God men or sanitary engineers?

What does India really need now ... more God men or sanitary engineers? Who are the real saints ... those high up on the mountain or those down on the ground with their hands in the dirt?

In India, the British introduced the first sanitation bill in 1878. It made - or at least attempted to make - the construction of toilets compulsory even in huts of the then capital city of Calcutta. The Bill also proposed construction of public toilets at the cost of the neighboring houses. The Government of India’s Sanitation Act came about in 1993, making the dry latrine and its manual cleaning a punishable offence. However, it remains a theory on paper ( ... and not even toilet paper at that - ex-l).

Even today 110 million Indian houses have no toilets and 10 million houses, including multi-storey apartments, have bucket toilets causing filth and diseases. 700 million people still defecate in the open, sewerage facilities are available to no more than 30 per cent of the population in urban areas and only 3 percent of the rural population has access to flush latrines. An estimated six lakh scavengers in India work on 54 lakh service latrines, lifting night soil in the degrading practice of human scavenging.

The internationally acclaimed Sulabh Sanitation Movement is one possible role model that is already a success story. Started by self-proclaimed “Action Sociologist” Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak, Sulabh International has constructed and been maintaining over the last 25 years, more than 650,000 toilet cum bath complexes (including the largest one in the world at Shirdi) and 62 human excreta-based biogas plants. Declared one of the global best practices and conferred a special consultative status by the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations, Sulabh is accessible, affordable, self-sustaining and eco-friendly.

Human scavenging is the reprehensible practice of manually carrying 'night-soil' (human faecal matter accumulated in dry latrines), on the head, to dispose of it some distance away. Mahatma Gandhi wished to liberate the scavengers in India and insisted that all visitors to his Sabarmati Ashram clear their own refuse. Over 10 million people in India use a Sulabh toilet every day.

And for those of you that think BK bottom washing is tough to follow, try Bhakti ...

|ARYAN CODE OF TOILETS - 1500 BC|

Code for married people: an elaborate drill for defecation is prescribed in the most respected Aryan scripture, the "Manusmriti Vishnupuran" Before going to the toilet the scripture prescribes elaborate drill.

Before going for defecation chant the following mantra from Narad Puran :-

"Gachhantu Rishio Deva
Pishacha ye cha grihya ka
Pitrbhutagana surve
Karishye Malamochanam"

It was then prescribed that a sacred thread should be rolled to a smaller size and be put on the right ear.
The head was to be covered with a cloth. In the absence of cloth, the sacred thread was to be brought over the head and was to be hung on the left ear.
Then while observing silence and facing north in the day and south in the night one could defecate.
While defecating one was not to touch water.
After defecation the water pot was to be held in the right hand, left hand was to be used for cleaning.

Ablution code: In Vishnu Purana some rules are laid down for post defecation stage.

"Aika Linga guda trin dashabamkare mrid,
Hastdve cha samaranyascharana cha tribhistribhi"

It says, while defecating the orientation of the face should not be towards "Sun", "Brahmin", "Fire", or "Moon".

After defecation the "Linga" (generative organ) is to be washed once, "Guda" (anus) to be washed three times, the left hand to be washed ten times, and the right hand seven times, and both the feet to be cleaned with earth and water three times.
After defecation, the water pot was to be held in the right hand and was to be used for cleaning.
The "Linga" was to be rubbed once with earth and the "Guda" rubbed three times with earth. Then both washed with water. This was to ensure that there is no odour left in the body.

After this one should pick up water with right hand. One was advised to pick-up fist full of earth. This was to be divided in three parts. With the first part it was laid down that the left hand be cleaned 10 times and the right was to be cleaned with the second part 7 times. The third part was to be used to clean three times the water utensil.

It was also laid down that both the feet were to be washed with water.

The following shloka gives the philosophy of protecting environment by adoption of elaborate defecation practices,

"Dashasthana pritjay mutram kurya
Jalashay Shathasthan
Parishartha triya nawan Chaturgunam !
Dharashauch na kurvita shauchashudh
Mabhipsta ! Chulukairaiv Kartabya
Hashtatshudhi Vidhanta !"

Urination ought to be done at least at a distance of 10 cubits from the source of water. Defecation to be done at a distance of 100 cubits from the source of water.
At least 40 cubits distance is to be observed while urinating near a river or a temple and defecation at least at a distance of 400 cubits.
Urination and defecation ought not to be done in running water or river. Water should be taken in hand and washed away from the river.

For different classes: Manusmriti has also laid specific rules for the specific section of the society, it says:

"Aitchhouch grihasthana,
Divuegun brahmacharyanam !
Trigunavanaprasthanam,
Yaitna cha chaturgunam !!"

Separate rules are laid down for those who are sick or infirm and for those who observe celibacy or have renounced the world should observe the rules differently.

Those observing celibacy should observe the rule twice more intensely than the married ones.
Those who are in "Vanaprastha" should observe three times more intensely.
The saints should observe the rules four times more intensely than the married ones.

The above means that all the above rules are for urination and defecation in the day time. In the night the frequency of wash etc. is reduced by half. If one is travelling the rules are further reduced by half. If one is sick, the rules need to be observed as per capacity.

Arise Sri Sri Thomas Crapper, Jagat-DooDoo of the Western world. Just out of interest, who deals with the doo-doos at the BK and PBK HQs?