India is poised to be ‘clean and open defecation free’ by October 2, 2019 – if things go as intended. The magic bullet – the Swachh Bharat Mission/Abhiyan (SBM) or Clean India Mission, a nation-wide campaign launched in October 2014, which among others, want to clean India – her streets, roads and infrastructure, and city, towns and villages.
Designed as a Jan Andolan (Mass Movement), the ultimate aim is to fulfil the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi’s dream of a ‘Clean and Open Defecation Free India’ by October 2, 2019, his 150th birth anniversary.
At the operational and implantation level, “SBM Gramin" (Rural) operates under the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation in the rural areas, while Swachh Bharat (Urban) functions under the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs in urban centres.
Every year, weeks before its anniversary, there is a perceptible increase in the activities surrounding the mission; each time with a new term or mouthful slogan for those unfamiliar with the “official’ Hindi language.
One of his pet project, the Prime Minister Narendra Modi in April this year called for “Satyagraha se Swachhagrah," or ‘from the holder of truth to holder of cleanliness.’ Thus, the term ‘Swachhagrahis’ – the so-called the ambassadors of “cleanliness movement.”
Cities, towns and villages as well as other dwellings, likewise, are often ‘assessed’ and ranked under various cleanliness parameters, often producing results that are at times considered inconsistent with the existing perception. In most ranking, urban and local dwellings in Nagaland have performed unflatteringly.
On September 15, the second round of 'Swachhata Hi Seva’ (SHS) or the ‘Cleanliness as a Service Movement,’ a nation-wide fortnight sanitation campaign and another morphing of SBM, was launched.
The local dailies in Nagaland since then have been inundated with press releases of various governmental and non-governmental agencies as well as educational institutions joining the bandwagon. At the top level, the Nagaland State Government also officially joined that effort from September 29, with a huge publicity campaign. To ‘rebuild Nagaland and as part of the SHS Campaign,’ the mass social work will continue till October 2.
“I am extremely pleased to see the collective efforts of people all over the state to achieve the dream of a #CleanAndGreenNagaland,” and being supportive & for successfully launching SHS campaign in Nagaland, the Chief Minister exuded with delight on a twitter post on September 29. Evidentially, the surroundings are clean for a short period, but the thirsts for cleanliness seem to have direct and proportional relations with the numbers of cameras or onlookers during the campaign day (s). It recedes when they disappear.
As the campaign gains momentum, ironically, the very people who actually undertake cleaning of various kinds, as a livelihood or habit, on daily basis, are most sidelined. Rather, it becomes an apt opportunity for many to quench their fleeting cleanliness angst.
The process should start with inculcating habits of cleanliness to all; but foremostly, acknowledging and respecting the dignity of those involved in real cleaning on a daily basis - the missing link in SBM so far.
