R.N.I. Regn. No. 49322/89
ISSN: 2230–7567
SULABH INDIa ISSN: 2230–7567
Wishing you
Merry
December 2015, ` 20/-
Hon’ble Haribhai Parathibhai Chaudhary, Union Minister of State for Home Affairs, with the children of Sulabh Public School
Christmas And A Prosperous
New Year
Sulabh will fulfil the dreams of the Hon'ble PM
Human Rights Day On Human Rights Day, let us recommit to guaranteeing the fundamental freedoms and protecting the human rights of all. – United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
Wishing our former Prime Minister
Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee A Very Happy Birthday (December 25)
Human Rights Day is observed every year on 10 December. It commemorates the day on which, in 1948, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. In 1950, the Assembly passed resolution 423 (V), inviting all States and interested organizations to observe 10 December of each year as Human Rights Day. This year's Human Rights Day is devoted to the launch of a year-long campaign for the 50th anniversary of the two International Covenants on Human Rights: the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which were adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on 16 December 1966. The two Covenants, together with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, form the International Bill of Human Rights, setting out the civil, political, cultural, economic, and social rights that are the birth right of all human beings.
Editorial dr. Bindeshwar Pathak
Sanitation
Mobilisation for Resources
T
he Great Plague of London in 1665, which led to the deaths of 100,000 people (or a quarter of the city’s population), forced the government to impose taxes for the first time, to clean cities, introduce a sewerage system and build toilets. Even earlier, there were similar taxes levied in 14th century Europe to combat bubonic plague, also known as the Black Death.
“Sanitation for all” is a national call which has moral ring. Sanitation is like a battle which we cannot afford to lose. It is also central to our economic growth and moral framework of a civilized society
The government levies a cess, which is tax on tax during emergencies caused by war, floods, drought or earthquakes. The Government of India also imposes cess to fund social activities including education and health. The chief ministers, who make up the Niti Aayog’s sub-group entrusted with the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, have recommended that the government levy a cess on petrol, telecom services, coal and iron ore. They say extra taxes are necessary to carry out the sanitation campaign. Taxes for sanitation are collected by the states to run municipal services. But still about half the population defecates in the open as a consequence of which about 1,000 children die every day. These deaths have seldom been reported because those who die are poor. The poor also manually clean dry toilets making them prone to infections. Therefore Sulabh’s determination to eliminate dry toilets with proper modern toilets and thereby end manual clearing of human waste. Any number of arguments have been made both in support of and opposing the toilet cess, but the prime minister’s call of “Toilets for All” settled the issue. A toilet is not just about the installation in a home. It’s also about laying an extensive system, to ensure a self-supporting sanitation network the cost of which would be another plan expenditure. It would include educating people about hygiene and sanitation, to avoid defecating in the open and the need to eliminate manual scavenging. “Sanitation for all” is a national call which has moral ring. Sanitation is like a battle which we cannot afford to lose. It is also central to our economic growth and moral framework of a civilized society. Sulabh supports this tax proposal. SULABH INDIA
December 2015 03
SULABH INDIA dmfd ISSN: 2230-7567 December 2015
Editor-in-Chief Bindeshwar Pathak
C O N
Managing Editor Kumar Dilip Editor S.P.N. Sinha Joint Editor Janak Singh Anita jha Editorial Advisory Board S.P. Singh Arjun Prasad Singh R.S. Srivastava Ashok Kumar Jyoti C.P. Nambiar Art Director Debabrata Chatterjee Design & Layout Anil Khanna Shashi Dhar Printed & Published by Ram Chandra Jha On behalf of Sulabh International Social Service Organisation Published at
RZ-83, Mahavir Enclave Palam-Dabri Road, New Delhi-110045 Ph. : +91-11-25031518, 25031519 Fax: +91-11-25034014 Email : info@sulabhinternational.org contact@sulabhinternational.org sulabhinfo@gmail.com sulabhindiainfo@gmail.com Website : www.sulabhinternational.org www.sulabhtoiletmuseum.org Printed at Xtreme Office Aids (Pvt.) Ltd. WZ-219A, Street No. 7, Lajwanti Garden, New Delhi-110 046 Entire contents (C) Sulabh International Social Service Organisation. All rights reserved. Reproduction or translation in any language in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. Requests for permission should be sent to Editor, Sulabh India. Opinions expressed in the contents are the contributors’ and not necessarily endorsed by the publisher who assumes no responsibility for return of unsolicited material, nor is he responsible for material lost or damaged in transit. All enquiries/ correspondence regarding editorial, advertisement, subscription or circulation should be addressed to the Editor, Sulabh India, and sent on the address given here in above.
R.N.I. Regn. No. 49322/89 ISSN: 2230–7567
04 SULABH INDIA
December 2015
Editorial Sanitation: Mobilisation for Resources
03
Cover Story Sulabh, a Laboratory of Swachh Bharat
06
Visit U.P. Congress Leader Rita Bahuguna Welcomed on Sulabh Campus
14
Exhibition COP 21 : Commitment for Hope
15
Meeting Social and Development Projects Contribution by Overseas Indians
16
Seminar Book Promotion : Problems and Prospects
17
T E N T S Inauguration Nelson School Inspired by Sulabh
18
Conference Towards Sustainable & Smart Living
20
Reception Narendra Modi at Wembley Stadium
22
History UN at 70 : An Idea that did not Fail
28
Hygiene Menstrual Hygiene Management in Sikkim
30
Focus Only One Planet : So Care and Share
34
Story A New Year’s Gift
36
Distinguished Guests
40
Sulabh News from States andhra Pradesh Chhatisgarh gujarat Jammu & Kashmir
Jharkhand Karnataka madhya pradesh
Heritage West Asian Heritage in Jeopardy
24
Punjab
Photo of the Month
45 45 46 46 47 48 48 49 50
SULABH INDIA
December 2015 05
cover story
SULABH A LABORATORY OF
06 SULABH INDIA
December 2015
SWACHH BHARAT
Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak welcoming the Hon’ble Union Minister of State for Home Affairs, Haribhai Parathibhai Chaudhary
SULABH INDIA
December 2015 07
cover story
Sulabh is a remarkable organisation dedicated to the welfare of the people, especially scavengers who have suffered for decades but are now seeing light on the horizon. Dr. Pathak is not working for himself, he is a great reformer and his work is testimony to that
h
on’ble Haribhai Parathibhai Chaudhary, Union Minister of State for Home Affairs, along with other MPs and senior ministry officials, visited Sulabh Gram on December 7, 2015. They were welcomed by Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak, who introduced them to the liberated women scavengers of Alwar and Tonk, the ladies from Hirmathla, and villagers from Murshidabad and Ludhiana along with the widows from Vrindavan. Mr. Chaudhary lauded the work of Dr. Pathak and promised that Sulabhdeveloped toilets would be introduced in their constituencies. Dr. Pathak elaborated on the work now being done by the “liberated
08 SULABH INDIA
December 2015
Students of Sulabh Public School greeting the Hon’ble Minister SULABH INDIA
December 2015 09
The Hon’ble Minister being taken round the exhibition
Vrindavan widows being introduced to the Hon’ble Minister
A machine preparing sanitary napkins
The Hon’ble Minister of State, Home Affairs and Members of Parliament with Dr. Pathak in the Sulabh Swachhata Rath
The New ‘Princesses’ of Alwar and Tonk applying tilak on the Hon’ble Minister, Haribhai Parathibhai Chaudhary
Observing the mantle lamp powered by biogas at the Sulabh Campus
10 SULABH INDIA
December 2015
cover story scavengers�. Free from having to clear human waste since 2003, they now work in small cottage industries preparing papad, pickles and so on. Some have entered the beauty care business, others are into cutting tailoring. From the time when they used to earn a pittance, they now make between Rs.10,000-15,000 every month. They have acquired dignity and status and are no longer looked down upon.. He recalled the Supreme Court’s query whether he could do something to help the destitute widows of Vrindavan. Sulabh readily came forward. Now they are given monthly stipend besides being trained in making incense sticks, garlands etc. Medical facilities along with ambulances are also provided for them. In West Bengal, Sulabh in collaboration with a French company, 1001 Fontaines, has installed water filtration plants in Madhusudankati in North 24 Pargana District, and in Murshidabad and Mayapur in Nadia District. The public can now avail of clean and arsenic-
We have seen a small laboratory of Swachh Bharat, Swastha Bharat. Our prime minister spoke of toilets and educating daughters from the ramparts of the Red Fort in 2014. He has written to all MPs to adopt one village at least for this purpose. We are all proud of our prime minister who has taken up the mission of Clean India
Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak showing a flask of effluent from Sulabh Public Toilet, rendered odourless and pathogen-free after treatment using the Sulabh technology
SULABH INDIA
December 2015 11
cover story free drinking water available at 50 paise a litre. The Murshidabad plant is run by three graduate ladies. The distinguished guests were later taken to the Sulabh Swachhata Rath, which will take the prime minister’s message of Swachh Bharat all over towns and villages. A short film on the theme of Swachhata and songs composed by Dr. Pathak, ‘Modi ka Sapna banaliya apna’, ‘Chalo Chalo Bhaiya re Kashi Nagaria’ were played in the Rath. The visitors met the villagers from Hirmathla and Ludhiana where Sulabh in collaboration with Railtel Corporation and Bharti Foundation has built toilets. Dr. Pathak introduced them to Usha Chaumar, now president of the Sulabh International Social Service Organisation. She won the India Today Safaigiri Award last year for her work in cleaning up Assi Ghat in Varanasi. The prime minister gave away the award. The visitors were briefed on the biogas linked to the Sulabh Public Toilet, which provides fuel for cooking and lighting. They lit a lamp with the gas and roasted a papad on a gas-fuelled oven. They were shown various models of Sulabh toilets on the campus and given details of the “two-pit” toilet design. At the English medium Sulabh
Human excreta, hard and odour-free after two years in the Sulabh pit
12 SULABH INDIA
December 2015
Sulabh has been engaged in the sanitation mission for over four decades, which is also the concern of our prime minister, who happens to be the second leader after Mahatma Gandhi to talk of toilets
Public School, two students Manasi and Vansh Thakur, informed the visitors that 60% of the children belonged to Balmiki families.who were given free education along with books and uniforms. At the Sulabh Vocational Training Centre, training was being imparted in computers, shorthand and typing, cutting and tailoring etc. Visiting the Sulabh International Museum of Toilets was a unique experience. The museum has models of toilets dating back to the earliest times. Little wonder the visitors were heard to remark that the Museum was listed third among ten wonderful museums of the world by Time Magazine. Presenting them Mithila paintings as farewell gifts, Dr. Pathak said: “We are privileged to have the opportunity to welcome you here. Sulabh has been engaged in the sanitation mission for over four decades, which is the concern of our prime minister, who happens to be the second leader after Mahatma Gandhi to talk of toilets. With more than six lakh villages in nearly 6000 blocks and 690 districts, toilet building and effective sanitation was a mammoth task for which the government, NGOs and the
For the first time since 1994 a strong government at the Centre is ruling with a vision and desire to make India great. The prime minister’s approach to problems is serious and earnest. Soon the results of the Swachh Bharat campaign will start becoming visible and people will realize what good leadership can do for them corporate sector would need to collaborate.” A citation presented to Mr. Chaudhary said: “Sir, for two special reasons, you are very dear to the Sulabh family, and we take a special delight in welcoming you. You hail from the home state of Mahatma Gandhi, whose passion for sanitation and social reforms gave birth to Sulabh Sanitation Movement and, you are a distinguished minister of the Union Government which has launched the historic Swachh Bharat Mission under the stewardship of another great son of Gujarat, Prime Minister Narendra Modi.” Thanking them, Mr. Chaudhary said: “We have seen a small laboratory of Swachh Bharat, Swastha Bharat. Our prime minister spoke of toilets and educating daughters from the
ramparts of the Red Fort in 2014. He has written to all the MPs to adopt one village each at least for this purpose. We are all proud of our prime minister who has taken up the mission of Clean India. Sulabh has not only been building toilets, but Dr. Pathak has been reforming our society. I wish long life for Dr. Pathak who has been recognized as a social reformer all over the world.” The minister added: “For the first time since 1994 a strong government at the Centre is ruling with a vision and desire to make India great. The prime minister’s approach to problems is serious and earnest. Mr. Modi spoke on the need for toilets in his first Independence Day speech. Soon the results of the Swachh Bharat campaign will start becoming visible and people will realize what good leadership can do for them.” SULABH INDIA
December 2015 13
VISIT
U.P. Congress Leader Rita Bahuguna Welcomed on Sulabh Campus ¢
Janak Singh
R
ita Bahuguna Joshi, UP Congress leader and her husband P.C. Joshi were accorded a warm welcome to the Sulabh Campus in Delhi by Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak in December. Aarti was done and sindoor applied by former scavenger women from Alwar and Tonk in Rajasthan. Their lives were transformed by Sulabh. Also present were widows from Vrindavan and Varanasi, now under the care of Sulabh.
and with the blessings of Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi. In fact, Sulabh’s association with Congress social activities is of long standing.
Dr. Pathak recalled that the Sulabh movement was born in 1968 when he was a member of the Bihar Gandhi Centenary Celebration Committee. In fact, Sulabh is all about Gandhi’s message and mission, and has the singular aim of completing the unfinished agenda of the Father of the Nation, who wanted a Hon’ble Rita Bahuguna with Usha Chaumar at the Sulabh Campus scavenger girl to be made Governor-General of India. In brief, him greater success in the days Describing the evolution of Sulabh Sulabh is the largest nationally to come.” A citation praising her four decades ago to its position and internationally recognized achievements and profiling her today as the biggest NGO working pan-India non-profit voluntary political career was presented to her. without any assistance from the social organization, which Sulabh has had a long association government, Dr. Pathak said it was works to promote human rights, with the Congress. This social all due to the toilet he had designed environmental sanitation, health and movement got a boost when Smt. which has liberated scavengers from hygiene, non-conventional sources Indira Gandhi wrote a letter to the a degrading profession and lifted of energy, waste management and then Bihar chief minister on April 5, them out of poverty. More than that, social reform through education, 1973, stressing the need to abolish it had ended the suffering of those training and campaign. It is scavenging. Since then Sulabh has whom Gandhiji had felt deeply intellectually engaged in solving carried on this work for 45 years, for. Sulabh has fulfilled Gandhiji’s social problems. dream and liberated a vast number Sulabh has re-defined sanitation, of scavengers from untouchability developed a scavenging-free twoSulabh Social by introducing Sulabh toilets which pit pour-flush, safe and hygienic movement got a boost do not need physical removal of on-site human waste disposal night-soil. when Smt. Indira technology; a new concept in Gandhi wrote a letter Ms Bahuguna said she had heard maintenance and construction of to the then Bihar a lot about Dr. Pathak and his pay-and-use public toilets, being revolutionary work. “A single used by about 15 million people chief minister on April man has brought about such a every day, and generation of biogas 5, 1973, stressing transformation in the life of so many and bio-fertilizer produced from the need to abolish people is indeed very laudable. Dr. excreta-based plants. Sulabh, scavenging. Since then Pathak’s work deserves greater thus, seeks to set up a modern and Sulabh has carried on appreciation for it is aimed at humane social order based on social improving the lot of women, who justice and equal opportunity. This this work for 45 years generally remain neglected. I wish is what Gandhiji sought to do. 14 SULABH INDIA
December 2015
EXHIBITION
COP 21
Commitment for Hope
Views of the Exhibition
Sulabh representative Deepak Vohra in Paris
I
n December, an exhibition “COP 21 - A Commitment for Hope” was organised in Paris focusing on the measures taken by Sulabh International with respect to sanitation and the “Clean India Campaign”. Mr. Deepak Vohra, who represented Sulabh International, gave a brief insight into the Sulabh Sanitation and Social Reform Movement of Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak. “The movement that Sulabh has been spearheading since 1970s has started changing people’s mindset and shifting the paradigm. Dr. Pathak did this through a range of interconnected initiatives, dissecting caste, innovating technology, raising consciousness, connecting people, and bringing change.” Dr. Pathak had been invited as chief guest but due to unavoidable circumstances, was not able to attend. However, he sent a video message for the function. Mr. Deepak Vohra later called on Mohan Kumar, India’s Ambassador to France. SULABH INDIA
December 2015 15
MEETING
Participants with Sushma Swaraj at the Fifth Meeting of the Board of Trustees of IDF-OI
Social and Development Projects
Contribution by Overseas Indians
I
ndia Development Foundation of Overseas Indians (IDF -OI) is a not-for-profit trust set up by the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs to facilitate philanthropic contributions by overseas Indians to social and development projects in India. The Fifth Meeting of the Board of Trustees of IDF-OI was chaired by Mrs. Sushma Swaraj, Minister for External Affairs and Overseas Indian Affairs. The Board reviewed the progress on the revised mandate finalized at the last board Meeting in May 2015 i.e. to promote among overseas Indians, the flagship programmes of Swachh Bharat Mission and National Mission for Clean Ganga, projects identified by the states and donor advised projects.
16 SULABH INDIA
December 2015
The trust informed the board that under the Swachh Bharat Mission, overseas Indians were invited to fund construction of household, community and public toilets in urban and rural areas. The trust has also invited contributions for the National Mission for Clean Ganga. Several state governments have identified A view of the Meeting
social and development projects in areas such as sanitation, education, drinking water, women’s empowerment and so on which are available for funding through IDF-OI. IDF-OI also conducted an outreach in the UAE in October 2015 as a result of which many overseas Indians, made commitments to funding projects especially those under the Swachh Bharat Mission. The Board directed that IDF-OI may enhance its outreach among Indians in the UK and Qatar. Among those attending were Yusuff Ali, Subhash Jindal, Dr. B.K. Agnihotri, Ashok Chowgule, Ritu Beri, Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak and senior officials from the ministries of Home, External Affairs, NITI Aayog and Finance.
seminar
BOOK PROMOTION :
PROBLEMS AND PROSPECTS
A view of the Seminar
T
he Authors Guild of India in collaboration with the National Book Trust organized its 41st annual convention and seminar on ‘Book Promotion: Problems and Prospects’ on December 11-12, 2015 in Hyderabad. Goa Governor Mridula Sinha and Naini Narasimha Reddy, Telangana Home Minister, were present at the inaugural session. Also participating were Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak, Dr. Shiv Shankar Awasthi, Jinani Banu and poets from Andhra Pradesh, Goa, Maharashtra , Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Meghalaya and
Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak with Goa Governor Mridula Sinha and Narasimha Reddy lighting the lamp
Manipur. Dr. Awasthi said the Guild has been actively engaged in solving problems faced by authors related to publication of their works and issues like royalty and copyright. Naini Narasimha Reddy recalled his visit to Bihar and the state’s contribution to social reform. Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak said the five elements-earth, sky, air, water and fire – are the basic components of nature. Religion and culture are basically distinct factors, the former being a perennial phenomenon, and the latter varying according to place and community. Mridula Sinha said the writer was the most important among five pillars in
Five elements-earth, sky, air, water and fire – are the basic components of nature. Religion and culture are basically distinct factors, the former being a perennial phenomenon, and the latter varying according to place and community. Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak
the literary world: writer, publisher, distributor, the government and the reader. They need to cooperate to resolve problems and recited a few lines from her poems, ‘Mamata se ho otaprota nava Samaj Nirman’ and ‘Pakal pakal ber Shabari chakal chakal rakhi’. Dr. Ganesh Gunjan of the Sulabh Sahitya Academy spoke of his two mothers: the one who gave him life and the other the Hindi language. At the evening session about 75 poets and poetesses recited their poems. A few recitals are: Dushari ko na hargiz hawa dijiye Desh men ho aman, ye dua kijiye Mr. Lakshman Prasad Deharia Sara gaon andhera hai Isme ek ghar tera hai Isme ek ghar mera hai Dr. Gangesh Gunjan Rat rat bhar neend nahi ati Soonepan men yad tumhari Barbas aur ghani ho jati Dr. Shiva Shankar Awasthi
SULABH INDIA
December 2015 17
INAUGURATION
Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak on the inauguration of Nelson School
The word foundation usually describes a range of activities from research and innovation to the charitable, carried out under an institutional framework
NELSON SCHOOL T INSPIRED BY
ď ą Bulbul Jha he word foundation usually describes a range of activities from research and innovation to the charitable, carried out under an institutional framework.
SULABH 18 SULABH INDIA
December 2015
But dreams also have foundations, reflecting some deep-felt desires or ambitions, even fears. Dreams also draw from something we have seen or heard that has left an impression in our mind space. Three years back, on a flight from Mumbai to Hyderabad, I was going through a magazine when an article caught my eye. It was about one man’s effort towards achieving a social revolution in
India. It caught my imagination and I must admit, for much of the flight I read and re-read that article, not bothering to go through the rest of the magazine. It goes without saying the article left a deep impression on me, it was the trigger for me to realize my own dream. But that later. The article was about the Sulabh International Social Service Organisation and the man behind
Dr. Pathak’s first question is about what each and every one of us experience when out of home and have to answer nature’s call. The dilemma is inextricably linked to how we keep our towns and cities clean. of questions: “Where would a person answer nature’s call when he/she is out of his/her home’’; ‘’Why should a person defecate in the open?”; “What type of toilets should be built in the home?’’ Dr. Pathak’s first question is about what each and every one of us experience when out of home and have to answer nature’s call. The dilemma is inextricably linked to how we keep our towns and cities clean. it: Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak who founded the Sulabh Sanitation Movement. He is related to my family, but that article was the first I learnt about his contribution to society and the nation. Rather, his work has surmounted all geographical barriers.
The second query on defecating in the open is about the larger issue of one’s dignity and selfrespect. The third question involves the lives and dignity of the lakhs of scavengers, the need to uplift them and bring them into the mainstream.
I would say his is a social movement as relevant and meaningful as Newton’s discovery of gravity. “Why does an apple fall down?” was the question in Newton‘s mind. Apples were falling down earlier as well before Newton thought over it. Nor have apples stopped falling after that discovery but what has changed is science and our approach.
Sulabh International Social Service Organization was founded to answer all three issues, driven by the ideas and personality of Dr. Pathak. I was inspired. I resolved to open a quality school for those who have been deprived of education. Thus was born the Nelson School in the Samastipur district of Bihar to cater to the needs of people who have no access to a modern school based on CBSE curriculum.
In a similar vein, Dr. Pathak must have asked himself a number
The school, owned and managed by the Shail Geeta Educational
Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak who founded the Sulabh Sanitation Movement. He is related to my family, but that article was the first I learnt about his contribution to society and the nation. Rather, his work has surmounted all geographical barriers. 34
Trust, was inaugurated on Dec 14, 2015 by Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak in the presence of hundreds of people from more than a dozen villages. Classes from nursery to 5 begin on March 2016. The school management is guided by the promise of “Let’s Get Educated”, enunciated by the trust. The school has infrastructure in accordance with CBSE rules and will apply for permanent affiliation in course of time. Guided by Dr. Pathak’s advice, Nelson School will impart training to all students in cleanliness and hygiene. This will be extended to the mature population, the idea is to reach out to the parents and guardians of our students through demonstrations and lectures Talent nurturing is another area which will set this school apart from others. We will also strive to make residents of villages feel at par with any city or town in terms of educational excellence. Help us live our mission & vision.
SULABH INDIA
December 2015 19
CONFERENCE
Hon’ble Vasundhara Raje, Chief Minister, Rajasthan addressing Municipalika 2015
M UNICI P ALI K A 2 0 1 5
TOWARDS SUSTAINABLE AND SMART LIVING
T
he Pink City of Jaipur hosted Municipalika for the first time at the Jaipur Exhibition and Convention Centre, Sitapura, with Jaipur Municipal Corporation as the host. The three-day event welcomed over 1,600 delegates from all over India and abroad who included officials of the urban and housing sector, representatives of 176 local bodies, 40 mayors, chairpersons and municipal commissioners,
20 SULABH INDIA
December 2015
secretaries from 24 states and 300 cities, over 500 municipal councillors, delegates from seven countries, private industry and professionals. The programme witnessed active support from UN-Habitat, UNDP and other national and international urban stakeholder institutions. In her inaugural address, Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, appealed for public support to build clean,
liveable, sustainable and smart cities. She urged citizens, mayors and representatives of municipal bodies to motivate their fellow men with this goal in mind. She said the state government intended to bring down the carbon footprint through tree plantation, water conservation and recycling. This would be undertaken in all of Rajasthan’s 33 districts. Rajpal Singh Shekhawat, Rajasthan Minister of Urban
Development and Housing, said the ‘Mukhyamantri Jan AwaasYojana’ had been launched to develop urban centres. Rajasthan would be investing one lakh crore in the next five years in urban renewal. “I strongly believe that smart cities are possible only with smart leadership for urban governance and smart citizens for genuine participation,” said Venkaiah Naidu, Union Minister of Urban Development. “I do hope...this conference will richly benefit from the conference deliberations on all facets and also benefit
Hon’ble Vasundhara Raje at the Sulabh Stall
Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje appealed for public support to build clean, liveable, sustainable and smart cities. She urged citizens, mayors and representatives of municipal bodies to motivate their fellow men with this goal in mind
I strongly believe that smart cities are possible only with smart leadership for urban governance and smart citizens for genuine participation. I do hope... this conference will richly benefit from the conference deliberations on all facets and also benefit from the exhibition segment. I offer my best wishes and look forward to receive the major recommendations emerging out of Municipalika Venkaiah Naidu Union Minister of Urban Development.
from the exhibition segment. I offer my best wishes and look forward to receive the major recommendations emerging out of Municipalika. The support of the Government of India would be available to all cities in the urban transformation and creating safe, healthy, green and smart cities.” The three-day cerebration reached its peak when mayors, city managers, social activists, NGOs and subject experts of participative cities came together to share their experience on handling civic issues during an Open House Citizen Interface presided over by social activist Shazia Ilmi. Mamta Gupta, Mayor of Rewa in Madhya Pradesh, has collected garbage from ‘door to door’, getting citizens involved by charging them one rupee per day. She has also undertaken the task of making the city ‘polythene free’. Pantam Rajini Shesha Sai, Mayor of Rajahmundri in Andhra Pradesh spoke about the 50,000-strong women’s group that was building awareness about sanitation. She said the municipal corporation
had motivated students to create awareness about sanitation. Shakti Singh Choudhary, Mayor of Gangtok, was lauded for imposing user’s charges on civic facilities despite political opposition. Innovative garbage collection has made Gangtok the cleanest hill station in the country, Choudhary claimed. He said fertilizers were banned in the state. There was no open defecation as fines were levied on those doing so. Municipalika also saw 140 exhibitors display technologies, services, products, equipment, machinery and managerial systems. There were live demonstrations with over 5000 visitors in attendance. The event culminated with the valedictory address by Rajpal Singh Shekhawat, who noted that cities were now gauged by the index of happiness and how convenient it was. For him, the idea of smart cities meant a great integration of culture, heritage and technology and the legislation for governance would undergo a lot of changes in the next quarter of a century.
SULABH INDIA
December 2015 21
Reception
Prime Minister David Cameron addressing the gathering
Narendra Modi at Wembley Stadium
P
rime Minister Narendra Modi was accorded the biggest ever reception for any political leader at London’s Wembley Stadium. With an estimated 60,000 people packing the stadium shouting “Modi, Modi”, and 800 artists putting up a great mix of Western style song and dance, Punjabi Bhangra and Gujarati Garba, besides Kathakali and Bharatnatyam, the event spanned over four hours. Scottish bagpipers led the charge followed by Alisha Chinai who sang her famous “Made in India”, now a catch line made famous by Modi himself. Another artist was Wembleyborn singer and rapper Jay Sean (real name Kamaljit Singh, the name change was to improve his chances in the music market).
22 SULABH INDIA
December 2015
Although temperatures dipped considerably, the crowd waited patiently as UK Prime Minister David Cameron, his wife (draped in a red sari) kicked off the proceedings with a “Namaste Wembley… Team India.. a huge welcome from Team UK. We’re used to meeting on a cricket pitch, but with a gathering like this I know one thing, we are all winners today. I’d like to welcome the man you’ve all been waiting for.” As the chants for the Indian prime minister grew louder, Cameron said: “Hold on. They said a chaiwala would never govern the
world’s largest democracy. But he proved them wrong.” He referred to Modi’s election catchphrase of acche din(good days) remarking that, “with his energy, vision and ambition, the good days will definitely come.” He reeled off a list of politicians of Indian origin in the UK., including Priti Patel, Minister of State for Employment, spoke of the value of the British-Indian community and then to cheers said: “There is a remarkable possibility of seeing one day a British-Indian Prime Minister in
The dreams that you have dreamed, the dreams that every Indian has dreamed, we have the strength to fulfill in India. India has millions of people who are below the age of 35
Downing Street.” Then turning to Modi, he asked him in Gujarati: “Kem Cho?” (How are you)?, before handing over the podium to his Indian counterpart. Modi began in English perhaps for Cameron’s benefit, later switching to English. “This is a historic day for a great partnership and you are the heartbeat,” he said.“I have come to you after 12 years.” (his last visit to the U.K. was in 2003).The prime minister told the audience: “I want to promise you that the dreams that you have dreamed, the dreams that every Indian has dreamed, we have the strength to fulfill in India. India has millions of people who are below the age of 35. A nation with such a large youth population won’t be held back from development. Finding jobs for them is a problem though. 90 million people will enter the workforce in India over the next 15 years. That’s more than the population of the U.K.” He repeated another theme he often chose for the diaspora audiences: Respect for him from foreign governments amounted to respect for all of India’s 1.25 billion people. Part of his reaching out to members of the overseas Indian-origin community is to restore their pride in their Indian roots and encourage them to connect with India through greater investment. He cited the example of Shyamji
Whatever the colour of your passport, you are bound to me by the colour of your blood. You should find ways to bind yourselves to India and use your strength and time for Mother India Krishna Varma, a lawyer and freedom fighter, who was part of a professional association of barristers and judges in the U.K.
Unity in Diversity Mr. Modi said people often asked him how India’s 1.2 billion people live together in harmony. India, he said, is a land of 100 languages, 1,500 dialects, and 1,000 types of food habits. “This diversity is our pride and our strength,” he added. The prime minister dedicated several minutes of his speech to the subject of diversity in India, perhaps in an effort to reassure critics overseas, including some in the British press, who had asked pointed questions about religious tolerance in India. “Indians are known for living peacefully with people from different backgrounds, throughout the world. Their behaviour and character are well known. You deserve my congratulations,” he said and painted a picture of a strong, confident India of the 21st century. “Our effort is that India’s position should be one of parity with other countries. We don’t want favours from the world. We want relationships based on equality.”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi with his host and UK counterpart David Cameron
Modi said: “India can show the world the right way to deal with two pressing global issues: terrorism and global warming. Mahatma Gandhi’s life, his messages, his non-violent path can help free the world from both of these problems.”
Laudable Contributions In the next 1,000 days, Modi said he would take up the task of bringing electricity to 18,000 villages in India which currently aren’t connected to the grid. He said he was looking to solar, wind and renewable energy to supply a lot of this power. He spoke of a “Solar Alliance” he is trying to cobble together - a collection of 102 countries that receive ample sunlight that can be harnessed to build greener economies. He had been getting support from world leaders whom he called “Suryaputras,” (sons of the Sun). Modi talked of his programme “Save the Daughter, Educate the Daughter,” (Beti Bachao Beti Padhao) and said this had led a man in the state of Haryana, known for its skewed sex ratio, to start a campaign with fathers taking selfies with their daughters. The campaign, he said, had spread across India, from celebrities to ordinary Indians. He outlined the government’s efforts to make it easier for nonresident Indians travel to India. Modi appealed to them to give back to their country. “Whatever the colour of your passport, you are bound to me by the colour of your blood. You should find ways to bind yourselves to India and use your strength and time for Mother India. The country is waiting for you, my friends; Come, India is moving forward.” SULABH INDIA
December 2015 23
heritage
¢
Bageshwar Jha
M
useums are the institutions that preserve and interpret the material evidences of the human race, human activity, and of the natural world. Since ancient times, civilized man has experimented with keeping alive their achievements. The first museum in recorded history was founded in Mesopotamia in 530 BC by the Babylonian kings
24 SULABH INDIA
December 2015
Man-made disasters can outdo natural disasters in terms of the detrimental effects on our collective memory of the past. Theft, war, civil disorders, terrorism, neglect and vandalism are human factors in the accidental or wilful destruction of our heritage Nebuchadnezzar and Nebonidus. They had antiquities gathered for display at Ur in modern Iraq. In the 3rd century BC,
Ptolemy established a museum in Alexandria, Egypt. The first modern museum was the British Museum which opened its doors
West Asian Heritage in
Jeopardy
National Museum of Iraq
in 1753. That is history. What is happening to museums today in the Arab world is nothing short of tragedy. Theft, war, civil disorder, terrorism, neglect and vandalism are human factors in the accidental or wilful destruction of heritage. Of these threats, armed conflict remains particularly intractable and disturbing. Regrettably, of late we have experienced more than once, how shocking the effects of violent struggle can
be on the heritage of countries such as the former Yugoslavia, or more recently in Afghanistan and Iraq. There statues were destroyed because they were deemed by some as insult to Islam; archaeological sites were occupied by foreign troops often with the deliberate intention of wiping out culture and history. The area from Egypt in the west to Afghanistan in the east and Turkey in the north to Pakistan in the south, has been in political chaos. These upheavals have resulted from deep sectarian differences and animosities, leading some Sunnis to believe they are the only true representatives of Islam. A similar mindset prevails in their attitude towards minorities like the Christians, Kurds, Yazdis and Jews. They see Sharia Law or Nizam-e-Mustafa as the only way to live, which means the areas where they live must be purged of other faiths. Although Islam does not permit iconoclasm, the new Islamists quote the Qoran in support of their cause and argue that the Prophet himself broke the idol in Mecca. The Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, Taliban in Afghanistan, Boko Haram in Nigeria are purveyors of the new Islam.
Bamiyan Buddha The Bamiyan Valley in central Afghanistan has been sacred to the Buddhists since ancient times. It was most famous for two Buddha statues built in the 6th century AD. One known as Solsol was 53 m. tall and is also known as the Dipankar Buddha, while the second Shamama 35m. tall was worshipped as the Queen Mother. The statues were on UNESCO’s World Heritage List as an excellent example of Gandhar art. But the Taliban saw the statues as an affront to Islam, an attitude not different from rulers of the past. Genghis Khan’s grandson attacked the fort which guarded the entrance to the Bamiyan valley and died in the process; in revenge Genghis Khan attacked and laid waste to the place, the statues were known to have been damaged then although not seriously; during the time of the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb there were more assaults; add to that prolonged neglect during the years before civil war and the arrival of the Taliban. For the Taliban, the Bamiyan Buddhas represented nothing less than idolatory and in March 2011, they set about destroying them. Despite SULABH INDIA
December 2015 25
heritage If history has to record the presence of Buddhism in Afghanistan, what can be more authentic than the Bamiyan Buddhas? The only solace is despite UNESCO reluctance, some countries are in serious talks to restore the statues protests from all the over world including Islamic theocracies like Saudi Arabia, the Taliban went about their macabre task. When explosives caused little damage, tanks and artillery were brought in. As broken bits of the statues hit the ground and the Taliban rejoiced, The New York Times wrote, “Buddha collapsed out of shame”; the Wall Street Journal called it, “one of humanity’s most notorious crimes”. Said the Smithsonian in a statement, it was “One of the biggest problems to confront the cultural heritage community in decades”. If history has to record the presence of Buddhism in Afghanistan, the Bamiyan statues were that proof. The only solace is despite the UNESCO’s reluctance, some countries have indicated their readiness to help Bamiyan Buddha statues vandalized
revive the Bamiyan Buddhas. That of course depends on some normalcy returning to Afghanistan.
Vandalism in Baghdad The word ‘vandalism’ was coined in 1794 by Henri Gregoire, Bishop of Blois to describe the destruction of artworks following the French Revolution. The term originated from the invasion of Rome in 455 AD by the east Germanic tribe of Vandals, which resulted in destruction of several artworks. History knows that modern Iraq is the cradle of the Sumerian, Assyrian and Akkadian civilizations. It is rich in monuments, archaeological sites and antiquities. The Iraq National Museum set up in 1926, housed some 1,70,000 priceless exhibits.
But when the US invaded Iraq in 2003 with the objective of overthrowing president Saddam Hussein, Baghdad was bombed, shelled, entire neighbourhoods had to flee and the Iraq National Museum was damaged. The saddest part was the loot of the unguarded artefacts from the museum by hooligans and art thieves. The looting continued until April and when an inventory was done, it was found that 40 objects from the galleries had disappeared (of which only 13 were recovered), 10,000 other objects from an underground storage had been looted. Of the total 1,70,000 artefacts in the museum, 15,000 had been taken away, 5000 of those pieces were deemed “most valuable”. At one point, some of the objects were retrieved from the roads and highways. As local antiquities expert Dr. George Youkhanna lamented: “It is the crime of the century because it affects the heritage of all mankind.” Nonetheless, the Iraq National Museum reopened in February last year with Prime Minister Haider al Abadi declaring: “One thing is clear. The art work that epitomizes Iraq’s culture and history will not be wiped away by anyone, anything, including ISIS.” A major effort is now being made to ensure similar loss is avoided in the future.
Rampaging in Mosul Mosul in northern Iraq is also the site of ancient Nineveh belonging to the Assyrian civilization. When the Islamic State seized Mosul, they plundered local museums of antiques, selling them off to unscrupulous black market art thieves. The money realized went to fund the Islamic State’s war effort. But as the tide of water reversed and the Iraqi army regained Ramadi and other towns and marshalled its forces to drive the Islamic State from Mosul, the violence and destruction of artefacts became more frenzied. 26 SULABH INDIA
December 2015
The Baghdad Museum director revealed that in one incident, 1,500 rare manuscripts looted from different convents and holy places were burnt in the city square.
Later on, the authorities released a list of five major cases of vandalism : • Islamic art in Mosul including the tomb of Nebi Yunus / Prophet Jonah , a sacred site for Muslims, Christians and Jews. • Significant areas of Homs and Aleppo that figure in the UNESCO World Heritage list. • A massive Assyrian gateway lion sculpture of the 8th century BC in Raqqa that was bulldozed. • The ancient Roman city Dura Europos that was heavily damaged. • The Krak des Chevaliers, a medieval castle dating from 11th century AD. The Islamic State later released a video clip about their acts of destruction. Noted Assyrian writer Mardean Isaac, said: “When you watch the footage, you feel visceral pain and outrage, like you do when you see human beings hurt.” Mosul resident Amir al Jumali lamented: “I am totally shocked. It is a catastrophe. With the destruction of these artefacts, we can no longer be proud of Mosul’s civilization.”
Tunisia also a victim In March last year in Tunisia, three Islamic terrorists attacked foreign tourists alighting from a bus in the capital Tunis. They were headed for the museum and the militants apparently saw an opportunity to taken them hostage and hold up in the museum. Two of the terrorists, both Tunisians were killed, a third slipped away and there was some damage to the museum galleries. It’s ironic that the attack happened here. The Arab Spring had its genesis here
Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al Abadi declared, “The art work that epitomizes Iraq’s culture and history will not be wiped away by anyone, anything, including ISIS”. We learn that they are planning to go for secured alternative arrangements so that similar loss could be avoided in future in Tunisia and is the only Arab country where democracy did result.
Remedies Isaac Bokova, Director-General, UNESCO, in the wake of irreparable losses to objects of heritage in West Asia, requested the president of the UN Security Council, to convene an emergency meeting “on the protection of Iraq’s cultural heritage as an integral element for the country’s security”. There is now consensus that the following measures must be adopted: 1. Establish a comprehensive online catalogue of all cultural artefacts in Iraq
2. Create a virtual Baghdad Museum accessible to the general public over the internet 3. Build a 3-D collaborative workspace within the virtual Baghdad Museum for design and fund raising purposes, and 4. Establish a resource centre for community/cultural developments Over and above, a massive awareness campaign is needed to impress upon the world citizenry that the security and safety of artefacts are essential to preserving the saga of human civilization for future generations. The author is a Curator, Sulabh International Museum of Toilets
SULABH INDIA
December 2015 27
history
UN at 70 An idea that did not fail
Beating swords into ploughshares
28 SULABH INDIA
December 2015
At the height of World War II, the 26 Allied countries fighting Germany, Italy, and Japan, pledged as the “United Nations� not to make separate peace with the enemy. From this declaration grew the UN, a new international organisation that aimed to keep world peace and bring warring nations closer together. Today, the UN includes almost every state in the world as a member. Its main success has been to act as an international forum where issues can be discussed and often resolved
W
hen World War I ended in 1918, an exhausted and bloodied world wanted to ensure war did not happen again. But the mood at the Versailles peace conference was one of avenge against Germany, which had started the war and lost it. The reparations imposed on Germany was so huge that it bred economic resentment which led to the rise of Hitler and World War II, 20 years later. The league of Nation conceived by US President Woodrow Wilson to ensure world peace and democracy, was set up to fail as the US Congress rejected it and the country never became a member. So when US President Franklin Roosevelt first mooted the idea of the United Nations, he was apprehensive it could go the League of Nations way. At any rate, his apprehensions were belied as the UN, set up to keep world peace, has evolved into a international development forum. It works through specialized arms like the Security Council and the General Assembly; or through agencies like
UNESCO, International Court of Justice, World Health Organization, International Telecommunication Union and so on. It has around 50,000 staff and millions of dollars in budget.
Hope of lost people
Among the most successful progammes is the World Food Programme of the UN, which feeds 104 million people in 80 countries. They feed people in war zones, during natural disasters, health emergencies and poor countries. The UN High Commissioner on
The UN has fought for peoples right to vote in free and fair elections. Iraq is a case in point where after the overthrow of the dictatorship of Saddam Hussein, an interim administration elected by Iraqis was installed
Refugees has helped 17 million asylum-seekers and refugees. They work with governments and agencies and have won two Nobel Peace Prizes, in 1954 and 1981, for their humanitarian work. The agency is now engaged to protect and assist 700,000 people who have fled the conflict in Syria, Mali, Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). It is truly the hope of millions of refugees all over the world.
Various Missions Currently, the UN has more than 16 active peacekeeping missions in the Congo, South Sudan, Lebanon, Kosovo and other places. UN intervention has helped save thousands of lives and restored order in areas ravaged by civil or ethnic conflict. The UN has fought for peoples right to vote in free and fair elections. Iraq is a case in point where after the overthrow of the dictatorship of Saddam Hussein, an interim administration elected by Iraqis was installed. Today, Iraq has a government that is representative of its people.
SULABH INDIA
December 2015 29
HYGIENE
¢
Rupak Roy Choudhury
MENSTRUAL HYGIENE MANAGEMENT IN SIKKIM The Indian Government launched the Swachh Vidyalaya Campaign under the Swachh Bharat initiative in 2014. The plan is for each school to have hygienic wash facilities with separate toilets for girl students
30 SULABH INDIA
December 2015
Water and Sanitation Practices Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Swachh Bharat campaign on October 2, 2014 to make India ‘Open Defecation Free’ and achieve 100% sanitation by 2019. To realise this target, state governments were encouraged to develop policies that helped promote sustainable water and sanitation practices with special focus on providing toilets and water in every household. Sikkim is the only state in India to have met these targets. The Indian Government also launched the Swachh Vidyalaya Campaign under the Swachh Bharat initiative in 2014. The plan is for
each school to have hygienic wash facilities with separate toilets for girl students. The WASH programme (that is what it is called) in schools should also include menstrual hygiene as in many countries where the subject is taboo, information about the importance of menstrual hygiene in either health or education is missing. Yet women and girls account for more than 50% of WASH service users and are also responsible for managing water, hygiene and sanitation services. It is indeed baffling that these services fail to meet the specific needs of half of the population that has regular periods and requires access to information, water, soap and detergent, washing facilities, and menstrual waste management options. Women and girls are forced to manage silently, without anyone knowing. This natural, biological function is shrouded in shame and silence. Hence, education and information on Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM) is considered an integral part of developing WASH practices, especially in schools. It is with this understanding that Sulabh School Sanitation Club (SSSC) in association with Sikkim’s Human Resource Development department and State Bank of India, Kolkata (under CSR) launched its programme in 22 schools in all four districts. The aim was to install Sanitary Napkin Vending Machines and Sanitary Napkin Destroyers in all 22 government schools and conduct targeted workshops, awareness campaigns, training activities, and a general survey to assess WASH facilities and infrastructure in the schools and their impact on Menstrual Hygiene Management.
the need to discuss and talk about menstrual hygiene management as frequently as possible and in as many as schools as possible. He also appreciated the work undertaken by the club members and encouraged other students to come forward and
Sulabh School Sanitation Club in association with Sikkim’s HRD dept. and State Bank of India, Kolkata launched its programme in 22 schools in all four districts. The aim was to install Sanitary Napkin Vending Machines and Sanitary Napkin Destroyers in all 22 government schools and conduct targeted workshops, awareness campaigns, training activities, and a general survey to assess WASH facilities and infrastructure in the schools
The training programme was inaugurated by Education Minister R.B Subba, in the Government Senior Secondary School, Tharpu, West Sikkim on Nov. 23, 2015. Established in 1951, the school and its students showed active participation and enthusiasm during the training session. The minister, himself a native of Tharpu, stressed SULABH INDIA
December 2015 31
HYGIENE contribute in similar ways towards school sanitation and hygiene.
School Visits Over a period of 15 days, the sanitation club team, led by its student members, visited the 22 schools to study the WASH facilities in each school with special focus on menstrual hygiene management. The aim was to address problems and deficiencies in subsequent training and awareness workshops. SSSC also wanted to encourage students to take the initiative and play an active role in improving water and sanitation facilities in their schools through sanitation clubs. SSSC believes such an organised effort led by students can be crucial in addressing the issue of menstrual hygiene in each school. The overall assessment was the seriousness of the issue of menstrual hygiene management. Most of the schools had poorly maintained toilets with no special facilities for girls. There was no running water or electricity. Majority of students in most schools also showed a lack of knowledge and awareness about menstrual hygiene.
Poor Menstrual Hygiene Management MHM is integral to the success of
32 SULABH INDIA
December 2015
good WASH practices in schools. To have suitable infrastructure is a primary requirement for good MHM in schools. But as the SSSC members noted, not only where there few toilets, they were poorly maintained and most were broken or damaged. This reflected a failure of implementing WASH practices at the policy level. It also underscored the total absence of any initiative by the school to provide basic facilities for the girl students. They had no access to sanitary napkins or facilities for safe disposal. At V.C. Ganju Lama Senior Secondary School, Rabong, conditions were appalling. Not only were the toilets in bad condition, it was shocking to see that girls were forced to use leaves as well as other natural, yet
harmful, locally available material during their periods.
Lack of Basic Infrastructure A subsequent discussion with the students led to the realisation that despite it being part of the curriculum, there was neither education nor awareness about menstrual hygiene. There was a general sense of shame and hesitation about discussing it. According to Namita, a student at Yoksam Government Senior Secondary School and one of the attendees at the programme, during menstruation girls tend to absent themselves from school for at least a week. Another student participant, Yamuna Chettri of Rateypani Senior Secondary School, shared her difficulty in disposing of sanitary napkins, admitting many threw them into toilets. School teacher Songmit Lepcha said girls had to travel long distances to buy sanitary napkins as they were not commonly available. Toilets were situated at a considerable distance from classrooms or lacked basic facilities. Many were dirty and presented a picture of no maintenance. In Maniram Government Senior Secondary School, SSSC members found that the girls avoided drinking water through the day, otherwise they would have to relieve themselves in poorly maintained toilets. In Saddam, there was no running water or regular supply of electricity. Hence, installing a sanitary napkin dispenser or
destroyer was nearly impossible. The situation was somewhat similar in Namthang Government Senior Secondary School, where a sanitary napkin dispenser had been provided by another organization, but the machine had not been used since nobody had been given any training on how to operate it. A bathroom and toilet designated for use by school staff had been converted into a storage room. These instances highlighted the need for immediate and aggressive awareness campaigns in schools targeting students, faculty and staff.
Lack of Initiative There was singular lack of initiative on the part of the schools visited by SSSC members. During interactions, staff and faculty in each school were reluctant to discuss issues like menstruation. Most of the student participants emphasized that the sessions with SSSC members on menstrual hygiene management were the first of its kind for them and they hoped such sessions would continue. They especially liked the fact that the interaction and discussions were organized by the students, which made it easier for them to open up about their own feelings. The less than warm reception at the Simthang Senior Secondary School underscored the need to refine strategy and tactics.
Success Stories Visits by SSSC members showed that most schools and their student participants were enthusiastic about the interactive sessions on menstrual hygiene management. They were particularly impressed by the leadership skills and the initiatives taken by the student members themselves to discuss this important issue. Many students felt inspired by the members of SSSC and vowed to emulate them. It was also wonderful to see the faculty and school administration show complete support. The SSSC members were happy to note some success stories. The
Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidhyalaya at Labing was one such school. Not only were the toilets and facilities well maintained, the students were enthusiastic participants in the Swachh Vidyalaya campaign and keen to take their discussions with the SSSC members forward as they found the sessions extremely helpful. Januka, Discipline Prefect of the school, said the sessions on girls’ hygiene played an important role in breaking the silence around menstruation and encouraged the girls to get over their shyness and hesitation about raising this issue. Palzor Girls Senior Secondary School, Gangtok, was another fine example of successful Swachh Vidyalaya campaign. This 91-yearold institute was outstanding in its response to the session organized by the SSSC members. With support from the school, the girl discussed launching initiatives that could help promote menstrual hygiene management in local schools. Jem Pandin Targain, principal of the school, was awestruck about the work undertaken by the young sanitation club members. She said, “It is important to directly involve children in this process of bringing about a change. I’m happy and wish that my students could do the same.” The SSSC members received similar accolades from different school administrators and principals. Sabita Pradhan, principal, Ranka
Government Senior Secondary School said, “I am glad to know that young girls are taking the initiative to come forward and break the vicious cycle of hesitation which follows the subject of menstruation. Congratulations to all of them and hope they will keep doing the same work in the future too.” The SSSC and its members believe that this project in 22 schools of Sikkim was an enlightening and a learning experience. Having travelled so far from New Delhi, it helped them understand the ground realities in different parts of India. They learnt that despite the successful completion of targets in the Swachh Vidyalaya campaign, there is still a long way to go for comprehensive implementation of WASH practices, including menstrual hygiene management in all schools. Acknowledging their effort, Shri P.R. Dulal, Deputy Director, HRDD Sikkim, argued that child-to-child interaction proved successful and could sow the seeds of change. He was particularly delighted over the interest shown by students in different schools and was happy to appoint in each of them, a sanitation ambassador who would work to accomplish ‘Sanitation for all’. The positive and enthusiastic response from all schools has encouraged the SSSC members to take their mission further to different parts of India. SULABH INDIA
December 2015 33
focus
¢
S P Singh
Only One Planet
So Care and Share
T
he sewer is the conscience of the city, wrote Victor Hugo in Les Miserables while describing 19th century Paris. Areas where the underclass lived were inadequately serviced by the sewage system. Sanitation is the dark belly even in some rich countries which have piled up enough weapons to destroy the world but don’t build toilets in poor households. The vast deficit in sanitation access has increased today because of rising populations, expanding urbanization and poverty in the underdeveloped world. But the amazing thing about sanitation is that it does not require huge amounts of money (unlike arms), nor high levels of technology to provide people toilets. What we need is small technology (like digging two Sulabh toilet pits where one existed before) and the grand vision of Mahatma Gandhi of a scavenging-free India will begin to
34 SULABH INDIA
December 2015
be realized. While Fritz Schumacher (Small is Beautiful) talked of human values in Economics, Gandhiji talked of giving social respectability to those who keep places clean and people healthy. The cultural and social stigma attached to toilet work, however, undermines the efforts to expand sanitation coverage. For this reason also, the toilet does not receive high priority nor does it figure in election campaigns or in public discourse. In fact, the crisis in sanitation is overwhelmingly a crisis for the
poor, not the rich. Toilet campaigns don’t produce heroes nor are such stories “sexy enough” to attract media attention which in these times determine the national agenda. (there are cases like that of British sweeper, Phillip Michell who was knighted by the Queen in 1995). Toiletsare central to the social and cultural development of any country. A right combination of technologies and concern for human values will improve the situation. Schumacher says: “Cleanliness is an absolute value which can be brought about
Although some of the elite between the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries had systems that used water from cisterns to flush their chamber pots but those primitive water closets were hard to install and harder to maintain. But in 1775, Alexander Cummings, an English watchmaker, recognized the business potential for a functional flush toilet
by meta-economics.” In his view, growth takes place within social and political frameworks which the Summit on Toilets sought to change in order to provide toilets to all houses of the world. I have always believed in a balanced and sustainable development which is a mix of traditional wisdom, local resources and the best possible technological choices, so that we can seize every chance to develop and leapfrog into a cleaner future. Two UNDP reports of 2006-07, are worthy of note. The reports say that two million children die every day due to sanitation-related diseases; that every dollar spent on cleanliness saves three dollars in return; that our hospitals are full of diarrheal patients, factories marked by low productivity and society by high fecundity. These and more depressing statistics are at best an approximation of the truth; neither measurable nor verifiable. Our stinking cities, heaps of uncleared garbage, sick children, coughing women in slums, and the poor weighed down by centuries of poverty, filth and homelessness, are the social indicators of poor sanitation, more dependable and verifiable than statistics. So much so that if we stand for half a minute in memory of each one of those who have died of lack of sanitation, it will take 100 years. Those who die in war, whether lost or won, are remembered with respect but not those who perished due to cholera in Europe, Spanish influenza in east Russia or of the plague brought on by poor sanitation. They are not even counted; they lie in heaps in history books, uncounted and unremembered. It is in this context that I feel state intervention is necessary to achieve the sanitation goal. In the West, sanitation has been a state business. John Harington invented the water closet for installation in the Queen’s palace, and all movements to clean up places after great London Fire (1666) was state-sponsored. In the
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is the first Indian leader who has given prestige to toilet and linked it to social and economic development. He declared from the Red Fort that the toilet is the mascot of modern India and only a clean society can grow. 16th century, Harington invented the Ajax, the first flushing toilet that removed human waste and refilled the water tank. But his invention didn’t take off even though it was more efficient than systems where water from cisterns was used to flush chamber pots. But in 1775, Alexander Cummings, an English watchmaker, recognized the business potential for a functional flush toilet. He simplified Harington’s design with a single sliding valve that emptied the bowl, released water from a cistern to clean it, and then refilled the cistern. In 1778, Joseph Bramah converted the sliding valve to a hinge flap, simplifying the mechanism even further. By the turn of the century, Bramah’s company had sold and installed over 6000 toilets across England. A culture of sanitation should be created through education, policy priorities, public conduct and campaigning. It may be noted that Gandhiji wanted to promote sanitation not by law but by a cultural extension, making it mandatory for all the intimates of his ashram to clean public toilets. Gandhiji himself and his wife cleaned toilets, only to send the message that sanitation is like any other work and it should be part of our cultural life. Things have much improved since but still we have miles to go before we achieve full sanitation which is central to civilization. Growth is not measured by GNP or GDP, but by social indices to which clean living is central. Dominant Ideas Win The history of toilets is as old as the scriptures, because consumption and excretion have been the two biological functions of homosapiens without which life would not have
been possible. Herodotus in the 5th century BC was the first to write about toilets,through he did not mention how Adam and Eve evacuated after eating the forbidden apple. Although there are missing links in the story of toilets, it has a story which we cannot ignore. After all, life is all about what we eat and expel from our bodies. One had to be present at the World Toilet Summit to see how representatives from countries as far apart as the US to Greece and Malaysia, took a pledge rad out by a former Indian President, to clean up places together. “Human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable. We are faced now with the fact that tomorrow is today. We are confronted with the fierce urgency of now. In this unfolding conundrum of life and history, there is such a thing as being too late... we may cry out desperately for time to pause in her passage, but time is deaf to every plea and rushes on. Over the bleached bones and jumbled residues of numerous civilizations are written the pathetic words: TOO LATE” Prime Minister Narendra Modi is the first Indian leader who has given prestige to toilet and linked it to social and economic development. He declared from the Red Fort that the toilet is the mascot of modern India and only a clean society can grow. The worst victims of bad sanitation have been the poor who suffer from disease and social disabilities. Mr. Modiis imposing 0.5% cess on consumer items to ensure every man’s participation in the sanitation campaign. So, let’s take up the broom and start cleaning the planet now. SULABH INDIA
December 2015 35
story
A New Year’s Gift ¢
J
Guy De Maupassant
acques de Randal, having dined at home alone, told his valet he might go out, and he sat down at his table to write some letters. He ended every year in this manner, writing and dreaming. He reviewed the events of his life since last New Year’s Day, things that were now all over and dead; and, in proportion as the faces of his friends rose up before his eyes, he wrote them a few lines, a cordial New Year’s greeting on the first of January. 36 SULABH INDIA
December 2015
So he sat down, opened a drawer, took out of it a woman’s photograph, gazed at it a few moments, and kissed it. Then, having laid it beside a sheet of notepaper, he began: “MY DEAR IRENE: You must by this time have received the little souvenir I sent, you addressed to the maid. I have shut myself up this evening in order to tell you----” The pen here ceased to move. Jacques rose up and began walking up and down the room. For the last ten months he had had a sweetheart, not like the others, a
woman with whom one engages in a passing intrigue, of the theatrical world or the demi-monde, but a woman whom he loved and won. He was no longer a young man, although he was still comparatively young for a man, and he looked on life seriously in a positive and practical spirit. Accordingly, he drew up the balance sheet of his passion, as he drew up every year the balance sheet of friendships that were ended or freshly contracted, of circumstances and persons that had entered into his life.
His first ardor of love having grown calmer, he asked himself with the precision of a merchant making a calculation what was the state of his heart with regard to her, and he tried to form an idea of what it would be in the future. He found there a great and deep affection; made up of tenderness, gratitude and the thousand subtleties which give birth to long and powerful attachments. A ring at the bell made him start. He hesitated. Should he open the door? But he said to himself that one must always open the door on New Year’s night, to admit the unknown who is passing by and knocks, no matter who it may be. So he took a wax candle, passed through the antechamber, drew back the bolts, turned the key, pulled the door back, and saw his sweetheart standing pale as a corpse, leaning against the wall. He stammered: “What is the matter with you?” She replied: “Are you alone?” “Yes.” “Without servants?” “Yes.” “You are not going out?” “No.” She entered with the air of a woman who knew the house. As soon as she was in the drawing-room, she sank down on the sofa, and, covering her face with her hands, began to weep bitterly. He knelt down at her feet, and tried to remove her hands from her eyes, so that he might look at them, and exclaimed: “Irene, Irene, what is the matter with you? I implore you to tell me what is the matter with you?” Then, amid her sobs, she murmured: “I can no longer live like this.” “Live like this? What do you mean?” “Yes. I can no longer live like this. I have endured so much. He struck
Guy de Maupassant (1850-1893)
F r e n c h author of the naturalistic s c h o o l , generally considered the greatest French short story writer. Maupassant took the subjects for his pessimistic stories and novels chiefly from the behavior of the bourgeoisie, the FrancoPrussian War, and the fashionable life of Paris. Guy de Maupassant was probably born at the Château de Miromesniel, Dieppe. His paternal ancestors were noble, and his maternal grandfather, Paul Le Poittevin, was Gustave Flaubert’s godfather. Maupassant spent his childhood in Normandy, the scene of several of his tales. In 1869 Maupassant joined his stockbroker brother in Paris, where he started to study law at the Sorbonne, but soon, at age 20, he volunteered to serve in the army during Franco-Prussian War. After returning to Paris, Maupassant joined the literary circle of Gustave Flaubert. The famous writer was a friend of Maupassant’s mother’s friend, and introduced his protégé to Émile Zola, Ivan Turgenev, and Henry James. During the 1880s Maupassant wrote some 300 short stories, six novels, three travel books, and one volume of verse. Probably Maupassant fictionalized true occurrences or tales told to him, but his experiences as a reporter and columnist provided him material. Maupassant’s style has been imitated by countless writers and his influence can be seen on such masters of short story as Anton Chekhov, W. Somerset Maugham and O. Henry. A number of films have been based on Maupassant’s stories.
me this afternoon.” “Who? Your husband?” “Yes, my husband.” “Ah!” He was astonished, having never suspected that her husband could be brutal. He was a man of the world, of the better class, a clubman, a lover of horses, a theatergoer and an expert swordsman; he was known, talked about, appreciated everywhere, having very courteous manners, a very mediocre intellect, an absence of education and of the real culture needed in order to think like all well-bred people, and finally a respect for conventionalities. He appeared to devote himself to his wife, as a man ought to do in the case of wealthy and wellbred people. He displayed enough of anxiety about her wishes, her health, her dresses, and, beyond that, left her perfectly free. Randal, having become Irene’s friend, had a right to the affectionate hand-clasp which every husband endowed with good manners owes to his wife’s intimate acquaintance. Then, when Jacques, after having been for some time the friend, became the lover, his relations with the husband were more cordial, as is fitting. Jacques had never dreamed that there were storms in this household, and he was bewildered at this unexpected revelation. He asked: “How did it happen? Tell me.” Thereupon she related a long story, the entire history of her life since the day of her marriage, the first disagreement arising out of a mere nothing, then becoming accentuated at every new difference of opinion between two dissimilar dispositions. Then came quarrels, a complete separation, not apparent, but real; next, her husband showed himself aggressive, suspicious, violent. Now, he was jealous, jealous of Jacques, and that very day, after a scene, he had struck her. SULABH INDIA
December 2015 37
story She added with decision: “I will not go back to him. Do with me what you like.” Jacques sat down opposite to her, their knees touching. He took her hands: “My dear love, you are going to commit a gross, an irreparable folly. If you want to leave your husband, put him in the wrong, so that your position as a woman of the world may be saved.” She asked, as she looked at him uneasily: “Then, what do you advise me?” “To go back home and to put up with your life there till the day when you can obtain either a separation or a divorce, with the honors of war.” “Is not this thing which you advise me to do a little cowardly?” “No; it is wise and sensible. You have a high position, a reputation to protect, friends to preserve and relations to deal with. You must not lose all these through a mere caprice.” She rose up, and said with violence: “Well, no! I cannot stand it any longer! It is at an end! it is at an end!” Then, placing her two hands on her lover’s shoulders, and looking him straight in the face, she asked: “Do you love me?” “Yes.” “Really and truly?” “Yes.” “Then take care of me.” He exclaimed: “Take care of you? In my own house? Here? Why, you are mad. It would mean losing you forever; losing you beyond hope of recall! You are mad!” She replied, slowly and seriously, like a woman who feels the weight of her words: “Listen, Jacques. He has forbidden me to see you again, and I will 38 SULABH INDIA
December 2015
She is worthy of respect in the midst of her conjugal infidelity; this is why her lover, in taking her, should also foresee everything, and prefer her to everyone else whatever may happen not play this comedy of coming secretly to your house. You must either lose me or take me.” “My dear Irene, in that case, obtain your divorce, and I will marry you.” “Yes, you will marry me in--two years at the soonest. Yours is a patient love.” “Look here! Reflect! If you remain here he’ll come to-morrow to take you away, seeing that he is your husband, seeing that he has right and law on his side.” “I did not ask you to keep me in your own house, Jacques, but to take me anywhere you like. I thought you loved me enough to do that. I have made a mistake. Goodby!” She turned round and went toward the door so quickly that he was only able to catch hold of her when she was outside the room: “Listen, Irene.” She struggled, and would not listen to him. Her eyes were full of tears, and she stammered: “Let me alone! let me alone! let me alone!” He made her sit down by force, and once more falling on his knees at her feet, he now brought forward a number of arguments and counsels to make her understand the folly and terrible risk of her project. He omitted nothing which he deemed necessary to convince her, finding even in his very affection for her incentives to persuasion. As she remained silent and cold as ice, he begged of her, implored of her to listen to him, to trust him, to follow his advice. When he had finished speaking, she only replied:
“Are you disposed to let me go away now? Take away your hands, so that I may rise to my feet.” “Look here, Irene.” “Will you let me go?” “Irene--is your resolution irrevocable?” “Will you let me go.” “Tell me only whether this resolution, this mad resolution of yours, which you will bitterly regret, is irrevocable?” “Yes--let me go!” “Then stay. You know well that you are at home here. We shall go away to-morrow morning.” She rose to her feet in spite of him, and said in a hard tone: “No. It is too late. I do not want sacrifice; I do not want devotion.” “Stay! I have done what I ought to do; I have said what I ought to say. I have no further responsibility on your behalf. My conscience is at peace. Tell me what you want me to do, and I will obey.”’ She resumed her seat, looked at him for a long time, and then asked, in a very calm voice: “Well, then, explain.” “Explain what? What do you wish me to explain?” “Everything--everything that you thought about before changing your mind. Then I will see what I ought to do.” “But I thought about nothing at all. I had to warn you that you were going to commit an act of folly. You persist; then I ask to share in this act of folly, and I even insist on it.” “It is not natural to change one’s mind so quickly.” “Listen, my dear love. It is not
a question here of sacrifice or devotion. On the day when I realized that I loved you, I said to myself what every lover ought to say to himself in the same case: ‘The man who loves a woman, who makes an effort to win her, who gets her, and who takes her, enters into a sacred contract with himself and with her. That is, of course, in dealing with a woman like you, not a woman with a fickle heart and easily impressed.’ “Marriage which has a great social value, a great legal value, possesses in my eyes only a very slight moral value, taking into account the conditions under which it generally takes place. “Therefore, when a woman, united by this lawful bond, but having no attachment to her husband, whom she cannot love, a woman whose heart is free, meets a man whom she cares for, and gives herself to him, when a man who has no other tie, takes a woman in this way, I say that they pledge themselves toward each other by this mutual and free agreement much more than by the ‘Yes’ uttered in the presence of the mayor. “I say that, if they are both honorable persons, their union must be more intimate, more real, more wholesome, than if all the sacraments had consecrated it. “This woman risks everything. And it is exactly because she knows it, because she gives everything, her heart, her body, her soul, her honor, her life, because she has foreseen all miseries, all dangers all catastrophes, because she dares to do a bold act, an intrepid act, because she is prepared, determined to brave everything-her husband, who might kill her, and society, which may cast her out. This is why she is worthy of respect in the midst of her conjugal infidelity; this is why her lover, in taking her, should also foresee everything, and prefer her to every one else whatever may happen. I
His first ardor of love having grown calmer, he asked himself with the precision of a merchant making a calculation what was the state of his heart with regard to her, and he tried to form an idea of what it would be in the future
have nothing more to say. I spoke in the beginning like a sensible man whose duty it was to warn you; and now I am only a man--a man who loves you--Command, and I obey.” Radiant, she closed his mouth with a kiss, and said in a low tone: “It is not true, darling! There is nothing the matter! My husband
does not suspect anything. But I wanted to see, I wanted to know, what you would do I wished for a New Year’s gift--the gift of your heart--another gift besides the necklace you sent me. You have given it to me. Thanks! thanks! God be thanked for the happiness you have given me!” SULABH INDIA
December 2015 39
Distinguished Guests 04th DECEMBER, 2015
Dinesh Choudhary, Chairman, Bharat Singh, Member of Umang Viklang Shikshan Evam Prashikshan Kalyan Sanstha, Mandsaur, Madhya Pradesh, with the Sulabh Founder, Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak, at the Sulabh Campus.
05th DECEMBER, 2015
A group of 44 Nursing students of Second Year B.Sc. (Hons.) from Dr. R.M.L. Hospital, New Delhi, along with their teachers, Kanak and Lalita, on an educational tour studying the various activities and technologies of Sulabh on the Sulabh Campus.
06th DECEMBER, 2015
Dr. Vinod Chaudhary, former MLC and Professor of Sociology, L.N. Mithila University, Darbhanga, Bihar, being welcomed by Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak, Founder, Sulabh Sanitation and Social Reform Movement at the Sulabh Campus
08th DECEMBER, 2015
Konika Mathur, Senior Reporter-cumCopy-Editor from Sandhya Times, who visited the Sulabh International Museum of Toilets, being shown the “INCINOLET�, an electric toilet from the US which incinerates human waste thereby saving water.
40 SULABH INDIA
December 2015
09th DECEMBER, 2015
A group of 30 students along with their teacher from Tirath Ram Institute of Nursing, Tirath Ram Hospital, New Delhi, on an educational tour to see the various activities and technologies at the Sulabh Campus.
09th DECEMBER, 2015
Dr. Janardan Prasad Kesari, Associate Professor and Faculty Advisor (Solar Projects) along with 30 faculty members from Delhi Technological University, who visited the Sulabh Campus with Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak.
14th DECEMBER, 2015
Martha Bartleson, Grand Canyon University, Arizona and Shelkecia Lessington, George Washington University on a visit to the Sulabh Campus, smelling a flask of effluent treated at the Sulabh Treatment Plant, rendering it odourless and pathogen-free.
15th DECEMBER, 2015
A group of 20 municipal functionaries from all over India under Capacity Building of Urban Local Bodies Scheme of the Ministry of Urban Development, Government of India, on a visit to the Sulabh Campus seen at the Computer Training Class.
SULABH INDIA
December 2015 41
Distinguished Guests 17th DECEMBER, 2015
A group of 39 First Year GNM students from Sir Ganga Ram School of Nursing along with their tutors Pramila and Dilsha on an educational tour to the Sulabh Campus seen at the Vocational Training Centre.
17th DECEMBER, 2015
A group of 11 social workers– Ganga Nandi, Alo Saha, Sobha Mondal, Jyothsna Mondal, Basanti Mondal, Madhabilata Mondal, Karuna Mistry, Rinku Biswas, Golapi Biswas, Tapasi Basu and Kamal Biswas – from Govardanga in North 24 Pargana District, West Bengal, on a visit to the Sulabh Campus.
17th DECEMBER, 2015
Kinjal Singh, District Magistrate, Lakhimpur Kheri, UP, Satbir Thakral, Chief Architect, Department of Treasury, U.S. Government with Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak, and Pankaj Jain, a senior functionary of Sulabh at the Sulabh Campus.
18th DECEMBER, 2015
A group of 50 visiting students from the Save Our Soul Nursing School, Faridabad, Haryana led by their teachers – Manjot Singh and Meena Sheoran – seen with Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak at the Sulabh Campus.
42 SULABH INDIA
December 2015
19th DECEMBER, 2015
Abhinav Balyan, Advisor to the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Haryana, and Dina Ismail, Counsellor for Embassy of the Arab League, observing a flask containing water rendered odourless and free of pathogens after treatment at the Sulabh Effluent Treatment Plant.
21st DECEMBER, 2015
Dr. Anandi Subramaniam, IES, Senior Advisor, Rajnish Kumar, National Programme Coordinator (NPC), ENVIS Secretariat, Amit Vashistha, Deputy Director and Abhay Kumar, Deputy Economic Advisor, Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, Government of India, while on a visit to the Sulabh Campus seen with Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak.
22nd DECEMBER, 2015
Marta Van Duzer, a Ph.D. student from USA, on a study tour, with Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak, at the Sulabh Campus.
22nd DECEMBER, 2015
Ajay Pandey, Deputy Commissioner, NRLM, Anil Singh, District Development Officer, Lakhimpur Kheri, UP and a group of 60 students led by their teachers from Sushila School of Nursing, New Delhi, on a visit to the Sulabh Campus.
SULABH INDIA
December 2015 43
Distinguished Guests 24th DECEMBER, 2015
Nitin Gokarn, Divisional Commissioner, Varanasi, Shreela Nitin Gokarn and their two daughters, on their visit to the Sulabh Campus with Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak.
28th DECEMBER, 2015
Students from Modern School, Vasant Vihar, along with their teachers Nandita Swarup and Andrea Kandir, on a visit to the Sulabh Campus.
29th DECEMBER, 2015
Elizabeth Berro, Faculty, Pace University, Maria Vardaro, Pre-Health student, Quinnipiac University, Kristyn Carter, Pre-Medical student, Mount Holyoke College, Nana Araba Mantey, Pre-Medical student, Boston College, USA and Hema Pandey, Director, Child Family Health International (CFHI) on a visit to Sulabh Campus with Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak and the liberated scavenger women from Alwar and Tonk (Rajasthan).
31st DECEMBER, 2015
Surender Sheoran and Arvind Singh Rawat from Paryavaran Sanrakshan Samiti, Haryana, presenting an ecofriendly calendar showcasing the theme of water conservation to Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak during their visit to the Sulabh Campus.
44 SULABH INDIA
December 2015
Sulabh News From States
ANDHRA PRADESH Hyderabad
S
ulabh International Social Service Organisation, AP/Telangana State Branch, Hyderabad, celebrated ‘World Toilet Day’ on Nov. 19 at the Peoples Plaza Ground, Necklace Road, Hyderabad. Among those present was eminent Telugu film celebrity Charmy Kour, who said it was a matter of grave concern that half the world does not have access to toilets. The honorary controller of the Sulabh State Branch said World Toilet Day was an occasion to educate people about the human right to clean drinking water and sanitation. Sulabh was also working in schools and rural communities, urging people to have toilets in their homes. He said Hyderabad City needed at least 250 more toilets. Sulabh was already maintaining 351 public toilets in Telangana and 165 in Andhra Pradesh.
CHHATISGARH Raipur
A
new 26-seater Sulabh Toilet Complex built at a cost of Rs. 16.57 lakh in collaboration with the Raipur Municipal Corporation, was inaugurated on Dec. 17 at Puraina Talabby by Satyanarain Sharma, MLA.
Hon’ble Satyanarain Sharma, MLA cutting the ribbon to inaugurate the Sulabh Toilet Complex
SULABH INDIA
December 2015 45
Sulabh News From States
GUJARAT : Ahmedabad
A view of the Concor Toilet Complex
A
P.N. Goswami, General Manager, Concor cutting the ribbon to inaugurate the Sulabh toilet complex
Sulabh toilet complex built at the truck parking area of Concor India Ltd. in Ahmedabad, was opened for the public by P. N. Goswami, General
Manager and Sanjeev Verma, Dy. General Manager, Concor on Dec.21, 2015. The complex was built in collaboration with Concor.
JAMMU AND KASHMIR
T
he foundation-stone for the construction of a de luxe Sulabh Toilet Complex at the Primary Health Centre in Dansal Campus was laid by Nagrota MLA Devendra Singh Rana on Dec.2 in the presence of other local officials. He assured Sulabh that a sum of Rs.12 lakh from his constituency fund would finance the complex.
S
ulabh office bearers and workers felicitated Rajya Sabha MP Shamsher Singh Manhas, at his residence on Dec.6. He lauded the role of Sulabh and thanked the corporate sector for its contribution to the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.
46 SULABH INDIA
December 2015
Sulabh News From States
MANSAR
A
function to educate people about the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan was organised by Sulabh International Social Service Organisation, J&K State Branch in collaboration with Surinasar-Mansar Development Authority on Dec.22. The Block Development Officers of Majaltaand Nar Blocks and other local officials and school
childrentook part. It was inaugurated by R.S. Pathania, MLA who lit the ceremonial lamp. He urged those present to take part in the abhiyan and complimented Sulabh for its work on sanitation.
JHARKHAND Ranchi
T
he foundation-stone for building a five-seater Sulabh public toilet at a cost of Rs. 24.68 lakh in collaboration with the Ranchi Municipal Corporation, was laid at Booti Chowk by city Mayor Asha Lakara, on Dec.18.
SULABH INDIA
December 2015 47
Sulabh News From States
KARNATAKA Kolar and Tumkur
A
MoU between NABARD Financial Services Ltd. and Sulabh International Social Service Organisation for a school sanitation programme in the districts of Kolar and Tumkur, Karnataka was signed on Dec.7.
(From left) : Vinod C., D.G.M., Dr. B.S. Suran, Managing Director, M. Vishwanath, Hony. Deputy Controller and Subhash Kumar, Sr. Manager after signing the MoU on school sanitation
MADHYA PRADESH Singrauli
A
new de luxe Sulabh Public Convenience Centre built at a cost of Rs. 25 lakh in collaboration with the Singrauli Municipal Corporation, was inaugurated by city Mayor, Premwati Kherwar, on Dec. 8. The public convenience has a tubewell providing drinking water, separate toilets and bathing facility for ladies and gents.
48 SULABH INDIA
December 2015
Sulabh News From States
Jabalpur
A
new de luxe Sulabh Public Convenience Centre built at a cost of Rs. 27 lakh in collaboration with the Jabalpur Municipal Corporation, was inaugurated by local officials, citizens and Sulabh workers.
Ujjain
A
new de luxe Sulabh Public Convenience Centre built at a cost of Rs. 11 lakh in collaboration with the Ujjain Municipal Corporation, was inaugurated on Nov. 1, at Chamunda Mata Chauraha by city Mayor Meena Vijai Junwal.
PUNJAB Hoshiarpur
F
ifty toilets for girls attending schools of Hoshiarpur District, built by Sulabh and funded by State Bank of India, were handed over to the school authorities at a function on Dec.24.
SULABH INDIA
December 2015 49
P H O T O
O F
Students of Sulabh Public School and underprivileged children alongwith Dr. Pathak
50 SULABH INDIA
December 2015
T H E
M O N T H
Photo by Mukesh kumarr
Human Rights Day On Human Rights Day, let us recommit to guaranteeing the fundamental freedoms and protecting the human rights of all. – United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
Wishing our former Prime Minister
Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee A Very Happy Birthday (December 25)
Human Rights Day is observed every year on 10 December. It commemorates the day on which, in 1948, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. In 1950, the Assembly passed resolution 423 (V), inviting all States and interested organizations to observe 10 December of each year as Human Rights Day. This year's Human Rights Day is devoted to the launch of a year-long campaign for the 50th anniversary of the two International Covenants on Human Rights: the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which were adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on 16 December 1966. The two Covenants, together with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, form the International Bill of Human Rights, setting out the civil, political, cultural, economic, and social rights that are the birth right of all human beings.
R.N.I. Regn. No. 49322/89
ISSN: 2230–7567
SULABH INDIa ISSN: 2230–7567
Wishing you
Merry
December 2015, ` 20/-
Hon’ble Haribhai Parathibhai Chaudhary, Union Minister of State for Home Affairs, with the children of Sulabh Public School
Christmas And A Prosperous
New Year
Sulabh will fulfil the dreams of the Hon'ble PM