How Sushil Kumar Modi walked the talk on fighting dowry
Two months ago on October 2 when Nitish Kumar declared a war against dowry — making everyone promise not to attend weddings in which dowry might have changed hands — little did anyone know that the most shining example of the chief minister’s resolve will come from within his cabinet.
On December 3, Sushil Kumar Modi’s elder son tied the knot in Patna in a simple ceremony, which involved no gifts, dowry, feast and any kind of band baaja. The attendees — including chief minister Nitish Kumar, Union finance minister Arun Jaitley, besides at least a dozen-and-a-half Union ministers, chief ministers, two deputy chief ministers and three governors — were offered only tea and laddoos.
That’s not all. As many as 80 people pledged to donate their organs at the wedding and over 700 people vowed to not give or take dowry in their children's marriages. Utkarsh Tathagat, an MBA working with a multinational company in Bengaluru, tied the knot with Yamini Verma, a chartered accountant from Kolkata. Unlike many of his contemporary politicians, Sushil Modi has kept his two sons away from politics.
With the no-frills marriage of his son, Bihar’s deputy chief minister has clearly set high standards for the rest of the state to follow. With exemplary measures, Modi has forced people to sit up and take notice in Bihar, a state otherwise infamous for ostentatious weddings and dowry violence.
Marriages in Bihar are steeped in deep-rooted traditional practices, many of which are reinterpreted to align with the changing times. The one such evil practice that stubbornly resists any change is the dowry system. With its roots traced to medieval times, the practice, though illegal, is an established trend in present-day Bihar. With its booming economy, the state’s society is ironically seen as encouraging ever-higher bride prices among all socio-economic strata.
The rising bride price has also increased violence against women. While making his son opt for a no-frills marriage function, Sushil Modi has clearly made his action speak louder than words. “Indeed, Sushil ji has presented an example to all of us, especially the well-heeled in the society. Now every legislator and bureaucrat has a moral responsibility to follow his example,” said a cabinet minister in the Bihar government.
Separate counters of the Dadhichi DehDan Samiti, an organ-donation NGO that Modi is the patron of, were set up at the wedding venue. Gifts were a strict no no — but those who attended the marriage had the option to fill up a form pledging their organs, as part of their gift. Nitish Kumar has already pledged to donate his eyes to the Samiti.
No-frills marriage is not new for Sushil Modi. When Modi tied the knot with Jessica in 1987, the interreligious ceremony was quite a simple affair despite the presence of top politicians of the country. While some of the tallest BJP leaders such as Atal Bihari Vajpayee had then visited Patna to bless Modi and his wife. Indeed no-dowry and no-frills weddings are not merely about publicity. It is something that Modi practises.
Meanwhile, RJD boss and Sushil Modi’s main political rival Lalu Prasad hogged the limelight, as he came to bless the couple. It triggered, albeit momentarily, some rare political bonhomie too, as Lalu's elder son Tej Pratap Yadav tweeted that Sushil was like his uncle and he should now find a suitable bride for him too.
Sushil Kumar Modi tweeted back, saying: “Ready to find a bride for Tej Pratap but three shartein (conditions) — No dowry, pledge organ donation and no threatening to disrupt any marriage.”
Ready to find bride for Tej Pratap but 3 शर्तें No dowry,Pledge organ donation & no threatening to disrupt any marriage
— Sushil Kumar Modi (@SushilModi) December 4, 2017
(Courtesy of Mail Today)