Satyamev Jayate 3 : Highlights the Dowry Problems

After having spoken about female foeticide and child sex abuse in the first and second episode respectively, Aamir Khan raises the very famously practiced tradition of dowry and the scar that it leaves on innocent women.

Eighty per cent of the bank loans are taken by people to meet dowry demands. One woman dies every hour in our country in dowry related cases. On Sunday, May 20, Aamir Khan brought home the ugly truths about giving and accepting dowry in our big fat Indian weddings.

Every parent wished to see their daughter settled comfortably in a happy marriage and Paramjeet's were no exception. She had not met his future husband until after her engagement. After accepting a lot of money, including his education fees for a course he applied for in Australia, Paramjeet's husband kept the pressure on her middle class parents to send more. One day his family insisted that she grant him divorce over the internet having milked them dry.  

Equally heartbreaking is the story of Komal who was left to starve in the US and locked out of her home in the November chill by her husband who was dissatisfied by the dowry he received from her parents, who spent Rs 60 lakh on jewellery.

The shows highlight was a middle class girl from Mumbai who fought all odds to have a non-dowry marriage organized for herself. Rani Tripathi from Mumbai, dared her prospective husband and in-laws by video-taping their dowry demands and showing it to the public with the help of media. Her family stood by her through thick and thin and decided to get her married to someone who wouldn’t ever ask for dowry.

Rani’s wedding was dreamlike as she found her life partner, Pawan Tripathi who fell in love with her courage and proposed to her for marriage after sending in an application on seeing her on television.

Durlov Baruah, an Assamese, spoke about Assam's dowry-free status and a local cleric of Burhanpur claimed it had the same status over many years. Marriages in Burhanpur are held without pomp and show and without dowry.

And at the end, Aamir asks if marriages have become business transactions in India where more than a union of two souls, barter takes place which leaves the women wounded.

SJ however, has flip side too, unlike in his last episode where Aamir bridged a connection between two issues of ‘Child molestation’ and ‘Girl child killings’ (which was not even required), this time around he fails to bring to light the important issue of why majority of Indian parents prefer male child in order to get rid of the complications of dowry.

After the high-voltage drama with some refreshing moments however, showcased in the show, Sona Mahapatra’s 'Mujhe Kya Bechega Rupaiyya' added flavour to the show with some amazing lyrics.

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