One might be juxtaposed with the usage of ‘green’ for dowry and presume that we are here referring to currency notes. But then you will be extremely amazed to discover that we are actually referring to ‘1001’ saplings! A man from the state of Odisha has sought the greenest dowry of the world. He has asked the bride’s parents to provide 1001 saplings of fruit trees as a form of a dowry in his marriage.
The 32-year-old teacher named Saroj Kanta Biswal had made up his mind to oppose the system of dowry ever since his childhood, as per the HT report. But due to societal pressure, he had to succumb to the custom and so he chose this path. Today his choice has not only shown us the goodness of his ideal but showered him with love from people all across the country.
I had promised myself that I would never take dowry. But when my father-in-law insisted that he has to give dowry, I asked him to give me 1001 saplings of fruit-bearing trees, said Saroj.
Saroj is a science teacher at Jagannath Vidyapith in Kendrapara. He married Rashmi who is also a teacher. The couple mutually celebrated their marriage by gifting 700 saplings of Mango and Bakul tree to the villagers.
Moreover, there was no unnecessary expenditure involved in the wedding. The marriage involved no DJ, procession or crackers, making it cleaner, wiser and greener.
People from Odisha have tweeted and claimed the marriage to be honored at both state and national level.
@Saroj Biswal tr. #Jagannath Bidyapitha,Coudakulat #Kendrapara married taking 1001 saplings as green dowry. No DJ, no firecrack, no procession. An acclaimed wedding needs to be felicitated by district, state and national level. pic.twitter.com/BGwM9tEOnj
— Gyana Jena (@gyanajena65) June 23, 2018
Member of Parliament, Jay Panda, has also praised the initiative taken by Saroj through twitter.
Truly inspirational and joyful news after all its #Kendrapara 😎. @PandaJay is proud that he got a chance to represent the constituency. People all over the country should emulate the efforts of Sarojkanta Biswal and make our world a beautiful place to live in. https://t.co/452VXTFXSs
— Office of Jay Panda (@mp_office) June 26, 2018
Odisha is blessed with nature’s bounty but the developments are taking a toll on its green cover. If all the grooms start following Saroj in the state, imagine the change that can be brought.
At a time when the nation’s capital is felling trees recklessly in the name of development, such ‘green dowry‘ has shown a new path towards rescuing the world from human destruction.