Sabari,
There are two different and distinct topics here. Here is my take on both of them.
The first part deals with the dowry and unreasonable demands of the grooms parents. I am looking at the figures involved, and it appears that these come from the poorer strata of our community (God Bless, no offence meant here).
From what I have seen, the more affluent the folks are, the less the demands. Maybe because it is assumed that weddings will be conducted in style befitting their ‘status’. Also, nowadays, with smaller families, and higher incomes, there is more money to throw about.
Also, I am very surprised, that in these days of skewed gender representation, ie unavailability of marriageable girls, that the father of this girl accepted to terms which were beyond his means. Again, I think, this boils down to the humbler strata of the society, who are less educated, more conservative, more traditional, and prone to listen to the muttheads. I think any attempt to ‘educate’ them of current trends, would fall on deaf ears. Again no offence meant to anyone.
It is interesting that the note begins with discrimination against quotas and government jobs. Not sure what that has to do with dowry demands, except again I sense a fury over deprived entitlements. I do not buy it.
Part 2 is very surprising. I do not claim to understand all of it. But I think, in these days where the concept of ‘first night’, is more a ‘first of many nights’, it is news to me about the one year brahmacharyam rule (did I understand it right?). even 50 years ago, when we married into traditional families these things did not happen. Though one of my aunts spent first 6 months of the marriage, at her inlaws house, in another town and ‘learned’ the pazhakka vazhakkams of the husband’s household (it was all bunkum, sadistic and slave labour – this is their concept of honeymoon HA!!).
On the whole, I think, it is a phony letter.