Once Gandhiji and his followers were travelling by train. The toilets in the train were very dirty. They could not use them. One of his followers said, “The toilets smell so bad.” Another said, “They are so dirty. There are flies everywhere. How can we use the toilets?”
Then someone said, “Let us call the cleaners.” But there were no cleaners around. Then Gandhiji said, “Why should we wait for the cleaners? Let us clean the toilets ourselves.”
One of the others said, “How can we do so? There is no water. The taps are dry.” Then they found a jug of drinking water to spare.
Gandhiji picked up a newspaper. He said, “Let us go. I will show you how the toilet can be cleaned with the help of a paper and only a jug of water.”
Then he cleaned the dirt himself and gave them a lesson in cleanliness.
Source: www.mkgandhi.org
My Reflection
Gandhiji has come to be associated with the Swachch Bharat Andolan. About cleaning up India, about making India open-defecation free. Everybody knows he cleaned up public toilets and did not wait for cleaners and sweepers. There are stories of Gandhiji making his family comply with this principle. He naturally became the icon and symbol of Swachch Bharat. (Not that other leaders did not care for cleanliness. Just that he spoke up for it vocally and walked his talk).
Swachchta is more than cleaning roads and finding a trash can to dump one's waste. It is an attitude of the mind. It is taking ownership for one's rubbish - indeed all of one's actions and their consequences (which may be the rubbish - quite literally!). It is also an acknowledgement of the truth that our life on earth is a shared space for which each one of us is responsible.
The Swachchata Andolan does not end with clean roads, clean toilets, and used trash cans. It is not only about ensuring that the government sweepers and cleaners do their duty properly. We all take pride in our railway platforms being cleaner now than every before. While credit for that goes to the cleaning staff and to every user of the platform who has consciously and responsibly disposed off his waste, we still need to reflect on the constant presence of sweeping staff on the platforms. If there is a need to constantly sweep the space, does that not indicate that some people have been irresponsibly littering that space?
So swachchata is an attitude of the collective mind of the nation's people, and not just an indicator of the efficiency of cleaning staff. When Gandhiji cleaned up a train toilet he was doing more than making it fit for use. He was advocating taking ownership for public spaces; he was speaking up against playing the blame game; he was prioritising action over reaction; and above all, he was teaching us how to learn the true value of swachchata. The true value of swachchata is not just about cleaning up; it is about understanding and feeling the pain of the cleaner. To feel the pain of the cleaner, one must become the cleaner. If you clean up a public toilet, you are likely never again to be careless in your usage of it. That was Gandhiji's special swachchata message.
In today's terms the best way to build swachchata in the minds of every citizen is for every citizen to begin cleaning up at home. If every man, woman and child took turns at home cleaning, swabbing, mopping, dusting, and cleaning up the toilet, Swachchata will become a habit of the mind, a positive attitude for living. It will restore the dignity of physical labour and beat the casteist mind (suppressed inside all of us) to submission and lead not only to cleaner roads and toilets, but acceptance and respect for all citizens, irrespective of their jobs, work, income and caste.
Then someone said, “Let us call the cleaners.” But there were no cleaners around. Then Gandhiji said, “Why should we wait for the cleaners? Let us clean the toilets ourselves.”
One of the others said, “How can we do so? There is no water. The taps are dry.” Then they found a jug of drinking water to spare.
Gandhiji picked up a newspaper. He said, “Let us go. I will show you how the toilet can be cleaned with the help of a paper and only a jug of water.”
Then he cleaned the dirt himself and gave them a lesson in cleanliness.
Source: www.mkgandhi.org
My Reflection
Gandhiji has come to be associated with the Swachch Bharat Andolan. About cleaning up India, about making India open-defecation free. Everybody knows he cleaned up public toilets and did not wait for cleaners and sweepers. There are stories of Gandhiji making his family comply with this principle. He naturally became the icon and symbol of Swachch Bharat. (Not that other leaders did not care for cleanliness. Just that he spoke up for it vocally and walked his talk).
Swachchta is more than cleaning roads and finding a trash can to dump one's waste. It is an attitude of the mind. It is taking ownership for one's rubbish - indeed all of one's actions and their consequences (which may be the rubbish - quite literally!). It is also an acknowledgement of the truth that our life on earth is a shared space for which each one of us is responsible.
The Swachchata Andolan does not end with clean roads, clean toilets, and used trash cans. It is not only about ensuring that the government sweepers and cleaners do their duty properly. We all take pride in our railway platforms being cleaner now than every before. While credit for that goes to the cleaning staff and to every user of the platform who has consciously and responsibly disposed off his waste, we still need to reflect on the constant presence of sweeping staff on the platforms. If there is a need to constantly sweep the space, does that not indicate that some people have been irresponsibly littering that space?
So swachchata is an attitude of the collective mind of the nation's people, and not just an indicator of the efficiency of cleaning staff. When Gandhiji cleaned up a train toilet he was doing more than making it fit for use. He was advocating taking ownership for public spaces; he was speaking up against playing the blame game; he was prioritising action over reaction; and above all, he was teaching us how to learn the true value of swachchata. The true value of swachchata is not just about cleaning up; it is about understanding and feeling the pain of the cleaner. To feel the pain of the cleaner, one must become the cleaner. If you clean up a public toilet, you are likely never again to be careless in your usage of it. That was Gandhiji's special swachchata message.
In today's terms the best way to build swachchata in the minds of every citizen is for every citizen to begin cleaning up at home. If every man, woman and child took turns at home cleaning, swabbing, mopping, dusting, and cleaning up the toilet, Swachchata will become a habit of the mind, a positive attitude for living. It will restore the dignity of physical labour and beat the casteist mind (suppressed inside all of us) to submission and lead not only to cleaner roads and toilets, but acceptance and respect for all citizens, irrespective of their jobs, work, income and caste.
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