Raksha Bandhan is a festival that not only celebrates the warm and adoring bond between a sister and brother but also the promises and pledges taken by brother towards the welfare and safety of their sisters. When sisters tie Rakhis on their bothers wrist, they in return promise that like every passing year, they will continue to protect her from any insecurity whatsoever. But how many actually follow the words? Well, even if not many, some brothers in Rajasthan’s Ajmer and Udaipur districts on the occasion of Raksha Bandhan planned to gift their sisters a unique yet an incredible gift. Let us spill the beans for you and tell what gifts have they given to their sisters. On Raksha Bandhan this year, they decided and gifted a toilet. You would be probably thinking what kind of a gift is this? For people in rural areas, it is huge. Getting a toilet constructed and gifted is a gesture that indicates how concerned are the brother for the safety of the sisters.
This incredible step taken by these brothers has not only given a clear and loud message against open defecation but has also set as an example for others. Many, being inspired have pledged to get a toilet constructed for the females of their homes. This story began when the 35 year old Prem Chand Sharma constructed a toilet in the house of one of his married sisters on the occasion of Raksha Bandhan in Rohini village of Nagaur. Prem Chand works at a private firm and has 6 sisters in total. Taking his initiative ahead, he has pledged that he would soon construct toilets for the remaining six sisters.
Sharma said, “I am inspired by the Swachh Bharat Mission of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Nagaur district collector has encouraged villagers to construct toilets. We also got a grant of Rs 12,000 to construct these toilets. I really felt bad watching my sisters going to fields for defecation. In our village, women wait for dawn to go to the fields. I have gifted a toilet to one of my married sisters and will gift other sister by next year.”
Prem, who has a daughter, said, “I am not rich but when I see my daughter going to the fields for nature’s call it hurts me. The respect for my sister in her in-laws has increased when the toilet was constructed and this is the best thing which a brother can do to mark the Raksha Bandhan,” he said.
“The toilet has a geyser facility too and the total cost of the toilet was Rs 92,000,” added Sharma.
The uniqueness also hit the Udaipur district. “Seven persons gave their consent and signed a commitment letter that they will free their sisters from the miseries of open defecation,” said Udaipur collector Rohit Gupta. Not only this, the 7 persons who have given their consent have also pledged to motivate other to do the same.
“I didn’t realize it earlier but when they told me how much difficulty ladies face daily to relieve themselves I decided to set up a toilet in my home. What better could be a Rakhi gift for my sister? “Madanlal Dangi, a resident, said.
With such initiatives taken by people in Rajasthan, we can be sure that the dream of Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje of making Rajasthan an open-defecation free state is not far from coming true. CM Raje recently launched a video which says, “Rajasthan becomes a top performing state in ending open defecation”
Watch the video here:
