Suryakanta Barik, a school teacher from Sonarpur, West Bengal had told his future in-laws that he would not take any dowry. When he arrived for the wedding, Barik an avid reader, entered the hall to find stacks of books waiting for him. His in-laws had gifted him a wedding present that would take a lifetime to complete.

"I had made it clear that I would not accept any dowry. When I arrived for the wedding, I was pleasantly surprised to find a huge pile of books as gift,” said an excited Barik. His bride Priyanka Bej, is also against the concept of dowry and was happy that her husband was on the same page. She said: “My family knew that I don’t like the concept of marriages that involve giving or taking dowry. So I am very grateful to have a husband who understands that. My father also knew that I love to read. That’s why he gave us this gift."

The 1000 books worth Rs. 1 lakh, written by various legendary authors such as Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, Rabindranath Tagore, and Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay, were purchased from Kolkata’s college street and Udbodhan Karyalaya. More than the amount of money spent on the gift, the amount of consideration and thoughtfulness which has gone into the gesture, is heartwarming.