Author: V P Raghu
Publication: News Today
Date: June 6, 2003
URL: http://www.newstodaynet.com/04jun/ld1.htm
Introduction: Noida story played
out in W Mambalam H Groom's family asked for a bracelet but now may get
a handcuff
A Tamil version of the now famous
Nisha Sharma saga was today played out in Chennai with a 26-year-old bride
from the conservative West Mambalam walking out of the marriage hall to
seek an appointment with the police as she was unable to bear the mental
'torture' inflicted upon her by the groom's family with too many dowry
demands and a threat to call off the marriage at the eleventh hour if the
demands were not met.
A la the Noida girl, whose courage
made national headlines after she called in the police the night before
her wedding and sent the groom's family to jail, Vidhya, the West Mambalam
lass - clad just in her nightie with a dupatta thrown around - went to
the All-Woman Police Station in Ashok Nagar at the break of dawn, hours
before she was to tie the nuptial knot.
Though the bridegroom, in silk finery,
followed her to the station, with his family members and friends in tow
and sought to thrash out a compromise, besides profusely apologising for
their misdeeds, Vidhya, backed by her parents and other relatives, stood
her ground, despite the women constables trying to dissuade her from taking
such a rash step in calling off the marriage.
As it was in the case of Nisha Sharma,
this girl, a graduate working for a private company, told the police that
she was least inclined in marrying the boy, K Balasubramanian, employed
by a popular brand of balm maker in the city, as his family had been upping
the dowry demands in the run up to the nuptials.
Though the girl's family was not
too keen on a showdown initially and even tried to shun publicity for the
event, they subsequently spoke to News Today about the torment they had
to undergo before they decided enough was enough.
What actually peeved the girl was
the threat handed out to her last night by the boy's family, particularly
his young brother, studying in a professional college, who told her that
if their dowry demands were not met they would not turn up for the marriage
ceremony scheduled today between 10 am and 11.15 am at Panighraha Kalyana
Mandapam.
The groom's brother, Karthik, also
reportedly told the bride, while finding the size of the utensils bought
for the wedding too small last evening that she better bear in mind the
fact that she would have to come to the house to live, suggesting that
if her parents failed to change the utensils and buy bigger ones, she would
have to face the consequences after the marriage.
The family had originally agreed
to pay a dowry of 15 sovereigns of gold jewellery and 1.5 kg of silver
utensils when the alliance was struck and a betrothal was held some time
back. According to the mother of the girl, Muthulakshmi, the boy's family
had been making fresh demands on a regular basis since then.
Initially, the boy's side had asked
for a dress material for the groom worth Rs 5000 but when the fabric was
purchased, they wanted payment of tailoring charges and then demanded a
gold bracelet and a shoe, Muthulakshmi said.
A visibly upset Vidhya just said
that she was unable to bear the 'torture'.
After hours of confabulations inside
the police station premises, which were marked by high drama, the Deputy
Commissioner of Police R Samuthirapandi said that the complaint filed by
Vidhya was registered. Police would seek legal opinion and proceed on the
case as per the law, he said.
The girl's brother, an IAF corporal
now posted in Pune, had mobilised Rs 2.5 lakh for the wedding of his sister
- Rs one lakh saved by him during the past one decade of service and another
Rs 1.5 lakh arranged through loans and borrowings.
Though the entire amount given by
him has been blown up now for the marriage arrangements, he stood firmly
by his sister, telling her not to bow down even if amounted to losing the
entire money.
The family of Vidhya also said that
last night's showdown, which led to a skirmish when the boy's parents and
brother were nitpicking on the size of the utensils and demanding replacement
past 10 pm after the shops would have closed down for the day, was the
last straw that prompted them to take the tough decision to call off the
marriage.
But then, they did not want to let
go the people who had tormented them and made them waste their lifetime's
savings scot free too. Since both the families live in parallel streets
in West Mambalam, after the engagement boy's family regularly contacted
them, to place an additional demand every time.
