Pushpa Kumari - Madhubani, Bihar, India
c.2022
Ink on paper
(24" h. x 18" w. )

Dowry, the practice of giving cash, gold, property, and vehicles as well as household goods by the bride's family to the groom has become a major social
issue in India. Though the intention of paying a dowry is to ensure a good life for the bride, the dowry system has resulted in violence against women. Often, the groom and his family are not satisfied with the dowry given and continue to make demands for more money and assets after the wedding. In this powerful work, Pushpa Kumari has depicted the violence the women are subjected to by their spouse and in-laws - physical and verbal abuse, confinement, and harassment and sometimes, death. The spirit of the woman wishes to be free and rise above these horrors inflicted upon her. (Exhibition notes).