In India, the cost of marriage for many women is their life

...It can be dangerous to be a daughter-in-law in India, where marriage and money are tied together in ancient traditions.

The fact that dowry has been illegal since 1961 means little. The vast majority of Indian families, from the urban elite to illiterate farmers, still pay some form of dowry to seal their daughters' wedding agreements. Created long ago to ensure that brides had wealth of their own, the tradition has essentially become a fee paid to the groom's family.

When trouble arises, it can be horrific. Authorities talk of brides held down by sisters-in-law as husbands douse them in kerosene and set them afire. Some are locked in closets until they starve or are beaten in front of their husbands' families.

Fed by greed

Wealth has only compounded the problem.

There has been a sharp spike in the number of dowry-related crimes in recent years, closely paralleling a galloping Indian economy that has brought the trophies of middle-class life ? TVs and motorbikes and matching dining room sets ? tantalizingly close for hundreds of millions of people....