‘Ended up better than I imagined’: Here’s why netizens are lauding the viral dowry calculator on Shaadi.com

Popular Shark Tank India judge Anupam Mittal-led Shadi.com sparked a buzz on social media with its recent innovative feature, where the people looking to get married can check how much dowry they are worth. The new feature shocked the social media users, who posted about their surprising turn of events.

"How much dowry are you worth?" reads an option on the website.

The new feature is a social message.

Once you click the 'Calculate Dowry Amount' button, it will ask for your basic details like age, name, monthly salary, etc. However, instead of providing a dowry amount, the page redirects you to some glaring statistics, which reveal the harsh reality of dowry in India-91,202 dowry related deaths were reported between 2001-2012.

It also asks the users, "Is her life worth the price? Let's make India a dowry-free society. Be the change. Make a difference."

"Initially was shocked to see Dowry calculator in http://Shaadi.com. A segment of the site shows users how much they are worth in the 'dowry' stakes. When you enter details like educational qualifications and income, you are in for a surprise. Instead of showing their dowry worth, the 'calculator' shows visitor stats on dowry deaths in India. Respect and wonderful idea @AnupamMittal," a social media user The Cancer Doctor said in a post on X.

The post quickly went viral, and several netizens were quick to comment. One wrote, “Deserves an award!” while another said, “This ended up better than I imagined.”

“Dil jeet liya sahab”, wrote another user. 

One netizen commented, “How much dowry are you worth? is probably translating Mandi mein bhaw kitna hain into English”.

India reports the highest total number of dowry deaths, with 8,391 such deaths reported in 2010, meaning there are 1.4 deaths per 100,000 women. According to Statista, in 2022, reported dowry death cases in India amounted to nearly 6.4 thousand. This was a gradual decrease from 2014, when this number was approximately 8.5 thousand.