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A one-man crusade against dowry

— Photo: T. Singaravelou

Bhau Saheb Bhawar Maharashtra is on a nation-wide tour on cycle as part of his campaign against dowry and female foeticide

PUDUCHERRY: Twenty-two years ago, when his family had arranged for the marriage of his sister, Bhau Saheb Bhawar, hailing from the Jalna district in Maharashtra, was shocked by the demand of Rs 5000 made by the boy's family as dowry.

He soon realised that what had happened to his sister was not unique incident and the custom of dowry was a menace to society. He then decided to dedicate his life to raise awareness against this practice and has since toured the length and breath of this country four times on a bicycle, urging people to give such customs that “treat women like commodities.”

According to him, the concept of dowry is something that transcends caste and religion. In most parts of the country, he says, the groom's side sees the demand of dowry as their “birthright” and has no scruples in seeking huge sums of money from the bride's family.

When he started his first tour in 1993, Mr. Bhawar quickly understood that the menace of dowry was one of the important factors that contributed to female foeticide and infanticide. “I have heard people tell me, without any remorse, that they had got rid of their child because it was a girl,” he says.

He then included the issue of female foeticide in his campaign and had spread the message by travelling more than 2.25 lakh km since 1993.

Mr. Bhawar says that one of the prime reasons for the existence of such discriminatory practices was the inability of women to stand up for their rights. Such a scenario could be changed by improving education and also making the legal systems in the country more efficient.

“People who come to the court should be given justice in a speedy manner. This will help bring down such practices,” he says. What has saddened Mr. Bhawar is the indifference of the educated class towards such important issues. “It hurts me every time I see a well educated person demand dowry,” he says. While he has covered the country four times, Mr. Bhawar is now hoping to pedal to China and other countries in the sub-continent where discrimination against women also continues.

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