hinduwoman
Member
I always thought (trained to think that way by my social environment!) that in rural areas in India people defecate in the open because there are lack of cheap toilets. But apparently this is a not a problem in other poorer countries. Also many Indians who can afford to have toilets don't have them and govt. built toilets public and private go unused. New research suggests (sorry the papers have no public links) that most Indians defecate in the open because they want to!
Apparently people feel that it is healthier to walk out in the open fields: it is good exercise and you get fresh air. Staying indoors is for the old and infirm. So when our new Prime Minister spoke about the problems women faced because there are no private toilet it reinforced the belief it is more manly to do it in the open. And apparently it is also good for social bonding There is nothing to be embarassed about doing it in public; so why bother about a private one?
Good manure for soil too!
Hindus are also more reluctant because the defiling waste matter should be far from home so as not to pollute it. I remember in my childhood hardly any homes even in towns had bathrooms attached to bedrooms. The toilet, no matter how nicely constructed, was always far removed from the bedrooms and kitchen, usually at the back of the house.
Healthworkers have not yet managed to make the people realize (possibly because earlier it was blamed on poverty?) that such open latrines are centres of infection. In the golden days of yore, population density was very low and it was more hygenic to go far from the village. Nowadays there are no such large open spaces that is safely away from the settlement. But it does explain why doing it on railway tracks is popular --- far from the villages.
(Anecdote alert: a group of tribals came to the local hospital in a big town; they were mightily impressed by it, so shiny and a flush! But it remained a tourist attraction because they only wanted to gape at it and not use it. This was about 30 years ago, thing do not seem to have progressed further)
Watched an interview in a village about the fate of the govt. built toilet. The women explained they feel claustrophobic using a small enclosed room. I never really thought about how if one is used to doing it in open air she can feel hemmed in by a toilet cubicle.
I guess I am living in India while most are in Bharat.
Apparently people feel that it is healthier to walk out in the open fields: it is good exercise and you get fresh air. Staying indoors is for the old and infirm. So when our new Prime Minister spoke about the problems women faced because there are no private toilet it reinforced the belief it is more manly to do it in the open. And apparently it is also good for social bonding There is nothing to be embarassed about doing it in public; so why bother about a private one?
Good manure for soil too!
Hindus are also more reluctant because the defiling waste matter should be far from home so as not to pollute it. I remember in my childhood hardly any homes even in towns had bathrooms attached to bedrooms. The toilet, no matter how nicely constructed, was always far removed from the bedrooms and kitchen, usually at the back of the house.
Healthworkers have not yet managed to make the people realize (possibly because earlier it was blamed on poverty?) that such open latrines are centres of infection. In the golden days of yore, population density was very low and it was more hygenic to go far from the village. Nowadays there are no such large open spaces that is safely away from the settlement. But it does explain why doing it on railway tracks is popular --- far from the villages.
(Anecdote alert: a group of tribals came to the local hospital in a big town; they were mightily impressed by it, so shiny and a flush! But it remained a tourist attraction because they only wanted to gape at it and not use it. This was about 30 years ago, thing do not seem to have progressed further)
Watched an interview in a village about the fate of the govt. built toilet. The women explained they feel claustrophobic using a small enclosed room. I never really thought about how if one is used to doing it in open air she can feel hemmed in by a toilet cubicle.
I guess I am living in India while most are in Bharat.