There are different kinds of wedding in India - one where the groom’s side doesn’t take dowry but wants ‘wedding gifts’ from the bride's family; and the other where they say a big ‘NO’ to dowry. But, despite the many initiatives by the government, dowry continues to flourish in many parts of the country.

But this groom, Suryankanta Barik, decided to set a glowing example. Barik who belongs to West Bengal, is a school teacher who told his in-laws that he would not accept any kind of dowry from them. But as the 30-year-old arrived at the wedding venue where he was all set to tie the knot with Priyanka Bej, his in-laws surprised him with a gift.

Unsplash

“I had made it clear that I would not accept any dowry. When I arrived for the wedding, I was pleasantly surprised to find a huge pile of books as a gift,” the groom told The Telegraph.

The bride’s family gave their book-lover son-in-law around 1000 books which cost around one lakh rupees. Priyanka is herself a book-lover and expressed how happy she was to get married to a man who was against the concept of dowry.

“My family knew that I don’t like the concept of marriages that involve giving or taking dowry. So I am very grateful to have a husband who understands that. My father also knew that I love to read. That’s why he gave us this gift,” she told The Telegraph.

The Telegraph

They reportedly bought all the books from Kolkata’s college street and Udbodhan Karyalaya.

We hope that society has more people like Suryankanta Barik who help curb this practice which has claimed many innocent lives.

Picture Credits: Unsplash