An Epidemic of Femicide in India

Plus: David Remnick remembers the editor Robert Gottlieb; and Putin’s war comes home. View in browser | Update your preferences Thursday, June 15, 2023 In today’s newsletter, “a perception that women are burdens,” and then: • Remembering Robert Gottlieb, editor extraordinaire • Putin’s war comes home • Does Ron DeSantis know how to say his own name? How Dowries Are Fuelling a Femicide Epidemic Every year in India, many thousands are killed in marriage-payment disputes. Why does this war on women persist? Illustration by Manddy Wyckens India outlawed the demanding of a dowry as part of marriage in 1961, yet, as Manvir Singh writes, in an alarming new piece in this week’s issue, the tradition continues to flourish, especially in rural areas of the country, where it is nearly universal. Singh notes that “expectations surrounding dowry have spurred husbands and their families to mistreat women in order to obtain payments”—and cites a United Nations report that found that forty to fifty per cent of female homicides in India result from dowry disputes. The shocking death of the author’s cousin Ravneet (Neeti) Kaur, who was determined to have been strangled following a fight with her husband, may have been one such case. Singh pulls apart the threads of his family’s own story to try to make sense of a larger, persistent crisis. “The effort to save Indian women is more than a battle against violence,” he writes. “It is a campaign to establish the social worth of half of a nation’s population.” Read the story Support The New Yorker’s award-winning journalism. Subscribe today » Editor’s Pick Postscript Remembering Robert Gottlieb, Editor Extraordinaire At Knopf and The New Yorker, Gottlieb was an editor of unexampled accomplishment—someone who seemed to have read everything worth reading and to have published a fair amount of it, too. By David Remnick From the News Desk Our Columnists Putin’s War Hits Close to Home Russia has faced a series of recent attacks, but, in the absence of public space, military losses are personal tragedies, not collective experiences. By Masha Gessen By Any Other Name HBO Max Becomes Max, Ron DeSantis Becomes . . . Rhonda Santis? Can other nomenclatural switcheroos offer clues as to how the Florida governor should pronounce his last name, or what to call the Tappan Zee bridge? By Zach Helfand Tune in: On the Political Scene podcast, the host Tyler Foggatt speaks to the historian Jill Lepore about the battle over Presidential records, from Richard Nixon to Donald Trump. Screening Room The New Yorker Documentary A Father-Son Racetrack Rivalry in “Supernova” The documentary short, co-directed by a pair of brothers, follows a father and son as they enter a new phase of their careers and their relationship. Film by Damien Bettinelli and Marc Bettinelli Text by Fabrice Robinet Sale in The New Yorker Store! Enjoy 15% off using the code DAD15 at checkout through June 18th. Dept. of Diversions Our Local Correspondents The Art of Building the Impossible The carpenter behind some of New York’s most elaborate—and expensive—homes. By Burkhard Bilger Fun & Games Dept. Name Drop Play Today’s Quiz Can you guess the notable person in six clues or fewer? By Will Nediger Daily Shouts America!: Our Favorite Fabulists Star in the Nineties Sitcom “Meet the Grifters” George Santos meets live studio audience. By Ali Fitzgerald Crossword A Beginner-Friendly Puzzle Winter Palace resident, once: four letters. By Elizabeth C. Gorski Daily Cartoon Thursday, June 15th By Sarah Kempa P.S. The editor Robert Gottlieb had a well-known penchant for collecting plastic handbags, or “plastic purses” as Mary Norris called them in her review, last year, of the documentary “Turn Every Page: The Adventures of Robert Caro and Robert Gottlieb.” “He just likes them,” Norris notes, and recounts an especially funny scene from the film: “His wife, the actress Maria Tucci, describes the time she was asked by a therapist what kind of objects her husband collected. She thought about it, and then—she bursts into hysterical laughter—said, ‘Never mind.’ ” Today’s newsletter was written by Ian Crouch. Thanks for reading. Let us know your thoughts about today’s edition. Plus, browse more newsletters and invite a friend to sign up for The Daily. You’re receiving this e-mail because you signed up for The Daily from The New Yorker. Manage your preferences | View our Privacy Policy | Unsubscribe Copyright © Condé Nast 2023. One World Trade Center, New York, NY 10007. All rights reserved.