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Veena Talwar Oldenburg, historian and feminist writer

She spoke about the history of dowry and how it had been perceived as a problem without any other surrounding issues. “I dug into colonial archives. The 1853 census showed an appalling sex ratio, and it pointed out that communities which did not take dowry were doing so,” said Oldenburg, adding that unpacking the gap between these two aspects led her to new trails involving the varying aspects of dowry.