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For Rich or for Poor, Till Death Do Her Part: Portraits of Dowry Violence in India

December 16, 2013 | Pulitzer Center
By
Varsha Ramakrishnan, for the Pulitzer Center

A woman in a hospital ward—her husband had poured kerosene over her, locked her in a room and set her on fire. (Name withheld to protect patient privacy). Image by Varsha Ramakrishnan. India, 2013.

A female burns ward in a district government hospital in Karnataka. Women are immolated by their husbands or their in-laws for lack of a sufficient dowry or “groom price.” Image by Varsha Ramakrisnan. India, 2013.

The hands of a woman in the last stages of septic shock caused by an infection to her burn wounds. The doctors said she had less than 24 hours to live. Image by Varsha Ramakrishnan. India, 2013.

The female burns ward in this hospital is always full. The patients have all been subject to dowry violence. Image by Varsha Ramakrishnan. India, 2013.

The male burns ward, however, is almost always empty except for the occasional case of accidental burns. Image by Varsha Ramakrishnan. India, 2013.

A painting of an old woman talking to young girls about their culture and traditions. "The practice of dowry in India devolved from a means of financial emancipation for a bride to a modern system of transactions and groom prices," says Anjali Dave, a women's studies professor in Mumbai. Image by Arjun Suri. India, 2013.

Pooja, a young woman with immense courage, who walked out on a marriage. She had been aware that the dowry issue still existed for many brides in India, but she didn’t think that as an educated city girl she would fall victim to it. Image by Arjun Suri. India, 2013.

Rajokri is a small village just outside of New Delhi. A 70-year-old village woman in Rajokri proudly announced that she had given her daughter a motorcycle, half a kilo of gold and a bed as a dowry. Image by Varsha Ramakrishnan. India, 2013.

Meera is a victim of dowry violence from Rajokri. She and her family paid a dowry at the time of marriage. She sold her jewelry at her husband’s request and even tried to raise more money for him. Image by Arjun Suri. India, 2013.

Twenty years ago Meera’s husband told her she hadn’t paid an adequate dowry, threw a bucket of kerosene on her and set her on fire. Still, she is reluctant to tell the truth about what happened the night he set her on fire. “What will my children think of their father and of me? What will society say about me?” she says. Image by Arjun Suri. India, 2013.

Saraswati, another resident of Rajokri village. Saraswati was married at the age of 16 and endured physical and mental abuse because of dowry extortion for 23 years. Image by Arjun Suri. India, 2013.

The oldest of Saraswati’s three children. He dreams of playing in the Indian cricket team someday. After 23 years of marriage, Saraswati’s husband walked out on her, leaving her alone to fend for herself and their three children. Image by Arjun Suri. India, 2013.

A bride's dowry—a gift to the groom of money or property—is an ancient Indian tradition. The violence associated with it has however increased in modern day India. The phenomenon of violence cuts across all socio-economic strata and remains an under-reported crime against women in India.