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Synopsis "Bride burning is the extreme form of violence against women. Though fairly widespread in Hindu society, the incidents of dowry death still manage to shock the collective apathy of the people. But what about the endless harassment and ill treatment meted out to women at home and at the work place? What are the reasons? Is there a remedy? This raises a whole of questions. Are educated women better off than those who are illiterate? Are urban women more privileged in comparison to their rural sisters? Do women in upper sections of society also suffer at the hands of their men? What about the lower and the middle classes? What about women in other regions? Is a Muslim woman better off in comparison to her Christian counterpart? What about advanced countries? Do women there enjoy more rights than those in the third world countries? Is their condition better than the women in less privileged societies? What about the women in ancient times? Another set of questions relates to economics. More and more women are forced to work to supplement and support family income. Do they get more respect than mere housewives? Lord Tennyson defined the role of the sexes as 'he for the field and for the needle she'. Is the traditional role nothing more than glorified slavery? Can modern women afford it? More important still, will she be satisfied with it? A related line of query presents itself. Who is responsible for the present state of affairs? Are women themselves responsible for their plight? Are they really the weaker sex? Do they have a mind of their own? Or women are nothing more than creatures of emotions? These are some of the questions that this magnum opus addresses. An attempt has been made to seek the answers from various angles."