Yogeshwar Dutt, the man who won a bronze medal in wrestling at the London Olympics, is no stranger to making a statement for a cause he believes in. The once-shy pehalwan became quite vocal on social media during the JNU sedition controversy last year. He took on Salman Khan’s legion of fans on Twitter after they trolled him for calling out Salman’s appointment as Olympics ambassador.
The 34-year-old has once again done something that will make the country stand up and take notice.
He will accept just one rupee as dowry when he ties the wedding knot to Sheetal in Delhi on Monday.
Speaking to the Times of India, Yogeshwar spoke about how he saw his family struggle to pay dowry for the girls in his family and decided to take a stand against the practice.
“I decided on two things while growing up — I will excel in wrestling and I will not accept dowry. My first dream has been realised and now it is time to keep my second promise,” he was quoted as saying by TOI.
Yogeshwar’s mother said his family will accept the rupee just as a token of good omen from the bride’s family, but nothing else, according to the report.
First the girls in Dangal showed how they overcame patriarchy to become champion wrestlers and now Yogeshwar stands up against dowry. Wrestlers in India sure know how to break stereotypes, don’t they?