“I wanted to show that no matter how well her career is going or how much education she has — a woman’s value will most likely be placed on how good of a housewife she will be.”
This is Canadian-Indian artist Baljit Singh. She created a photo series titled “Paraya Dhan” which aims to combat the perception of young women as less valuable than the dowry they bring.
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| Baljit Singh |
Apr. 12, 2016: “I wanted to challenge and document the real life experience of a girl to show how she’s brought up from a very young age expected only to get married,” she told BuzzFeed.
Singh explained that the project was inspired by Lajja, a Bollywood film which featured dowry issues as one of its subplots.
Baljit Singh
Baljit Singh
“I wanted to show that no matter how well her career is going or how much education she has — her (a woman’s) value will most likely be placed on how good of a housewife she will be,” says Singh.
Baljit Singh
Baljit Singh
“From the day she is born she’s seen as this “bojh” (weight) that needs to be lifted off a father’s shoulder once she’s wed off because he knows that with a daughter, means giving a certain amount of dowry,” she explained.
Baljit Singh
Baljit Singh
“No matter how much we try to hide it, certain forms of gift giving (dowry, let’s be honest) still exists in the wedding process, even in the west,” she told BuzzFeed.
Baljit Singh
Baljit Singh
"It’s good to see people taking a liking towards this series, but I don’t just want them to leave a like on the picture and close their phones. I want them to question their parents," Singh said.
Baljit Singh