Madam, - I would like to thank The Irish Times for its interest in India ("For richer or poorer?", dwelling on the abhorrent practice of "dowry", September 7th).
Though a laudable article, Jennifer May's presentation cannot be said to be a balanced one, in my opinion, because it understates the strenuous efforts being made in my country, both at the official level and in society at large, to eradicate this social evil and implies that there is apathy.
It is unfair to ignore the fact that the Indian state has come down heavily against this malpractice - not just by way of categorical protective legislation or pro-active enforcement of the penal provisions of that legislation (both of which the article mentions, albeit only in passing), but also through education campaigns for mobilising public opinion and creating awareness against a retrograde outlook on womanhood.
The article highlights a baseless figure of 25,000 victims at the outset in definitive terms, conceding later in finer print that this is only an estimate. While even one such case is reprehensible for the inhumanity it betrays, it is necessary to bear in mind that even such a number, were it to be taken to be true, would represent nothing more than a minuscule minority of the depraved - lower than 0.0025 per cent of the Indian population. - Yours, etc.,
N.J. GANGTE, First Secretary, Embassy of India, Dublin 6.