Threat to dignity

Mugdha was posted as a medical health examiner in that small village on the outskirts of her city. That day she had a little more work so she thought of staying back in the Govt. quarter. Unable to  sleep that night, she sat near the window of her room and kept watching outside and thinking of all those people who came to her with severe infections and chronic ailments due to poor hygiene specially the women, who sometimes shared their personal talks with her. Much was the result of open defecation that was not only affecting their health but was also a threat to their dignity.

“Why don’t you get a toilet constructed?” That day she had asked a woman who came with a severe insect bite and pain.

“We don’t earn so well that we can construct a separate toilet. We have one in common for all families in our area but that is as good as nothing. These men don’t think it’s a necessity. How do we tell them, it feels as if, as if, everyone is watching us and you know, it’s not safe for us to go out in the night.” It seemed as if she was upset with the whole scenario and desperately wanted a change.

She was still thinking about that woman. Painful tone of her voice had made it difficult for Mugdha to sleep.

She didn’t realise it was 5 ’0’ clock already.

She freshened up and went out for a walk. All of a sudden she heard a sound near the bush on the roadside.

“Who’s there?” she asked.

“Didi, it’s me, Meeta.” A little girl of around 10 years of age came out of the bush.

“What are you doing here? At this point of time? Alone? Aren’t you scared?”

“Didi,I ask my parents to construct a toilet but they say they don’t have money. I get scared but do I have an option?”

While walking she thought of her niece who told her about Manju. That conversation came alive in her thoughts.

She remembered how Manju’s story had disturbed her when her niece had said, “ You know, Manju was telling me that she is scared of dark. Leopards come in the night and take away the children who go out in the dark. Manju’s neighbour had gone out and the leopard took her away. Next day she was found dead in the field.”

“What are you talking? Who is Manju?” She asked her niece out of curiosity.

“Manju is the daughter of the maid in our school. She’s our friend and lives in the village. She sometimes come with her mother to help her and attends the evening classes in our school.”

“O.k. but why do they go out in the night?”

“She says we are lucky, we have toilet in our home. They don’t have toilets.”

~~payal~~

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