Bhausaheb Bhawar on his cycle. Picture by Amit Datta

Bhausaheb Bhawar did not clear his Class XII boards, but that does not stop him from educating people against dowry.

For the past 15 years, he has travelled across 28 states of the country on his cycle, telling people not to take or give dowry.

As an 11-year-old, Bhawar saw his father’s helplessness when his sister’s marriage was called off because of an exorbitant dowry which the farmer of Maharashtra could not afford.

“The injustice of it all was just too much. They asked for the dowry a couple of days before the marriage. I decided that I would do something. At 20, I thought I could cycle to different places and request people not to take or give dowry,” Bhawar told Metro.

Though the 35-year-old never liked cycling, he has covered two lakh kilometre on eight different cycles since 1993. “I visit schools and colleges wherever I go, other than asking the panchayat to gather the men and women.”

“Dulha raja hota hai… dahej mang kar unhe bhikari nehi banana hai (Asking for dowry is like begging… if you do so, no one will treat the groom as a king),” he tells villagers and reminds them of families who struggle to feed themselves. “How will they arrange for the dowry?” he asks.

Bhawar has got his message across in different states and has spoken to 22 governors and 15 chief ministers. He believes he has convinced “at least a few” but his work is not over yet.

He is not ready for marriage now, since that will be the end of his cycling around.

Bhawar will leave for Delhi in a week. He hopes to meet the President and spread the word against dowry on the way.