADE IT that big. They will say you have to do it otherwise nobody will marry you. If the society had joined hands to create this practice only they can end it by join inning their hand but this time for a better purpose. It is time that we move beyond this traditional practices that breaks the back of the girl's parents as their child is either not earning and even if earning they cannot afford to pay for the dowry. An average dowry cost 5-10 Lac In Rupees and often parents sacrifice their needs to prepare for the dowry. Even the house helps who have the monthly salary of few thousand are preparing for their daughter's dowry. All of this never made sense to me and it never will. People might think that I am just being a headache for speaking about something that appears to be impossible. But if at any point Someone would want to marry me , Then I would want him to be man enough and not even mention about the practice I absolutely hate. I really wish, hope and pray that people do realise that happiness of their daughter is not attached to it and refuse the proposals that ask for dowry. But it is not easy neither the parents nor for the women. The Guy families have to stop that practice too they should you know just focus on marrying their son and not making a business deal. But That is a structural thing and structural things need long term plans, busting myths and breaking stereotypes. Hoping for a dowry free region.