Toilets, Not Temples

The Indian Express – 24th March, 2012

By Fahad Samar

Twenty years ago, I saw a short film made by ad-man Prahlad Kakkar called BumBay, which comprised entirely of graphic shots of people defecating in the open throughout Mumbai city. It was a highly provocative and thought-provoking film, meant to highlight the plight of many Indians who have to suffer the daily indignity of voiding their bowels in public spaces, simply because they have no access to toilets.

Sadly, two decades later, with a booming migrant population, the human excreta problem hasn’t improved at all, but instead become exacerbated across our metropolises.

A few months ago, at an ‘Adda’ event organised by this newspaper, Shah Rukh Khan spoke passionately of how his main ambition in life was to establish public toilets throughout the country so that the poor could go about their daily ablutions with dignity. The superstar wanted to undertake this task on his own, without any financial assistance from government sources, and conceded that it would, therefore, take some time before he could implement this noble effort.

A few days ago, I was privileged to attend the sublime Ganga Aarti at Parmarth Ashram in Rishikesh. After the pooja had concluded, the spiritual head of the ashram, Swami Chidanand Saraswati, gave a short speech and began by felicitating various VIPs who had assembled there. I had no interest in this and was about to exit the picturesque venue when suddenly I heard the holy man say something so sagacious, I was compelled to return and hear him speak. The swami pointed to a group of wealthy NRIs who had come from America and wanted to donate millions of dollars to build a grand temple in Rishikesh. The guru proclaimed there were plenty of temples in India but not enough toilets. So, the need of the hour instead was to build lavatories where men and women could defecate in private and in peace.

He elaborated that several diseases spread through water pollution, which is inevitable if people are forced to excrete on riverbanks in the absence of latrines. It is not often that you hear a man of religion espousing the need to build toilets over temples.

The assembled crowd, comprising local devotees, dignitaries and international tourists burst into spontaneous applause at the sheer candour and pragmatism of this savant.

On the flight back home, I read with great satisfaction of a ‘runaway bride’ who fled her husband’s village and refused to return till they constructed a proper toilet there. This woman has become something of a local heroine for demanding this basic human need be fulfilled and is ironically now being felicitated by ministers for her fortitude.

Successive governments haven’t worried about providing citizens with essential needs such as roti, kapdaa aur makaan, so I wonder if a Sulabh Shauchalya will ever become a fundamental right for every Indian.

Meanwhile, it falls on the ordinary citizens to ensure that some day, the less privileged among us will be allowed to poop in private.

Fahad Samar is a filmmaker, inveterate traveller and intrepid chronicler of society

samarofdiscontent@gmail.com

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