Bhausaheb Bhawar: Wheeling for change

Bhausaheb Bhawar has dedicated his life to raising awareness about social evils such as dowry and female foeticide

Bhausaheb Bhawar from the Jalna district in Maharashtra, India, has never been married and has no daughters of his own, but he can empathise with the agony most parents go through while getting their daughters married. Hence, when his sister’s in-laws-to-be demanded for dowry from his parents, Bhausaheb refused to remain silent about this social evil. He has been travelling across India on a bicycle since to reach out to people in far-off corners of the country and to convince them that an empowered woman is far better than one draped in jewels.

Since January 1993, 42-year-old Bhausaheb has travelled to every state in India, cycling for almost 40km to 50km in a day, to raise awareness about female foeticide, promote communal harmony and champion the eradication of the dowry culture. He opted for a bike journey as it allowed him to reach out to people and access the remotest villages in the country. Without caring any further for where he would stay or how he would feed himself, he set out from Aurangabad and followed his calling.



India suffers from one of the highest female foeticide rates in the world and Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Haryana are the worst affected states, according to Bhausaheb. “I have spent most of my time spreading awareness among the villages in these states,” he says. “I talk to students, civil society members, educationists and even VIPs.” He also has plenty of letters of appreciation to back his claim. Bhausaheb has been welcomed warmly by governors in every state and also had discussions about the concrete measures each state can take to elevate the status of women. The Indian army, meanwhile, has provided funds for Bhausaheb’s meals and accommodated him monetarily in whichever way they can. Non-governmental organisations and civil society members have also pledged to forward Bhausaheb’s cause. Such display of support adds to his achievements, he says. On several occasions he has been asked to speak at seminars and raise awareness about these issues, to which he has always obliged — travelling for miles only to speak for a few hours sometimes.

Bhausaheb, however, prefers to address audiences with maximum female attendance. Only women can be a catalyst for this kind of social change which is why they need to be empowered, he says. “We need to educate them. They need to come forward and raise their voice,” he says, encouraging women to take matters in their own hands.



Although many are eager to listen to what Bhausaheb has to say, there are some who label him a member of intelligence agencies or a thief and question his motives. While in Srinagar, Kashmir, where he came to deliver a lecture at the Government College for Women, he was forced by a priest to leave the temple where he had taken shelter temporarily. The journey can been tough but it is nevertheless rewarding he says.

Bhausaheb has only visited his family once in 2007 since he embarked on this mission. He says his life is all about his cause now which is to protect his extended family i.e. the female population of India against social injustices. “I am happy with my contribution, and I am hopeful that one day we will eradicate this evil entirely from India,” he says, adding that although his family misses him, they are very proud of his efforts. His sister got married within two years after her wedding was called off due to demands of a dowry and is now well-settled in a family that respects her brother’s cause.



While India’s battle with female foeticide is not even close to over, Bhausaheb dreams of a world tour to give his message a global platform. The problem of dowry is not limited to India only and has its roots spread in several different countries, he says. And Bhausaheb doesn’t have to look too far since countries such as Pakistan can also learn important lessons from a crusader like him.

Haziq Qadri is a Kashmir-based photojournalist. He tweets @haziq_qadri 

Published in The Express Tribune, Sunday Magazine, October 12^th, 2014.