India, Aug. 31 -- Dowry is a silent crime that continues to thrive in modern India, despite laws, awareness drives, and decades of reform. For many, it seems like a relic of a bygone era. In urban circles, the dismissive question often arises: "Who even takes dowry these days?" Yet, the tragic murder of Nikki Bhati, allegedly killed over unmet dowry demands, is a stark reminder that this age-old evil remains very much alive. Nikki's case is not an isolated incident-it is part of a larger social malaise that continues to suffocate young women in silence, camouflaged as "tradition" and normalised by complicity. Until we confront it head-on, dowry will continue to claim lives. Dowry today even comes as a direct demand. It surfaces in insinuations and coded language. A groom's family may remark before marriage, "Hamara ek hi ladka hai, shaadi dhoom-dhaam se honi chahiye" (We have only one son; the wedding must be grand). The expectation is clear, though not openly spoken. Another humiliating practice persists-the public inspection of a bride's suitcase after marriage. Relatives gather to evaluate her possessions, asking aloud: "Dekhein bahu kya laayi" (Let's see what the daughter-in-law has brought). What should be a moment of warm welcome becomes a public accounting, reducing the bride to a ledger of material goods. The greater tragedy is that families recognise these cues but choose silence. Daughters are told to "adjust." Sons, conditioned into entitlement, wear the groom's attire with the demeanour of beggars. And the cycle repeats-victims of dowry later impose the same system on their daughters-in-law. The pressing question then arises: Who speaks for women like Nikki Bhati? Can we expect families steeped in tradition to resist? Should isolated brides be forced to fight alone? Or must civil society, grassroots groups, and institutions step in when households fail? Traditionally, mothers saved for dowries for years in advance, sacrificing their daughters' higher education for gold and gifts. This mindset entrenched the practice across generations. Kusum, president of the Jagrit Nari Federation of Navjyoti India Foundation, rightly observes that many groom's families consider dowry "compensation" for educating their son. "Ladke ki hasiyat ke hisaab se maangte hain" (They demand according to the boy's social and financial status), she says. If demands go unmet, the bride's family is accused of having "cheated" or "looted" them. Kusum emphasises that families of daughters must recognise the true worth of their girls. They are not sending daughters empty-handed but as builders of new homes. Believing otherwise-thinking "Hamara palda halka hai" (Our side of the scale is lighter)-is a damaging lie that sustains dowry. She recalls cases where repeated panchayat interventions failed, prompting civil society to intervene with police action. In one such case, she personally accompanied the victim's family to ensure legal resolution, freeing a young woman from abuse. But even then, the pressure for her "remarriage" loomed, proving how entrenched this cycle remains. There are proven strategies to confront dowry effectively, particularly in rural communities: Strengthening district legal services authorities (DLSA) to intervene in dowry disputes. Self-help groups (SHGs) acting as watchdogs for cases. Visits to women's police stations to build confidence. Legal counselling, helpline promotion, and community sensitisation. Families marrying daughters without dowry-even symbolically accepting Rs.1-should be honoured publicly. Training panchayats to actively reject dowry in their jurisdictions. Yet, where is the state? Why don't we see anti-dowry messages painted as prominently on village walls as Swachh Bharat or Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao slogans? Nikki's death, and countless other untold stories, reveal the gap between grand campaigns and lived reality. India has laws against dowry. However, laws alone do not save lives-enforcement and societal will are also crucial. Dowry is not a private matter; it is a social crime cloaked in cultural legitimacy. The solution lies in law and mindset. Laws must be enforced with urgency and sensitivity. Simultaneously, mindsets must evolve to reject dowry outright. Every father who refuses to offer dowry, every groom who rejects it, every panchayat that condemns it-these are victories that chip away at a corrosive system. As I have said in my television interactions, we cannot remain passive observers while the daughters of this country are reduced to bargaining chips. Nikki Bhati's case is not just about one young woman-it is a call to action for all of us. Until society as a whole decides to say "no more," silence will continue to strangle women like Nikki. We owe them more than slogans. We owe them decisive action. It's time that the evil of dowry becomes part of political campaigning, podiums, panchayats, and people's contacts....