The Hindu : Kerala / Thiruvananthapuram News : 14 years on the road with a message

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Tuesday, Jun 26, 2007
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Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram

14 years on the road with a message

G. Mahadevan

Bhau Saheb Bhawar has cycled the length and breadth of the country to create awareness of the evils of dowry.

ON A MISSION: Bhau Saheb Bhawar on his arrival at Thiruvananthapuram.

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Amidst the chorus of voices that cry out against the dowry system, the tenor of Bhau Saheb Bhawar may be barely audible. What makes it special, though, is the fact that he has been at the job for the last 14 years. Meeting Governors, Chief Ministers, Army Generals and the common man, Bhau Saheb has cycled across the country to make people aware of the social challenges posed by the dowry system.

Bhau Saheb’s campaign began when he was in Class XII after he witnessed the sufferings that dowry demands inflict on a family.

“For my sister’s marriage, I saw and felt the pain of the struggle to meet the dowry demands. That is when I got the idea of cycling across the country with an anti-dowry slogan,” he told TheHindu here on Monday. Now, the Andamans is the only part of the country that this native of Aurangabad, Maharashtra, has not visited.

Armed with nothing more than a couple of placards and his skills of persuasion, Bhau Saheb, 37, organises meetings in schools and colleges. Often his message is conveyed in casual conversation with people whom he meets at tea shops.

When he came to Kerala, he had a surprise in store. “I have heard that Keralites are the most educated people in the country. But when I came here, I saw that the dowry system was perhaps the strongest here. The only thing is that you have not started burning brides in the name of dowry. The more your education, the more seems to be your demand for dowry. The day you start burning brides, the rest of the country will realise what is going on here.”

Bhau Saheb says Mizoram, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh are States where he did not see the dowry system. In Sikkim the groom’s family gives gifts to the bride’s family before the marriage. In Arunachal Pradesh, the groom’s family has to give away 11 ‘Mithun’ to the bride’s family. In Assam, though, the dowry system is slowly taking roots. This campaigner against dowry is also sad that Keralites do not seem to readily accept strangers. “I don’t have any fixed place to spend the night. I approach people, show them my credentials and ask for shelter. Here people are very reluctant. In Mizoram, they treat even strangers with affection. First they help you and then ask who you are,” he explained.

On Tuesday, Bhau Saheb has an appointment to keep with Governor R.L. Bhatia. After that he will pedal — on his seventh cycle since his journey began — to Kanyakumari and Chennai before going to the Andamans. Later, he will head home — the second time in 14 years — before charting a trip to other Asian countries and possibly even Europe.

Though he says he is happy with the media attention and support from various quarters, what Bhau Saheb now wants to do is write books. He says he is not short of topics; he plans to write on a wide range of topics relating to India. He has also with him 14 years worth of experiences and anecdotes. He wants to go abroad to raise funds to write and publish all these books. At various points during his journey, Bhau Saheb has been financially supported by the Indian Army, State Bank of India, various associations of bank employees and even a couple of governors.

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