A textbook for nursing students has become a topic of controversy in India after it emerged that one of the images contained in the book, listing the "merits and demerits" of the dowry system, included some very problematic pointers, including how "ugly girls can also get married" as long as they are able to pay dowry.
The image has since gone viral on social media, inviting the ire of civil society.
The page, which according to NDTV, is from Textbook of Sociology for Nurses by T K Indrani, has a section under the subhead, "Merits of Dowry".
As the image went viral, Shiv Sena leader and Rajya Sabha MP Priyanka Chaturvedi condemned it and called upon Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan to "remove such books from circulation", adding that it was a matter of "shame" that such things could make way into the curricula.
According to the book, "dowry is helpful in establishing a new household" as the woman brings with her new "furniture and electronic appliances" and vehicles.
Another "merit" of dowry that the book mentions is girls getting a share in the properties of their parents. The book also lists an "indirect" advantage of the dowry system, saying that parents have now started educating their daughters so that they have to give "less dowry."
The last and the most controversial pointers, however, say that the dowry system helps "ugly-looking girls" find a life partner.
"Ugly looking girls can be married off with attractive dowry with well or ugly looking boys," it says.