The present dissertation is based on the theme of speaking injustice, with special reference to the play brides are not for burring by Dina Mehta. The play portrays the harsh reality of a patriarchal society where women are subjected to oppression, domestic violence, and continuous harassment dowry. The protagonist of the play represents typical women who suffer at the hands of her in-laws. She is repeatedly forced to bring dowry from her parental home. However, due to her family’s weak financial condition, they are unable to fulfill these demands. As a result, she faces physical and emotional abuse, and even an attempt is made to burn her alive. Despite such cruelty, social pressure, family expectation, and fear of societal judgment force her to silently accept the injustice rather than raise her voice against it. The researcher has chosen this topic after observing that even educated and capable women from middle-class families face discrimination in marriage due to dowry. In many cases, a talented and well-qualified girl is rejected simply because her family cannot afford dowry, while less qualified girl from wealthy backgrounds are preferred. This reflects the deep-rooted inequality and materialistic mindset prevailing in society. Furthermore, dowry is not limited to the time of marriage; it continues throughout a woman’s life in the form of gifts of gifts and financial expectations during festivals, child birth, and other social occasions. This continuous burden creates pressure on the woman’s family and reinforces gender inequality. The system not only exploits women but also promotes the idea that a man’s value is higher than that of a woman. The dissertation also examines how tradition and patriarchal norms restrict women’s freedom and identity. Women are often expected to prioritize family over their own careers and ambitions from practices like fasting for husbands to observing social restriction after marriage, these customs limits women’s independence and reinforce inequality. This work has been carried out under the guidance of Dr. Pratyush Chandra, whose valuable support and insights have greatly contributed to the completion of this study. I hereby declare that this dissertation is my original work and has been completed under proper academic guidance. All the sources have been duly acknowledged, and the work has been checked for plagiarism. The similarity index has been found to be___₄__%, which is within the permissible limit. Through this study, I aim to bring attention to the ongoing injustices faced by women and to encourage the need for raising voices against such practices in order to create a more equal and just society.
Nidhi Vishwakarma (Wed,) studied this question.