Saharanpur: Advocate Vikas Rana might have fought many cases and won, but his gesture at his wedding - not accepting Rs 31 lakh dowry- has won everyone's heart. At a time when giving and accepting dowry have become the new normal, Vikas chose to be a deviation.
A native of Saharanpur and son of Shripal Rana, resident of Bhabsi Raipur village of Nanauta area, Vikas got married to Agrika Tanwar in Kurukshetra, Haryana on April 30. While the ceremony was being conducted and everyone was enjoying the marriage, Vikas refusal to accept the cash in dowry kept both the families and relatives spellbound.
Accepting a coconut and a one-rupee coin from the bride's family, Vikas walked tall at the ceremony and took the pheras on the wedding altar, much to the pride of his wife to-be Agrika, a post-graduate from Lukkhi village, Haryana. “For me, Agrika is the best gift I have got in this marriage,” said Vikas, explaining the reason of returning the money.
A practicing lawyer in the Karnataka High Court, Vikas contested the Kairana Lok Sabha seat on a BSP ticket some time ago. His marriage to Agrika has now become the talk of not only the town but both the states and beyond.
During the wedding ceremony, as per customs and traditions, the bride's family offered the groom Rs 31 lakh in cash as shagun at the time of teeka. But Vikas and his family refused to take the money and returned it. "Giving and accepting dowry is a social evil. If every individual does not take this step of refusing money as dowry, it will be disastrous in the future," he further stated.
The decision wasn’t Vikas’s alone. His family supported him in this stance. His father Shripal said values are more important than tradition.
The incident has created a ripple of joy across Uttar Pradesh and Haryana. Local leaders and prominent personalities have highly appreciated the gesture of Vikas and his family. The former DCDF chairman Krishna Kumar Pundir, Rajput Sabha’s former president Rambhool Singh Pundir, BJP district vice-president Ajit Singh Rana, and many social activists and common masses hailed the act as an example worth following. "Vikas will remain an inspiration for all the youths," they said.
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