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NOIDA, INDIA, June 2, 2003: They’ve seen Nisha Sharma, a girl in their neighborhood, send back her groom and his family from the wedding because they wanted dowry; they’ve seen a groom die accidentally in some celebratory shooting. Now Gujjars in the area have announced a ban on dowry and ostentatious weddings. On Sunday, leaders from over a hundred Gujjar villages (about 20,000 families) gathered in a Maha Panchayat (community council) and announced they would boycott anyone who violated their directives and offered or accepted a dowry. They also said no firearms, liquor, bands or DJs would now be allowed at Gujjar weddings. Gujjar leaders have set up a committee under former Rajya Sabha member and Kisan leader Ramchandra Vikal to educate people and eradicate dowry from their community. Other members of the committee include UP Minister for Prisons Ved Ram Bhatti and former MLAs Narendra Bhatti and Samir Bhatti. At the meeting, Gujjar Samaj leaders felt dowry had lately become an even greater menace for them. Gujjars had prospered on the compensation they got for their land in Noida and Greater Noida and weddings had become ostentatious occasions to exhibit their newly-acquired wealth. Community leaders said that instead of saving up for dowries, parents should educate their daughters and ensure they plan a career and are financially independent. They also suggested mass, dowryless weddings be organized. Though members of the community welcomed their leaders’ directives, several were doubtful about their implementation. It was up to the affluent members to stop the dowry trend, they felt.

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