The Maharashtra state education board takes dowry – one of the oldest maladies affecting Indian society – at face value, and quite literally at that. A class 12 sociology textbook published by the board lists “ugliness of the girl” as one of the reasons for families seeking dowry at the time of marriage. To marry her, the girl’s bridegroom and his family demand more dowry. “When I first read the chapter on dowry, I was shocked. How can they write such things in a board textbook?” questioned a Bandra college professor on the condition of anonymity.

Source: Hindustan Times February 02, 2017 08:57 UTC