UP Bride Calls Off Wedding After Groom Fails to Read Newspaper Without Glasses

We have heard weddings been called off by women’s family if the groom and his side put forth endless demands. Surely, we too do not support the regressive practice of dowry. However, in a recent case reported in Uttar Pradesh’s Auraiya, a wedding was called off at the last moment after the groom could not read the newspaper without his glasses on. Yes you definitely read that right!

Here’s What Happened

The incident came to light from Auraiya district after Arjun Singh, a resident of Jamalpur village of Sadar Kotwali area, had fixed the marriage of his daughter, Archana, with Shivam, a resident of Banshi village.

Woman’s father chose Shivam as he was a “well-educated boy” and soon fixed the date of marriage, and began all preparations. The traditional ceremony of ‘Shagun’ was also performed before the wedding, by gifting the groom a motorcycle, reported News 18.

However, things suddenly changed on the day of wedding. Speaking to media, woman’s father quoted:

When the Baraat procession came to the house on June 20, the groom was constantly seen wearing spectacles the whole time.

The women of the family, including the bride felt suspicious guessing his weak eyesight and then asked the groom Shivam to read a Hindi newspaper without his glasses on, which he failed to do. The groom could not see without his glasses, and on learning this, the bride refused to marry him. The bride’s family too unanimously agreed to call off the wedding.

Bride’s Family Registers Police Case

A police case was also registered by the bride’s family against the groom and his relatives. Allegedly, while the groom was not illiterate, he could not read the newspaper because his eyesight was weak. The bride was not okay with marrying someone who had such poor eyesight.

The bride’s family also demanded the return of the cash and motorcycle given as dowry to the groom and the return of all expenses that was spent in the marriage. When the boy’s side refused, an FIR was lodged at a police station in Auraiya Kotwali.

MDO Take:

Women today want equality, however, when it comes to marriage, fathers always want a well qualified and better earning daamaad (son-in-law)
There is nothing wrong in expecting a good lifestyle with your partner, however, calling off a marriage due to groom’s poor eyesight speaks volumes of commitment in the marriage from the woman’s side
It was not a case where the groom cheated the bride or gave false assurances either
One must note how bride’s family willingly ‘gifted’ cash and motorcycle to the man when things were fine, but turned around and called it dowry the minute things failed
Parents of brides must be held equally responsible, however, sadly one always sees them as ‘victims’
Society will hail this as woman empowerment; although if a man would have decided to walk off in a similar situation, he would have been charged with several sections of the women centric laws