Remya Ramachandran, a resident of Thrissur, Kerala took to Facebook to announce something we usually don't expect to be be shared on social media. And that was the news of her wedding being called off.
Her post went viral. Not because Facebook was carried away by sympathy for the girl, but because Ramachandran did something many girls in India balk at doing. She had called off her wedding in protest of the dowry demands made by the prospective groom's family.
She wrote: "To all those asking for the date of my wedding, the family that before the engagement had said that they only wanted me, post the engagement, they were demanding 50 sovereigns of gold and 5 lakh rupees. As I am staunchly against dowry and because I believe that buying anything for a man and his family who are so unreliable is a loss, I don’t want to continue with the marriage."
Her post, which was written on 3 December, got shared over 600 times. People from across the country congratulated her for her decision and commented that she was an inspiration for many women.
Overwhelmed by the response she received on her post, Ramachandran wrote another post thanking the people who supported and encouraged her. However, with the second post, she made a very interesting appeal. The nature of outrage on social media is such that it can turn personal very quickly. However, Ramachandran appealed that people shouldn't make this a personal and try to change the social norm instead.
"Thanks for your huge support . I'm overwhelmed . I juz wanted to let my circle know about cancellation of marriage ,never expected this to be a break . Meanwhile I would like to explain that it was my declaration of a decision .Never had an intention to hurt anyone specifically. Please dont use my post for personalized humiliation ,instead use it against our social norms. People are ignorant for their own convenience and profit," she wrote, thereby hinting that instead of trying to humiliate and shame her former fiance who some people must have known, her post should urge people to change larger social prejudices.
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Her post went viral. Not because Facebook was carried away by sympathy for the girl, but because Ramachandran did something many girls in India balk at doing. She had called off her wedding in protest of the dowry demands made by the prospective groom's family.
She wrote: "To all those asking for the date of my wedding, the family that before the engagement had said that they only wanted me, post the engagement, they were demanding 50 sovereigns of gold and 5 lakh rupees. As I am staunchly against dowry and because I believe that buying anything for a man and his family who are so unreliable is a loss, I don’t want to continue with the marriage."
Her post, which was written on 3 December, got shared over 600 times. People from across the country congratulated her for her decision and commented that she was an inspiration for many women.
Overwhelmed by the response she received on her post, Ramachandran wrote another post thanking the people who supported and encouraged her. However, with the second post, she made a very interesting appeal. The nature of outrage on social media is such that it can turn personal very quickly. However, Ramachandran appealed that people shouldn't make this a personal and try to change the social norm instead.
"Thanks for your huge support . I'm overwhelmed . I juz wanted to let my circle know about cancellation of marriage ,never expected this to be a break . Meanwhile I would like to explain that it was my declaration of a decision .Never had an intention to hurt anyone specifically. Please dont use my post for personalized humiliation ,instead use it against our social norms. People are ignorant for their own convenience and profit," she wrote, thereby hinting that instead of trying to humiliate and shame her former fiance who some people must have known, her post should urge people to change larger social prejudices.
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