The Kashmir village that outlawed dowries

One village in Indian-administered Kashmir is bucking the trend for lavish weddings – with an outright ban on dowries.

Listen to this story: Ganderbal, Indian-administered Kashmir – It is said that, 750 years ago, a respected Sufi saint named Syed Baba Abdul Razzaq came all the way from Baghdad to this central part of Indian-administered Kashmir, seated at the foothills of Guttil Bagh, to preach and promote Islam. He ultimately founded the small village of Baba Wayil – population today, 6,000 – and was later laid to rest here in the community of people whose main trade is the cultivation of walnut trees and the weaving of pashmina shawls. The majority of people in this small village are of the Shah caste – Muslims who believe they are directly descended from the lineage of Prophet Muhammad.