A society without daughters: Can we survive our own customs?

OPINION

- DR. PYALI CHATTERJEE AND MAITREYEE TEMBHEKAR

Kanyadaan is a Hindu wedding ritual in which the bride's father gives her away to the groom, symbolizing the transfer of responsibility and blessings. It is considered a significant and sacred act in Hindu tradition. Kanyadaan is regarded as one of the greatest forms of donation due to its religious sanctity in Hinduism.

However, once the kanya (daughter) is given in donation, does it mean that, as parents, you lose all rights over your daughter? This is a critical question that arises in many dowry death cases. Even today, this question has resurfaced in the recent death of Ridhanya.

Legally and morally, it is deeply wrong to give your daughter to someone in exchange for dowry in the name of marriage. Such an act cannot be considered Kanyadaan in its true and sacred sense.

By now, many of us may have heard about the tragic death of a newlywed woman from Tamil Nadu, who was forced to take her own life due to relentless harassment and dowry demands by her in-laws. Ridhanya—a brilliant, newly married woman from Tamil Nadu—lost her life to a reality darker than death itself. Married in April to Kavin Kumar, she endured continuous mental and physical abuse from her husband and his family—all in the name of dowry. Even after giving a luxury car and 100 gold sovereigns (800 grams), the demands continued. The greed never stopped. The cruelty never lessened. One devastating day, Ridhanya consumed poison while on her way to a temple. In her final moments, she recorded heartbreaking voice messages for her father—her voice trembling as she described the daily torment, betrayal, isolation, and the unbearable pain of being trapped in a marriage built on deception.