Patna: Inspired by chief minister Nitish Kumar's call, a retired headmaster from Ara in Bhojpur district, around 55km west of Patna, has returned the Rs 4 lakh he had got as dowry for his younger son.
And for that, Harindra Singh, 60, will become a mascot for the Bihar government's anti-dowry campaign launched by Nitish.
The chief minister invited Harindra and Harindra's eldest son Rajeev Ranjan Singh for lunch at his official 1 Aney Marg residence in Patna on Sunday. Nitish welcomed Harindra with a hug and said he will attend the wedding ceremony of the retired headmaster's younger son, Prem Ranjan Singh, to bless the bride and groom.
"The step taken by Harindra to return the dowry will set an example for the society," Nitish said. "We will ensure his active participation in the campaign against child marriage and dowry across the state."
Harindra's conscience was awoken after Nitish visited Chandwa near Ara to participate in a religious conclave to mark the 1,000th birth anniversary of theologian Saint Ramanujacharya on October 4, where the chief minister appealed to the people to shun the social evils of child marriage and dowry. Two days before, Nitish had launched the government campaign against child marriages and dowry, two social evils particularly rampant in Bihar.
Harindra, who has two sons and a daughter, was present at the conclave.
The retired headmaster decided to return the dowry he had got for Prem Ranjan, who runs an electrical appliances shop in Ara.
"Ours is a religious family and we discussed among ourselves to return the Rs 4 lakh given to us in cash as dowry. We had not demanded dowry, but the bride's family gave it to us to cover wedding expenses," Harindra told The Telegraph.
Family members of the bride were called from Ranchi on October 10 and the dowry was returned.
"At first the bride's family members were shocked," said Rajeev. "They thought that we have cancelled the marriage, but then they had tears of happiness and relief in their eyes after we told them why we were returning the money."
The word spread, reached the ears of Nitish, and he invited them for lunch.
