Need to Merge Bharat and India! – Col RD Singh

Need to Merge Bharat and India! – Col RD Singh

SIRSA NEWS ( www.SirsaNews.com )

28 December, 2013

Pictures and Videos: Amar Singh Jyani, GS Mann, Background Music: Murari Verma.

Need to Merge Bharat and India!

A recent report by the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) revealed that nearly 50% Bharat (rural women) walked up to 5 Km a day for water. It reminded of me of my mother. She used to fetch water from far off wells in a pitcher on her head, in a remote village in Haryana, about 50 years back. There was no choice because sweet water wells were few and far flung. There was no electricity or road, what to talk of canals or underground water supply. The wells used to be about 100 feet deep, and it needed effort to pull out water with the help of a camel. A house hold needed at least 10 to 15 litres of drinking water daily. Bathing, of course, was mostly in village ponds. So, you can imagine, my mother used to ferry at least ten times, morning and evening, to make sure that we had enough water, and our studies was not affected, due to any inconvenience.

It is surprising that even today; women in rural areas have to walk such long distances to fetch water. Half their day goes in this activity, and remaining half in cooking and attending to the family. Where is the time for rest, or personal care for the poor woman? I wonder why we have not been able to provide potable water supply to every house in the country. That should have been the priority of every govt, in all the states. Like Kejriwal, has put water and electricity as his top priority, the moment he takes over as the CM of Delhi. That is the crux of meeting the aspirations of people, starting from the grass roots and basic necessities. I feel, be it any party and govt, but these priorities should remain the same.

After water and electricity, the next priority should be toilets and sanitation. It is high time we stopped defecating and urinating in the open. I have seen, there are still a large number of houses which do not have toilets and women have to face the awkwardness of doing it out in the fields. Girls do not have enough toilets in schools and colleges. That is why many drop out in between their studies. Ladies toilets are always causality, because we do not pay enough attention to it. It is also high time we stopped depending on others (scavengers) for cleaning our toilets. We have to develop dignity of labour and clean our own house and toilets, mechanically or manually, as applicable. It is also not enough just to keep our own houses clean. We got to learn to keep our surroundings also clean. That will happen once we cultivate the civic sense. Remember Aamir Khan’s message on it!

Let there be Congress/BJP/ or any party in power, but,  Make Sure that no woman in our country has to walk 5 KM to fetch a pitcher of water, or has to wait in line for 20 to 30 minutes for a bucket of water. Let no girl has to leave her school because there is no girl’s toilet or there is no electricity to study. And let no poor man have to sleep hungry, without a roof. Then, we can see Bharat and India merging into a happy Hindustan. We owe it to people who elect us.

Colonel R D Singh (Retd.)

Note: Colonel R D Singh (Retd.) is a decorated soldier from Pilimandori, Fatehabad (Haryana) - the Saharan family. His entire family is devoted to service of the people. They also take keen interest in their village, and guide the youth for a better future. Col RD is a prolific writer, and a regular contributor to Sirsa News.