Mandleshwar (Madhya Pradesh): Akshay Kumar’s film Toilet: Ek Prem Katha has inspired many village women to stand up against open defecation. One such case is of a newly-wed woman in a village of Khargone district in Madhya Pradesh who decided not to go to her in-laws house. Reason? There was no toilet there.
Jaya Bhargava (22), stayed with her husband and in-laws for only a few months. She has been living with her parents after there was a tiff between Jaya and her husband Kundan Khandekar (25), a resident of Rajipura village, about 15 kilometre from Mandleshwar over non- availability of toilet at their place.
According to her, she is ready to get separated from her husband but is not willing to defecate in the open.
She lives with her parents in Mandleshwar, while her husband lives with his parents. While she has a toilet at her parental place, she could not digest the fact that there is no toilet at her in-law’s place.
“Either I go out for defecation early in the morning or night under the cover of darkness. I am scared,” Jaya said. Her parents have been trying to convince her to go to her in-laws place and live with her husband and in-laws. All their efforts, however, went in vain as she is adamant to not go there. Even her spouse initially was not ready to build a toilet at his place saying that his financial condition was not good after Covid, but she did not give in.
Brides, parents were given false information
Jaya’s parents informed that Jaya's marriage was confirmed when Covid-19 was at its peak and there was very little human movement. So neither the girl nor her parents even saw the boy’s house. They were told that Kundan and his family are well settled with good agricultural land and properties and the girl only has to take care of the house.
The girl got married happily. But her happiness in her in-laws house started decreasing gradually. She was not given any support by her husband for her needs, so she had to look to her parents for her needs.
Failing to fulfill her dreams, there was an argument between Jaya and Kundan even on petty issues.
Educated up to high school, Jaya was well aware of fact that the government is giving grants to build toilets in every village under the Swachh Bharat Mission. She asked her husband to seek government help, but instead of this Kundan angered by this everyday argument, left his wife Jaya at her parents' home and did not go to take her back.
Counselling centre intervenes
After receiving the application, the Women's Counselling Centre first took Jaya's statement and spoke to her family members to know her problems.
Mary Joju, chairperson of the counselling centre along with Sarika Jain, a member of the centre, recorded Jaya's statement in writing. Jaya and her family members were in favour of mutual agreement. Jaya also wanted to go to her in-laws house, but the lack of facilities in the house troubled her a lot. She said that if a toilet is built in the house, then she is ready to go.
Mary Joju said that Jaya's husband and her mother-in-law were called for talks, but did not succeed in resolving the matter. When Kundan was thoroughly counselled at the centre, he expressed his inability to build a toilet because his financial condition was not good.
On persuasion by the chairperson and member of the counselling centre, Kundan started the work of making the toilet, whose progress report was sent by Kundan from time to time to the counselling centre president Mary Joju.
The matter once again came to a halt at the door of the toilet as Kundan did not have the money to install the door. His solution was found by putting a plastic sheet as a temporary door.
Kundan just temporarily put up the door and sent the photo to Mary Joju. To which Jaya was satisfied, she agreed to go with her husband. In the presence of Jaya's family members, she was sent off with Kundan with best wishes for a new life.
