Irrespective of our privilege, all of us who were born before 2014 know the pain of dirty toilets, or no toilets at all. Be it at school, on a train or plane, on a road trip, out for an event, movie or dinner, the thought of a dirty toilet at our destination caused us to pull back on our enjoyment – we cut back on our water consumption, went to the toilet where we knew it was ‘safe’ and the rest of the time, we grinned and bore it.
For the underprivileged however, the lack of clean and safe toilets wasn’t a minor inconvenience, it was often a matter of life and death. Rural women couldn’t go to the toilet all day, because they risked being seen, and that carried risks of physical and sexual assault, over and above the embarrassment of it all. Urban slum dwellers had it worse. There were no fields to go to – just the streets. In the wee hours of the night, they needed to dodge policemen and do-gooders alike, just to fulfil a very basic human need.
Not only did this pose a threat to their own safety and dignity, but posed serious public health risks like diarrhoea, cholera, typhoid, amoebic dysentery, hepatitis A, shigellosis, giardiasis, and many more. The dangers posed by these diseases also disproportionately affected the poor, often resulting in preventable deaths.
The Swachh Bharat Mission changed all that. As with all changes, however, there is resistance. The Swachh Bharat Mission constructed over 11 crore toilets, but not all these families knew how to use the toilet, how to maintain it and how to keep it clean. This is the education and awareness gap. While the Swachh Bharat Mission is working hard to plug it, it has found strong allies in Harpic and Mission Swachhta aur Paani.
Harpic, as India’s leading brand in the lavatory care segment has a nuanced understanding of the challenges that people face when first confronted with a toilet. Their thought provoking campaigns have helped many first time toilet owners understand how caring for their toilet translates into caring for their family. Three years ago, Harpic joined hands with News18 in Mission Swachhta aur Paani, a movement that upholds the cause of inclusive sanitation where everyone has access to clean toilets. It advocates equality for all genders, abilities, castes and classes and strongly believes that clean toilets are a shared responsibility. For 3 years now it has served as a common platform where the right stakeholders can come together, to discuss issues of importance and find solutions.
The event celebrating the culmination of Mission Swachhta aur Paani Season 3 was packed with changemakers, influencers, policy makers, politicians, actors and celebrities, activists, NGOs and many more, in several panel discussions that looked at the problems and opportunities of sanitation in India. Campaign ambassador Akshay Kumar spoke passionately about the Swachh Bharat Mission, and commended India’s Prime Minister for his single pointed focus on sanitation. “I believe that a clean society is the biggest enabler of a successful society. It is fundamental that we keep our country as clean as our own homes. All we have to do is keep ourselves clean, our homes clean, our surroundings clean. If each of us does this, then all our villages, towns and cities will be clean. Our beautiful country will stay clean. It’s a very simple thing.”
Union Minister for Jal Shakti, Gajendra Shekhawat, Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde and Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Mansukh Mandaviya made special appearances via video. Each spoke of different facets of the Swachh Bharat Mission, and each spoke about the importance of public participation in making the mission a success.
In a panel discussion titled 10 Saal Bemisaal, Pushyamitra Bhargava, Mayor of Indore and Daxesh Kishorbhai Mavani, Mayor of Surat talked about the work that went into earning the coveted Cleanest Cities in India recognition in the Swachhta Survekshan. Pushyamitra Bhargava was proud to report that Indore is earning Rs 2 Cr per year from waste. The Indore model is now set to be replicated in 75 other cities.
In an event that celebrates India’s steady march towards better sanitation, Dr Bindeshwar Pathak, also known as the Toilet Man of India, was sorely missed. Dr Pathak is best known as the founder of Sulabh International and is credited with impacting 20 million daily users through the construction of 1.5 million household toilets and 9000 public toilets. From the time he embarked on his mission to his death at the age of 80, he worked tirelessly towards better sanitation and the upliftment of sanitation workers.
Akshay Kumar fondly recounted meeting Dr Pathak before the launch of his movie “Toilet – Ek Prem Katha”. He was floored by the stories that Dr Pathak told him. Dr Pathak also showed him the many technologies and systems that are in use or being explored. He also introduced Akshay to sanitation workers whose lives had changed because of their association with Sulabh International. Akshay urged all participants and the audience to join him in carrying out the work that Dr Pathak began – each in our own way.
The event also paid tribute to the tremendous work done by women sanitation workers. A panel comprised of Chinta Devi, Deputy Mayor of Gaya; Jack Sim, Founder, World Toilet Organization; Padma Shri S Damodaran: Founder & CEO, Gramalaya; Soha Ali Khan, Actor and Ravi Bhatnagar, Director of External Affairs & Partnerships at SOA, Reckitt also discussed the various ways in which these extraordinary women can be empowered.
Special emphasis was also laid on garnering participation from children and young people. Akshay Kumar joined hands with Sesame Street in a skit onstage that entertained as it educated the viewers about the toilet checklist. The Sanitation Preamble also made an impact in an audience packed with schoolchildren, as did the panel discussion on Youth Advocacy and Sanitation Inclusivity.
Naina Lal Kidwai Chair of the India Sanitation Coalition and Saurabh Jain, Regional Marketing Director, Hygiene, South Asia, Reckitt brought out the role of public private partnerships in Charting the Way Forward to a Swachh and Swasth Bharat. “My hope is that we can now plunge in with all the effort, knowledge and execution skill set where the govt owns it, and the private sector supports it. And we’re beginning to see this. Look at Reckitt! Now, so many others are finally putting their hand up and saying that we want to be in the business of keeping India clean, we want to talk about toilets, we want hygiene, we want to talk about plastic waste. And this is the future for us – the public private partnerships,” said Ms Kidwai.
Saurabh Jain reflected on Reckitt’s own journey, which started within 24 hours of the Swachh Bharat Mission being announced. “When we began, the idea was to build toilets because India didn’t have a sufficient number of toilets. At the time, people looked at the goal with scepticism – will we be able to make that many toilets, and what is the incentive for people to go ahead and make toilets? Now when we reflect on that, we see the mindset has changed. All this is part of the economic structure. Philanthropy will only take you so far, unless you create a commercial industry out of it.”
As Mission Swachhta aur Paani knows well, communicating serious things needn’t be a serious business. Humour has the ability to both engage and disarm us, and comedian Gaurav Kapoor did both, with his delightful set about toilets, sanitation and the many ways we all still need to change. Three-time Grammy Award-winning Indian music composer and environmentalist, Ricky Kej, who has used his music to raise awareness about environmental issues, turned his gaze towards sanitation in a new anthem that debuted at the event.
As Season 3 draws to a close, it is important to remember that our work doesn’t end. We have set in motion a sea change in the lives of millions of our countrymen, and we can’t stop now. The initial push was hard, but now it’s up to all of us to maintain the momentum, and to ensure that these initiatives, these changes, these policies go the distance.
What you talk about matters. Mission Swachhta aur Paani serves as a repository of information that helps you have the right conversations with the right parties. Join us here to learn how you too can add your voice to ours, and use your platform to help bring about a more Swasth and Swachh Bharat.