The Headline!

(Disclaimer: Long read ahead. Read at your own risk. Some stuff may qualify for "anti-nationalism")

26^th September, 2019: “Two Dalit children killed in MP for ‘defecating’ in open” (Link - https://indianexpress.com/article/india/2-dalit-children-killed-in-mp-for-defecating-in-open-2-arrested-6029629/)

27^th September, 2019: “Family of Dalit children who were thrashed to death for defecating in open decide to leave village (Link - https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/family-of-dalit-children-who-were-thrashed-to-death-for-defecating-in-open-decide-to-leave-village/article29522332.ece)

3^rd October, 2019: “Rural India has declared itself open defecation free: PM Modi” (Link https://indianexpress.com/article/india/rural-india-has-declared-itself-open-defecation-free-pm-modi-6049706/)

Merely 7 days after 2 kids were killed for ‘defecating’ in open, rural India “declared” itself open defecation free. So announced our Hon’ble PM. Are these two things irony or just unholy coincidence or the last one is the logical corollary of the first one - one may wonder if one reads news (moreover, cares to bother).

One may choose to read these “headlines” & ignore these. After all, how are they going to technically affect us? I was clueless too as to why these have to bother me; but I was moved after reading these and I tell you why it affected me deep inside: (first two headlines)

·         Excretion is the basic necessity for survival like the food. Moreover, safe, secure and accessible toilets are just basic necessities – essential not only for personal hygiene and safety but also for general public health & sanitation. Lack of these things means either you have to hold or just do it wherever you find place – none of these are safe options.

·         After going through the story covered in these headlines what was more hurting was that those kids had no access to toilet, for the application made by their family to build the toilet was rejected (for no apparent reason). So essentially it means they were rendered with no other option but to relieve themselves in open for which they “rightly” got “punished” & price was nothing more than their “lives”. And needless to say who has the "right" to do the so called “justice” is the “upper caste”.

·         Another horrific thing mentioned was, one of their siblings (like these kids) had to drop-out of the school due to repeated discrimination and was forced to make living by cleaning the very same school & toilets therein for weekly wages of Rs.10-20/-. This thing in particular is very disturbing and offensive on so many levels.

·         Their family fearing for lives have decided to leave the village. Such a misery – that too inflicted not just by the society but also by the State.

When I discussed this with some of friends, some of them told me to ignore; some said we really cannot do anything to change it; some said may be we need another birth to set things right; some said we have to change this & we shall do it. I could see too many perspectives – apathetic, pathetic, and empathetic. I felt too restless to ignore this. I am aware there is little that I can do to change, so I decided to write instead. And before I could finish my write-up, I came across today’s headline (3rd headline).

This headline & the news thereunder led to another string of questions:

•           Have things changed so rapidly in just 7 days, that rural India “declared itself ODF”?
•           Did PM himself verified what he declared?
• ·        Are these headlines really connected or connection between them is just my imagination?

I will try to find answers to these one by one.

•          Have things changed so rapidly in just 7 days, that rural India “declared itself ODF”?

ODF was one of the components of Swachh Bharat Mission launched on 2^nd October, 2014. I recently got an opportunity to travel through various villages across India. I must say that things are indeed changing. I could see toilets built & used in every village I visited. There were certain regions which were yet to build toilets. I also got an opportunity to hear Mr. Parameswaran Iyer - Secretary, Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation, Government of India and leading force behind flagship Swachh Bharat Mission. In his insightful session, Mr. Iyer highlighted how things are changing – attitudinal change, behavioural change etc. And trust me, I found these to be very promising.

However, when you see such killings, it makes you question everything you have read or seen. These cannot be dismissed as mere trivial things. So yes, things are changing and it will take more time and more sustained efforts to change the things. Essentially these are not “rapid” changes but the gradual ones.

•          Did PM himself verified what he declared?

Of course, due to paucity of time, PM has to rely on whatever information is being served to him. So it is not expected that he shall verify these things. Needless to say, each statement made by the person at such stature holds weight and is bound to be taken seriously. It highlights another two issues:

1.       Numbers or statistics are produced just to please the master.

2.       India (Rural/ Urban) is not ODF as mentioned.

And both of these are problematic for us as a citizen. It essentially means we are served lies and made to believe those. These lies contribute bit by bit in creating illusion that “Everything is fine”.

•          Are these headlines really connected or connection between them is just my imagination?

Okay, so kids got killed apparently for defecating in open. Some may argue that these are victims of caste-based discrimination. Indeed they are, but the trigger is open defecation. Whichever angle you try to put, the fact that kids had no other place than toilets to relieve themselves cannot be denied.

But then is there any connection among those headlines? Of course there is:

1. If kids are being killed for “defecating” in open, one cannot in any possible manner “claim” that rural India is ODF. 
2. And despite the fact above, one has audacity to claim so then one must admit that there are flaws in criteria determining what ODF means.
3. Essentially one has to admit the flaws in the implementation of the scheme too.

Of these, if it was said that things are changing and will change in future, it was still fine. But it is really difficult to digest the outright false, untrue & deceitful stats and the statement we got served ironically on the occasion of the birth anniversary of the leader who taught us about “Satyagraha”.

I don’t know what lies ahead. Whether victims’ family will get justice? Whether people will stop defecating in open? Whether we will throw away the caste barriers? I have no answers. I wrote these things because these were plaguing me for past few days. I am not hope-less. I believe things will change. Together we can, yes I believe!