A new game Angry Brides, named after the popular game Angry Birds, allows players to thrash three dowry-seeking grooms with a whole arsenal of weapons such as slippers, stiletto heels, rolling pins or even pressure cookers and potted plants.
The grooms, portrayed as an engineer, a doctor and a pilot, come with a dowry tag varying from Rs. 15 to Rs. 40 lakh. The players hit the groom with their weapon of choice. Each hit puts some money in the anti-dowry fund. The objective is to fill the fund before time runs out. The tag line of the game says, “A woman will give you strength, care and all the love you need … NOT dowry!”
Sangeeta Chauhan, a player, said: “While women in India have come a long way, there still exist some age old taboos which hinder their status in society. Angry Brides is a fun game which reminds us that together we can stand-up against this inhuman practice.”
According to the National Crime Records Bureau, 8,391 cases of dowry deaths were recorded during 2010.
Management student Anupama says the game is funny, but the issue it touches is not.
“Dowry is a sad reality in the lives of many Indian girls even in the 21st century. Although this game is fun and easy, it also reminds us of the fact that this malpractice still exists and we need to work against it,” she said.
Manjula Sharma, a newly-wed banker, finds portrayal of the grooms as hilarious: “Indeed, nowadays, many families think that a doctor or an engineer is like a blank check waiting to be encashed at the time of marriage and the girl’s family will pay anything to get an educated groom.
“Gone are the days when the girl’s family meekly paid up high dowries if the groom was educated and had a high social status. Now we don’t need to pay to get married to a person with high status when we can get that status ourselves.” — IANS