| ¸¸.•*¨*•♫♪¸¸.•*¨*•♫♪¸¸ Someone wrote in the Indi-Forum : Why is the focus always on the girl child? Don't the boys need toilets? Why shouldn't the topic include a Bablu as well? There's been a few jingles from, I suppose, the NaMo's swachch bharat mission or NRHM aired on AIR FM channels... something like - Ab is desh me honge jitne bhi vidyalay; bachchiyon ke khaatir honge unme bahut se shauchalay.....I mean why only bachchiyaan? Do they expect the bachchas to still go out in the open? where does the makhkhi sitting on the stuff and polluting the food in Vidya Balan's ad go when it comes to hygienic conditions for boys? Do the makhkhis too discriminate between bachcha and bachchi? And I'm sorry to say, but I feel, this is where it all starts, and then we fight for equality. Why Babli and not Bablu? Why indeed! Of course, boys too need proper sanitation ( and should have; its a must for all ), but importance on girls is because they often become target of perverts who are on the prowl.
Do we see group of girls eve-teasing boys or gang-raping them? No! But the opposite happens only too often and mostly when a girl is out on her own relieving herself. We’ve even had news of the same recently ( Badaun rape case : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014_Badaun_gang_rape ), that led to two girls being gang-raped and later murdered and hanged on trees. These kinda risk is always there for girls more than boys. Girls are physically different than boys too; they attain puberty at an early stage and thus have privacy concerns like their monthly periods. They have delicate health issues which can spring up without proper hygiene and sanitation, leading to infections of all sorts. That, in turn can lead to further health complications. Women also being the bearer of children need special protection. For hope, hygiene, health and dignity Babli must have a toilet!
It is a misconception that this problem exists in rural places only. Sure, it does; but sadly this problem is rampant in urban cities too, more so as population is expanding and space is shrinking.
If one travels by train, it is a common sight to spot these people ( mostly slum/chawl dwellers ~ male, female & kids ) sitting on the railway tracks itself or on the sides, relieving themselves. It is a pathetic sight to see, thus, needs immediate solution. Moreover, this can lead to spread of serious diseases too, as places like these where open defecation takes place are often the breeding ground of dangerous germs and bacteria, and having homes close to these places means spread of infinite diseases.
If our country is to be on par with the top most countries in the world, then proper sanitation is one of the most important factors to achieve. Imagine a foreign tourist coming to our country and seeing the plight here, of people defecating in the open. Isn’t it a shameful thing for us? What about our reputation? Meanwhile, imagine that tourist touring the country and not being able to find even a decent, clean place to relieve themselves! What on earth he/she gonna think about India and Indians? Such a dirty, un-hygienic bunch these Indians are! Do we want outsiders to get impressed by our country or get disgusted by it? And, why just outsiders – don’t we want to feel proud of a clean, healthy and hygienic India ourselves?
It happens so often, while travelling women have to hold themselves for hours for lack of toilets ( that can lead to serious health problems ), while men relieve themselves on any nook/corner they find ( for lack of proper toilets too ).
I have differences with the current ruling party, but I support their Swach Bharat Abhiyan. Recently, at a meeting with Bill Gates ( of Microsoft ), the discussion was primarily ‘the need of toilets’ more than any other issues, by the PM, which was applaudable considering other leaders wouldn’t speak about it as the core issue. Even Gates was so impressed by it that he blogged about it ( http://www.gatesnotes.com/Development/Meeting-Indias-New-Prime-Minister ).
Now, need of the hour is to put words into action. I’m glad Domex is already into it having successfully built toilets in Maharashtra and Orrisa. That makes me wonder, why do I still see open defecation near Bombay’s ( Mumbai ) railway tracks, even now? So, obviously the job is yet not fully done and needs everyone’s support to be accomplished successfully. Let’s support a cleaner and hygienic India ~ yes, for both Babli and Bablu too. ¸¸.•*¨*•♫♪¸¸.•*¨*•♫♪¸¸ |
Very impressive article & thought provoking as well. Made me realize how serious this problem is.
ReplyDeleteIts a big issue and its nice to see so many of you take an initiative to make a change.
ReplyDeletethanks a lot @Vishal @Athenas :-)
ReplyDelete