MAY 2015

After Priyanka Bharti, a
tribal woman from Madhya
Pradesh who left her
husband’s home three
days after her marriage
demanding toilet facility,
shot into limelight for her
courage and stand for
sanitation, several other
followed. Despite efforts of
the government still about
70% of population in rural
India does not have access
to toilets.
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aarti
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Priyanka Bharti, a tribal
woman from Madhya Pradesh
who left her husband’s home
three days after her marriage
demanding toilet facility, shot into
limelight for her courage and stand for
sanitation, several other followed. Despite
efforts of the government still about 70%
of population in rural India does not have
access to toilets.
In a recent case, a young bride from
Akola in Maharashtra was in the news
for making a typical demand from her
parents - to gift her a toilet.
It so happened that marriage of Chaitali D.
Galakhe of Akola was fixed with Devendra
Makhode of Yavatmal. However, she was
alarmed to learn that her in-laws' home
did not have a toilet and like others in the
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family and village she will have to defecate
in open. Shocked by learning the fact, of
Chaitali discussed the matter with her
parents and siblings and demanded that
she be given no wedding gift but a toilet.
Yes, she said no to fridge, washing
machine, cot and almirah and was rigid on
her stand. Her parents tried to convince
her, but later her father understood the
logic behind her weird demand. He talked
to people an ordered for a pre-fabricated
toilet as a wedding gift for his daughter.
A farmer D Galakhe told mediapersons
later that initially he was shocked by the
unusual demand made by her daughter.
“But I knew her very well and understood
her and decided to gift her a pre-fabricated
toilet.”
“We were very afraid about the
repercussions and the social taboo we
would be subjected to when the matter
would come to everybodies notice in
our and my daughter’s in-laws village. I
learnt about a local manufacturer, who
was making toilets in the village and
approached him. I was told he charged Rs
18,000 for a prefabricated toilet. It would
have cost about the price of a fridge and I
decided to go ahead with the order. “
Luckily, a local volunteer for Prime
Minister Narendra Modi's Swachha
Bharat Abhiyaan, decided to chip in --
"I have built it and given it to the family
for only Rs.12,000 -- only recovering the
actual costs," said the manufacturer.
The prefabricated toilet with a water
closet, a wash-basin and mirror standing
around one foot above the ground turned
POOR SANITATION
48% households in India lack toilets.
More than 78% of rural people in India
relieve themselves behind bushes,
in fields or by roadsides.
India has 17% of the world’s population,
but accounts for 60% of all people
in the world without sanitation.
India with 626 million people who
practice open defecation, has more
than twice the number of the next 18
countries combined
India accounts for 90% of the 692
million people in South Asia who
practice open defecation
India accounts for 59% of the 1.1 billion
people in the world who practice
open defecation.
Only 3.2% people have toilets.
In India alone, the diarrhea disease
kills 1,600 citizens per day.
(source: WHO/UNICEF joint monitoring
report 2012)
Mahatma Gandhi knew what he was
talking about when he said, “Sanitation
is more important than independence.”
And now Prime minister Narendra
Modi says building toilets is a
priority over temples.
GOVERNMENT’S INITIATIVE
11 crore toilets to be made.
Rs 18,000 crore budgets passed for
making toilets.
Government has built with 7.1 lakh
toilets in January 2015 under the
Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan.
out to be the cynosure of all eyes at the
wedding. At the village every person who
attended the wedding had a look at it and
appreciated it. So were the baraatis.
Local village girls who attended the
marriage ceremonies from both sides said
they were "hugely inspired" by Chaitali's
courage in making the toilet demand.