The Bartered Bride romantic comedy. Thus on its opening night the opera, in its two-act version with spoken dialogue, was poorly attended and indifferently received. Receipts failed to cover costs, and the theatre director was forced to pay Smetana's fee from his own pocket. Smetana's friend Josef Srb-Debrnov, who was unable to attend the performance himself, canvassed opinion from members of the audience as they emerged. "One praised it, another shook his head, and one well-known musician ... said to me: 'That's no comic opera; it won't do. The opening chorus is fine but I don't care for the rest.'" Josef Krejčí, a
Bride Trafficking in Haryana alleviate financial burdens associated with conventional marriage in favour of "dowry-free, no expenses" weddings offered by Haryanvi men. Those trafficked into marriage are bartered at prices based on their physicality such as health, age, beauty and virginity at prices ranging tom 5,000 rupees ($USD70) to 40,000 rupees ($USD600). Locals refer to the brides as "paro" or "molki" which are derogatory terms meaning "one who has a price." For the bride, marriage often means the end of their rights to bodily autonomy, freedom of movement and access to education as traditional gender roles require maintenance of the marital home and caregiving