Jhunjhunu shows the way, again!

When in India, paying heed to natures call in public is no big deal. That is the notion carried by Westerners when it comes to our Indian mentality. After all, it is openly shown in TV shows and movies. Any tourist entering our country is bound to see the sight of people going about this ‘business’ right on the roadside, on railway tracks, basically anywhere there where there is space.

In Jhunjhunu, however, a small town in Jaipur, Rajasthan; if you are seen urinating, defecating or defacing the walls, be ready to get confronted by whistle blowers, literally! The Jhunjhunu zilla parishad has roped in volunteers who will embarrass people by standing behind them and playing drums or blowing whistles. To add to their humiliation, the names of these people would be announced in the village through a public address system. This idea of Union Minister Jairam Ramesh will be taken further by constructing more public toilets and raising awareness about sanitation.

To think that small village in Rajasthan is taking this initiative while most city goers continue to fight over petty issues and contribute to defacing of walls and public structures through spitting, urinating and defecating. It’s time we put our big city egos and issues aside, uniting to make India a truly ‘green and clean’ country.

Jhunjhunu is one of the most progressive towns of India; it has its own website. The Pasari, Piramals and Birlas hail from the Jhunjhunu district. Gazal singer Mehdi Hasan was also born in Jhunjhunu. BITS Pilani is in this district and has the largest copper mines of India at Hindustan Copper.