The Toxic Impact of Inferiority Complex : Wife Harassed for Dowry

 The Toxic Impact of Inferiority Complex : Wife Harassed for Dowry

          

Belonging to a middle-class family, Sunil fell into bad behavior and refused to study further after PUC, his father had set up a grocery store for him in a district headquarters. He had one elder brother and two elder sisters. His elder brother got married and he was working in a bank. One elder sister got married and went to another town. Another girl, she was working in a government office without marriage. When Sunil was 26 years old, his father passed away. Then his elder brother started the household work. When Sunil’s elder brother moved to another town, his mother started forcing Sunil, who was already 30 years old, to get married. Then his elder brother started looking for girl for him. A middleman brought him the horoscope of a young woman from a neighboring district. As Sunil and her horoscopes matched, so, Sunil’s family went to see the woman.  

       25 Year old Parvathi was an orphan living with her elder brother and sister-in-law. B.A., B.Ed., Graduate, she got a job as a teacher in a private school in her hometown just six months ago. The school management informed her that her job was temporary and would be made permanent after one year of service. So, she wanted to stay in the same town even after marriage. When Parvathi got to know that a man from another town is coming to see her, she got upset. Sunil liked Parvathi when he came to her house. He also indicated his consent on the spot. When both the families sit down for further talks, Parvathi takes her brother aside and says that she doesn’t like Sunil. She said that if she gets married, she has to move to another city, then her job will go, and she doesn’t like sitting at home. She further said that Sunil is only a PUC passer and doesn’t have a good job and they have joint family and she doesn’t want to be in such a family. Consider it your virtue that such a good family has asked you. Theirs is a bigger town than here, there are many schools, where you can get a job; Her brother covered her mouth saying not to worry. He also indicated his consent to this relationship.  

        After finishing formal talk, the marriage engagement took place the very next day. After engagement the groom’s family accepted to perform the wedding in their hometown, and they demanded 10 gm of gold, a watch and a bike. So brides brother told them that they belong to a poor family. So he’s able to give maximum of one gold ring, chain and thirty thousand Rs. We give cash as dowry. Parvathi’s brother, Sunil’s family agreed to this, saying that they should share the cost of the wedding hall. Three months later, the two got married. Parvathi resigned from her job and came to her husband’s house. At the same time, Sunil’s brother was transferred to another town, so he left home with his family. Even after coming to her house, Parvathi is restricted not to go to work outside Sunil’s imposed. Mother-in-law and sister-in-law ordered Parvathi to do all household chores without going outside to work. Parvathi does the housework without talking replying to them. After doing all work without any rest, her mother-in-law and sister-in-law used to find any faults in her work and scolded her with unspoken stones.

          Sunil started harassing Parvathi to bring money from her home as he wanted to develop his business. In marriage bride and groom both shared wedding hall expenses, but now Sunil forcing her to bring amount which he payed to marriage hall. But every night when he was forced to pay the full expenses, he came drunk and scolded his wife and also beat her. At that time, his mother and sister were helping him. Parvathi went to her home and told her brother and sister-in-law about the violence of her husband’s family. Her brother gave her a gold chain weighing 10 grams and said to console her husband’s family that we don’t have anything else apart from this, Parvathi returned home and gave the chain to her mother-in-law. But mother-in-law asked her why didn’t you bring cash? She was angry.

     In the following days, Sunil’s harassment increased, everyday he would get angry with Parvathi for no reason and hit her with anything he could get his hands on. Once he hit her by a bell, another time he hit her with a cricket bat. When he hits her, others in the house would encourage his acts. But, Parvathi continued to bear all this, but one day when Sunil’s brother came home from his hometown and joined Sunil and beat her, her patience broke. Parvathi, came back to her hometown by bus that same night, no matter how much her elder brother and sister-in-law asked her to go to her husband’s house, she refused. Parvathi was forcibly taken to Sunil’s house by her brother’s wife, who talked to her for two days and left her there. Sunil’s mother and elder sister verbally scolded them both. Sunil brutalized Parvathi for two days after they left the house, and on the third day took a taxi himself and dropped her back to her home.

     After this incident, Pravathi, who was very angry, went to the women police station of her town and filed a compliant of Dowry harassment against her husband, mother-in-law, sister in law and her husbands elder brother. But, the female police Sub-Inspector of the the station, I will not accept your complaint immediately. Lets call your husband, we will do counselling for both of you, said the police, then next step will be taken, she said. A week later, when the police called Sunil to the police station and counseled him, he was ready to take Pravathi with him. However Pravathi was adamant that she wound not go to her husband’s house for any reason. Seeing no other option, the PSI registered a case of dowry harassment. As the case took place in another town, it was transferred to the concerned police station of the neighboring district. After the investigation continued and proper evidences was found, the police arrested all the accused and filled a charge sheet in the court.     Meanwhile, with her persistent efforts, Pravathi gets a job in the same school where she was serving earlier. Sunil’s mother passed away while the court hearing was going on. Thus,  the charge against her ( Sunil’s mother) ws. Sunil as dropped. After the trail of the rest, the judge concluded that the charges were proved and sentenced all the accused to two years of rigorous imprisonment. All of them appealed against his sentence the the District Court. The judge upheld the conviction of only on Sunil and acquitted the others. Sunil appealed to the High Court against this decision. The High Court found that the lower court had given Sunil a lesser sentence and increased his sentence to 5 years imprisonment. The judge opined that Sunil harassed his wife our of inferiority complex, as she was more educated than him.

 Inferiority complex is a behavior starts with comparing our-self with others. Comparison also motivates people to achieve something in life. But when this comparison goes out of control, people suffer of Inferiority Complex. This Inferiority Complex makes human to commit crime to reach his/her target. When Inferiority Complex starts in relationship it will be very difficult to lead a happy and peaceful life. Inferiority Complex makes a person to addict to bad behavior like drinking alcohol and taking drugs. Inferiority Complex person behavior will change, the person will behave aggressively. When Inferiority Complex and gender domination mixes then the life of the person will be disaster. As we have seen in the above story, Sunil is having both Inferiority Complex and male domination for which a girl Parvati is getting suffered. Sunil as completed only PUC and as a female Pravathi has studies more than Sunil, that’s the real problem of Sunil. Because of this Inferiority complex   he daily drank alcohol and behaved aggressively with his wife. He harassed her physically and mentally. If he was not suffering from this Inferiority complex, he would have led a beautiful life with his wife, by sending her for job which would be supportive for their life.

 

Reference

 

1] Dr. D.V Guruprasad, 2023 July 20, “Keelarimeyinda Kirukula”, A Kshana, Vijayavani, Bengaluru, Page No-6

2] Image from Pinterest