The Dowry

Social systems in the East are under pressure from Western culture and technology. Inevitably, they must rise to the challenge or go under, with all of the upheaval and unrest that that would entail.The author, as a Sri Lankan living in Denmark with intimate experience of Western culture, is naturally concerned about developments in his own country. There the dowry is the lynchpin of the social system. In a fascinating exposition, he delves into its origins, its social purposes and the way in which it works as he searches for answers to the dilemma of inevitably impending change.He captures the flavour of the role of the marriage broker of old, and wryly notes the usurpation of his role by classified advertisements and the Internet. He outlines the significance of the caste system for the old ways and explores the impact of modern thinking on it. Then he boldly attempts a synthesis of the old and the new that will both preserve a heritage that he loves and enable it to weather the storms ahead.