India, June 3 -- In the wake of Vaishnavi Hagawane's suicide, allegedly driven by demands of dowry by her marital family, members of the Maratha community converged at Ahilyanagar on Sunday to introspect and draw up a code of conduct to curb extravagant weddings, in the hope that such a societal pressure might help curb harassment of women.

The meeting was chaired by Haribhakt Parayan Badrinath Maharaj Tanpure, a kirtankar of the Warkari tradition who belongs to a family of preachers known to advocate social equality. Over time he has earned recognition and lakhs of followers, and is known as a socially conscious kirtankar of the Warkari tradition, thanks to his progressive ideology.

On May 19, after 23-year-old Vaishnavi was found dead...