60 years of Republic, are we still uncivilised!

Today evening I went to see the India gate decorated with lights of tricolor and the beautifully illuminated Parliament. It was dark and the whole view was awesome. Here on Janpath, I saw a group of well dressed elites also enjoying the view. Suddenly, I noticed that one of them turned toward the corner of the road (Rajpath) where the cars (including mine) were parked, looked here and there and started relieving himself. I was suddenly taken aback. One don’t expect some elite to show such uncivilized behavior, at least not in front of India gate on Rajpath! I intended to stop him but I couldn’t do that because I knew that there is no “Sulabh Shauchalay”(public toilet) nearby. When I asked a local vendor about it he told “ye lawn hai na..jana hai to yahi kar lo” (Use this lawn for toilet).

In a moment, all my joy of that panoramic view and proud of 60 years of republic, transformed in the feeling of frustration and despair. Before like everyone else, I could have ignored it by saying “Hindustan ka kuch nahi ho sakta” or “Indians and well as their government are hopeless”, I decided to write this letter to the authorities as soon as I reached home. I wonder why all around the world Indians are so easily identified and branded as most uncivilized people. In India, talking about toilet is as taboo as talking about sex education. I wonder why! Such a basic necessity is so prejudiciously ignored as no one needs it. It’s not that Indians are uncivilized, it’s because government is not active in providing basic facilities and above this our civil society has also ignored it.

I request Delhi government to kindly make some arrangement in all public/tourist places. A mobile toilet would be a very logical solution in such posh areas like Janpath/India Gate considering the space problem in Delhi. Moreover, think about women, they can’t use this liberty also as men mostly do.

I wonder how in a country with woman president, woman speaker, woman leader of both ruling and opposition party has such apathy for woman! (not to forget that Delhi itself has a woman Chief minister)