On 2nd October, 2014, the Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, launched a nation-wide cleanliness campaign on the occasion of Mahatma Gandhi's birth anniversary. The concept of Swachh Bharat is to provide sanitation facilities to every family, including toilets, solid and liquid waste disposal systems, village cleanliness, and safe and adequate drinking water supply. We have to achieve this by 2019 as a befitting tribute to the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi, on his 150th birth anniversary.

Gandhi’s Ideology On Cleanliness:

During Gandhi’s visit to South Africa, he mentions that Indians were being treated as inferior by colonial rulers because of their lack of “sanitation and cleanliness”. Hence he made cleanliness and sanitation an integral part of living and he also strongly believed that “cleanliness” is most important for physical well being and healthy environment.

SWATCH BHARAT –The Need Of The Hour.

When I heard of the government policy of “Swachh Bharat”, I was questioning myself why Narendra Modi wants this policy to be implemented throughout the nation? And especially focusing on village sanitation and toilets? 

And recently I got the answer to my question with a great experience and unbelievable facts. On my field visit to “Padmanabham” I got a chance to visit a small village” Pandrangi” which is also known as the birth place of the famous “Tribal Leader” and “Freedom fighter” Alluri Sitarama Raju. The village experience offered us great pleasure and peace of mind because we were out of the classroom, lectures and especially social media. After some time we started looking out for the toilets and we couldn’t find any public toilet facility available over there. For boys it’s a different issue as we can manage something or the other, but for girls it is altogether a challenge. But they bravely took up the challenge and went to the villagers and asked them for the washrooms. After listening to the response of the villagers, we were literally shocked!

They said that women in that village complete their basic necessities like bathing and relieving themselves either before sunrise or after sunset.

Don’t think that this village is a remote villagewith thatched houses and kutcha roads. They had concrete roads and most of the houses are having a concrete slab. But one thing which is lacking in these houses is the toilets. People of the village are still following the method of open defecation. But I have seen a ray of hope in that village as I observed that some houses are having toilets that are being constructed with the help of Swachh Bharat mission. 

Now I understood why our Prime Minister wants his policy to be a nationwide policy. India is still a country with majority of its population living in rural areas and if we induce the ideology of cleanliness and sanitation amongst these people, majority of our work is done.

According to me “Cleanliness” is not only confined to houses and surroundings but also involves the entire human being. One must be clean both internally and externally; of course we all take care of our external beauty with cosmetics; then, what about our internal things like our thinking processes, emotions and feelings, and they are the ones which play a very vital role in transforming the society. One must always have a clean and clear thought process which should be always rational in approach.

According to Gandhi, “Everyone must be his own scavenger”.  One should take care of himself as well as his society. And every Indian needs to switch his mind towards a clean and healthy society.

We all plan a lot for our father’s birthday, about the gifts which we need to present him and we do a lot of work for it. And now the time has come for us to think which gift do we need to present to our “Father of the Nation” on his 150th birth anniversary, and my suggestion is giving him a “Clean and Prosperous India”. And let us all work together in making this gift and proudly show to this entire world that we are the sons and daughters of our great father Mahatma Gandhi.

“Everyone must be his own scavenger.”

"Sanitation is more important than independence."