Bahujan Samaj Party MP Narendra Kashyap (not shown), son Sagar Kashyap, and wife Devendri (pictured being taken into custody on April 7, 2016 in Ghaziabad, India) were arrested in connection with the death of the lawmaker’s daughter-in-law Himanshi Kashyap. The victim’s family alleged that it was premeditated murder due to demands of dowry. Sakib Ali / Hindustan Times via Getty Images
Bahujan Samaj Party MP Narendra Kashyap (not shown), son Sagar Kashyap, and wife Devendri (pictured being taken into custody on April 7, 2016 in Ghaziabad, India) were arrested in connection with the death of the lawmaker’s daughter-in-law Himanshi Kashyap. The victim’s family alleged that it was premeditated murder due to demands of dowry. Sakib Ali / Hindustan Times via Getty Images
Bahujan Samaj Party MP Narendra Kashyap (not shown), son Sagar Kashyap, and wife Devendri (pictured being taken into custody on April 7, 2016 in Ghaziabad, India) were arrested in connection with the death of the lawmaker’s daughter-in-law Himanshi Kashyap. The victim’s family alleged that it was premeditated murder due to demands of dowry. Sakib Ali / Hindustan Times via Getty Images
Bahujan Samaj Party MP Narendra Kashyap (not shown), son Sagar Kashyap, and wife Devendri (pictured being taken into custody on April 7, 2016 in Ghaziabad, India) were arrested in connection with the

Dowries and death continue apace in India


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MUMBAI // It is supposedly illegal, but a spate of deaths linked to India’s dowry system shows the practice is not only widespread but shows little sign of abating.

Dowry is paid in the form of cash and goods such as jewellery, household appliances and cars to the bridegroom or his parents by the bride’s family. It has been illegal in India since 1961 but remains commonplace – with tragic consequences.

Women have committed suicide because they could not face harassment over dowry payment. Others have been murdered by their husband or in-laws for not meeting their dowry demands.

About 8,000 dowry deaths are recorded each year in India, according to the national crimes statistics bureau. Two women in their 20s committed suicide over dowry harassment on the same day last month in Gurgaon, a modern satellite city of Delhi, where the number of dowry deaths rose from 12 in 2015 to 20 last year, according to the Times of India, an increase of 66.7 per cent.

In another case reported last month in Hyderabad, a 21-year-old woman died after her husband and parents-in-law poured kerosene on her and set fire to her because of a dispute over dowry.

On Monday, a software engineer in Hyderabad was reported to have hanged herself after being harassed for dowry payments by her husband, even although her family had already given him land and substantial amounts of gold and cash at the time of marriage.

“Although it is illegal, the dowry system is still prevalent,” said Zeba Khair, a lawyer based in New Delhi who specialises in women’s issues. “I wouldn’t say dowry deaths have gone down in terms of numbers.”

A school textbook caused an uproar in the state of Maharashtra last week because it stated that it was more difficult for “ugly and handicapped” girls to get married and the bridegroom’s family would demand higher dowries in such cases.

Such an assertion not only enforces a deep-seated mindset but illustrates why it needs to be eradicated, say activists.

“It puts women in a very weak bargaining position,” says author Rochelle Potkar, who writes about social issues.

“Once you pay a man and his family for getting married to him, you may always be expected to pay more money. Since you don’t have money, you have to take it from your old and ageing parents, putting further pressure on them. It’s a never-ending cycle of unnecessary debt.”

Ms Khair said Indians who still adhere to the dowry system tended to be from very conservative backgrounds and were often less well educated, although the practice occurs in all segments of society despite the passing of more legislation in the past decade, including a law against domestic violence in 2005.

Subramanya Sirish Tamvada, the dean of IFIM Law College in Bangalore, likened the practice of dowry to “a plague” in Indian society.

“It affects each and every part of our society, whether you’re rich or poor,” he said. “The biggest problem is that neither of the parties speak about it.” Last April, 25-year-old Himanshi Kashyap, the wife of an MP’s son, was found dead in her bathroom. She had been shot. Her parents said she was a victim of dowry death. Her husband and parents-in-law were arrested on charges of dowry harassment and dowry death.

Under Indian law, those who give and those who receive dowries are liable to fines and imprisonment.

Dowries have traditionally been used in Indian marriages because the bride’s family is expected to compensate the bridegroom and his family for the financial support the groom will have to provide throughout his wife’s life.

Ms Khair said education was critical to ending the dowry system in India and the violence that emanates from it.

“The way out is only if people form more and more groups and we need to ensure that enough support is given to women complaining about this kind of violence” she said.

The police should receive more training in how to deal with such situations, she added. “It’s a social problem, so ultimately it’s up to us to reform.”

Another potential solution is to speed up the financial empowerment of women in India.

“As long as Indian women don’t take it into their hands to educate themselves and find jobs, they will have to compensate for being a burden on their husband’s home by paying for being liabilities,” said Ms Potkar. “It should be a compulsory matter of self-respect that they earn their own living, not a choice. Only then will we be able to overthrow this old and detrimental custom.”

foreign.desk@thenational.ae

Ultra processed foods

- Carbonated drinks, sweet or savoury packaged snacks, confectionery, mass-produced packaged breads and buns 

- margarines and spreads; cookies, biscuits, pastries, cakes, and cake mixes, breakfast cereals, cereal and energy bars;

- energy drinks, milk drinks, fruit yoghurts and fruit drinks, cocoa drinks, meat and chicken extracts and instant sauces

- infant formulas and follow-on milks, health and slimming products such as powdered or fortified meal and dish substitutes,

- many ready-to-heat products including pre-prepared pies and pasta and pizza dishes, poultry and fish nuggets and sticks, sausages, burgers, hot dogs, and other reconstituted meat products, powdered and packaged instant soups, noodles and desserts.

About RuPay

A homegrown card payment scheme launched by the National Payments Corporation of India and backed by the Reserve Bank of India, the country’s central bank

RuPay process payments between banks and merchants for purchases made with credit or debit cards

It has grown rapidly in India and competes with global payment network firms like MasterCard and Visa.

In India, it can be used at ATMs, for online payments and variations of the card can be used to pay for bus, metro charges, road toll payments

The name blends two words rupee and payment

Some advantages of the network include lower processing fees and transaction costs

THE DETAILS

Kaala

Dir: Pa. Ranjith

Starring: Rajinikanth, Huma Qureshi, Easwari Rao, Nana Patekar  

Rating: 1.5/5 

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Scoreline

Chelsea 1
Azpilicueta (36')

West Ham United 1
Hernandez (73')

The burning issue

The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.

Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins

Read part two: how climate change drove the race for an alternative 

Read part one: how cars came to the UAE

Jetour T1 specs

Engine: 2-litre turbocharged

Power: 254hp

Torque: 390Nm

Price: From Dh126,000

Available: Now

The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Power: 510hp at 9,000rpm
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
Price: From Dh801,800
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
ALRAWABI%20SCHOOL%20FOR%20GIRLS
%3Cp%3ECreator%3A%20Tima%20Shomali%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EStarring%3A%C2%A0Tara%20Abboud%2C%C2%A0Kira%20Yaghnam%2C%20Tara%20Atalla%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERating%3A%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
'Cheb%20Khaled'
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
65
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Company profile

Date started: January, 2014

Founders: Mike Dawson, Varuna Singh, and Benita Rowe

Based: Dubai

Sector: Education technology

Size: Five employees

Investment: $100,000 from the ExpoLive Innovation Grant programme in 2018 and an initial $30,000 pre-seed investment from the Turn8 Accelerator in 2014. Most of the projects are government funded.

Partners/incubators: Turn8 Accelerator; In5 Innovation Centre; Expo Live Innovation Impact Grant Programme; Dubai Future Accelerators; FHI 360; VSO and Consult and Coach for a Cause (C3)

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Diriyah%20project%20at%20a%20glance
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RACE CARD

6.30pm: Baniyas Group 2 (PA) Dh 97,500 (Dirt) 1,400m.

7.05pm Maiden (TB) Dh 82,500 (D) 1,200m

7.40pm Maiden (TB) Dh 82,500 (D) 1,400m

8.15pm Handicap (TB) Dh 82,500 (D) 1,400m

8.50pm Rated Conditions (TB) Dh 120,000 (D) 1,600m

9.25pm Handicap (TB) Dh 95,000 (D) 1,200m

10pm Handicap (TB) Dh 85,000 (D) 2,000m

Sustainable Development Goals

1. End poverty in all its forms everywhere

2. End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture

3. Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages

4. Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all

5. Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls

6. Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all

7. Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all

8. Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all

9. Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialisation and foster innovation

10. Reduce inequality  within and among countries

11. Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable

12. Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns

13. Take urgent action to combat climate change and its effects

14. Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development

15. Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss

16. Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels

17. Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalise the global partnership for sustainable development

Results

ATP Dubai Championships on Monday (x indicates seed):

First round
Roger Federer (SUI x2) bt Philipp Kohlschreiber (GER) 6-4, 3-6, 6-1
Fernando Verdasco (ESP) bt Thomas Fabbiano (ITA) 3-6, 6-3, 6-2
Marton Fucsovics (HUN) bt Damir Dzumhur (BIH) 6-1, 7-6 (7/5)
Nikoloz Basilashvili (GEO) bt Karen Khachanov (RUS x4) 6-4, 6-1
Jan-Lennard Struff (GER) bt Milos Raonic (CAN x7) 6-4, 5-7, 6-4

The Details

Kabir Singh

Produced by: Cinestaan Studios, T-Series

Directed by: Sandeep Reddy Vanga

Starring: Shahid Kapoor, Kiara Advani, Suresh Oberoi, Soham Majumdar, Arjun Pahwa

Rating: 2.5/5 

Biography

Favourite Meal: Chicken Caesar salad

Hobbies: Travelling, going to the gym

Inspiration: Father, who was a captain in the UAE army

Favourite read: Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki and Sharon Lechter

Favourite film: The Founder, about the establishment of McDonald's

Profile

Co-founders of the company: Vilhelm Hedberg and Ravi Bhusari

Launch year: In 2016 ekar launched and signed an agreement with Etihad Airways in Abu Dhabi. In January 2017 ekar launched in Dubai in a partnership with the RTA.

Number of employees: Over 50

Financing stage: Series B currently being finalised

Investors: Series A - Audacia Capital 

Sector of operation: Transport

'Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore'

Rating: 3/5

Directed by: David Yates

Starring: Mads Mikkelson, Eddie Redmayne, Ezra Miller, Jude Law