Marin Macwan [Founder, Navsarjun Trust]: "Upon presenting the new Constitution of India to Parliament in 1947, Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, chairperson of the Drafting Committee, stated, "We are entering into an age of contradiction. In law, we are all equal, but in society there is nothing but inequality." He concluded with the warning that "unless and until the conscience of the society changes, the constitutional guarantees have no meaning."

Women are the largest constituency in India to suffer the indignity of discrimination. They are subjected to gender-based inequality, irrespective of their caste, religious or economic background. For us, the increasingly skewed ratio of men to women is a concern, but an even greater concern is that the increase is occurring at a time when the economic and educational status of people in India is consistently on the rise.

Dowry deaths in India are not breaking news. For years, women have been burned alive in dowry related deaths. Years ago, Gandhi, concerned that many women were killed in kitchen fires and that stoves always killed women and not men, suggested that the design of the stove be changed. Today, the question of whether the number of such deaths is rising or falling is irrelevant in light of the fact that an even greater number of dowry deaths are systemically dismissed as "accidents," even before any investigation takes place. Those few victims that do survive attempted dowry deaths are often shown their young children and threatened: "If you send your husband to prison for cruelty, there will be no one to care for your children." Such appeals work in most cases and the victim will testify that her injuries were due to an accidental blast of the stove.

According to Ambedkar, neither the law nor a changed design for stoves would be adequate means to ensure justice. What is required is a change in society's conscience. Well, how will that happen?

There are two main avenues available to us to effect change in society's conscience, neither of which is the law. The first avenue is education in all its forms, including through mass education via audio and visual means. The second is through examining spirituality and our perception of religion. Unfortunately both of these sectors in Indian society are largely controlled by fanatics who profess the superiority of caste, color, race, and, of course, gender. Social beliefs transmitted through the education system can be as double-faced as some religious dogma and are equally responsible for propagating the idea of women as an inferior race. This is evident in text books across India. Of particular note, the Manusmriti, Hindu canon taught in graduate universities in parts of India, is an example of how these two avenues intersect and is an important document demonstrating how women are perceived in Indian society. The Manusmriti, often referred to as the Laws of Manu, is an ancient Hindu text and is arguably the most authoritative books of the Hindu code. Together, these beliefs serve as a root cause for multifaceted discrimination towards women, including dowry deaths.

To talk of strengthening the laws to end discrimination against women without ensuring implementation or trying to change society's perception merely demonstrates that we, as a society, have accepted populist political measures over true reform."