Weddings these days are more about show-off than about the union of two souls. Many people find it an opportunity to exhibit their 'high' status and riches. Dowry still thrives under the disguise of 'gifts.' Anti-dowry laws are flouted everyday and government campaigns against the practice still have miles to go.
The Kozhikode wing of the Muslim Service Society (MSS) joined hands with the Department of Social Welfare and the Kerala Women’s Commission for a novel mode of protest.
Mark of protest
‘Pennvara,’ a painting competition, was organised at Town Hall here on Wednesday as a protest against dowry and wedding extravagance. Around 50 people, including students and the public, took part in the competition, making suggestions to solve the problem.
Kerala Women’s Commission member P.K. Noorbina Rashid inaugurated the competition by painting a picture on a canvas. Volunteers of the MSS women’s wing joined her. MSS district president P.P. Abdurahiman presided over the inaugural function. District Social Justice Officer P. Abdul Samad was the chief guest. General Secretary of MSS P. Mammad Koya and Dowry Prevention Officer Sebastian P.S. delivered the keynote addresses.
“We have a lot of convincing to do in our own community,” said P. Sikkandar, district secretary of the MSS and added that the society was taking up a campaign that stronger organisations turned away from. He said Pennvara was an attempt to take the message to the younger generation.
