Sri Prakash Singh (51) is a clutter-buster. Not just of this village 15 kms from Varanasi, but also for experts in at least 20 countries. And he is responsible for ushering in a revolution of total cleanliness and sanitation.
A science graduate, he has made Jalilpur of Chandauli globally famous by ensuring that every village in the house has a toilet.
On September 17, 2007, the UNICEF invited him at its International Learning Exchange (ILE) programme in New Delhi, where he shared the dias with Union Rural Development Minister Raghuvansh Prasad Singh. The programme was attended by health and sanitation experts from 20 countries.
“I narrated how we made Sampoorna Swacchata Abhiyan of the government a total success in our village. The interaction did not stop there. Experts from abroad actually visited the village to witness the work,” said Sri Prakash. They hailed from countries as far as Netherlands, Denmark, Nigeria, South Africa, Ireland and Egypt, Pakistan, Nepal and China.
But “nothing special has been done by me,” maintained Sri Prakash, “it was just honest implementation of a government scheme.” “If every public representative honestly implements government schemes in his area, comprehensive development cannot be a pipe dream,” said the man who has vowed not to contest the gram pradhan election again. “To serve the people, no post is required.”
Sri Prakash had started implementing the sanitation scheme as a motivator cum member of the Niyamatabad Block Development CommiA Kshatriya by caste, even today, he leads everyone in personally cleaning the toilets, drains and lanes of the village every morning. “When a Kshatriya like Sri Prakash can perform the role of a scavenger, how can we stay behind,” said Seraj, a member of the village panchayat.
And Sri Prakash’s eldest son Shardul, who is a research scholar in ancient history at Varanasi’s MGKV University, is also enrolled in the service of the village. He is involved in providing the necessary wherewithal for the village school’s mid-day meal.
“Earlier, villagers defecated in the open, resulting in filth and increased child mortality. Sri Prakashji’s perseverance has not only made the village clean, but also resulted in freedom from infectious disease and a dramatic decrease in mortality rates,” said Seraj.
Though Jalilpur did not figure in the coveted list of “Nirmal Gaons” last year, the advent of international experts to witness the dramatic change in the village has taken away much of the disappointment.
The sanitation revolution has not remained confined to the drains, lanes and toilets, but has become a significant part of the Purva Madhyamik Vidyalaya, edging the Panchyat Bhawan. A 13-member “School Swacchata Club” has recently been established which ropes in 130 students of Classes VI, VII and VIII to keep the surroundings clean and free from disease.
“We have also set up a Cleanliness and Sanitation Fund, in which every student contributes 50 paise per month to keep the school and its environs clean,” said Dilip and Shahin Sonam, Class VIII students and the president and member of the fund respectively.
“Inspired by Sri Prakash, the corpus of the fund set up with a contribution of Rs 151 by village pradhan last month has grown to Rs 450. We will soon open our account with a nationalised bank to ensure the safe growth of our fund,” said Dilip, manager of the fund.
Sri Prakash, who started his career at a cooperative dairy after graduating from UP College in Varanasi in the 1970s, made Jalilpur his home in 1996. He has also served in NGOs working for marginalised sections in Ghazipur and Siddharthnagar (UP) and Gaya (Bihar). “I came here as my wife Kaushilya, the prime inspiration for my social work, was running a beauty parlour in Jalilpur. Despite being a Kshatriya, she never stopped me from cleaning dirt. In fact, she gave money out of her own pocket to serve the people,” said Sri Prakash.
Kaushilya Devi said: “He has every right to the income, since it was he, alongwith a Danish documentary-maker in Siddharthnagar, who enabled me to be self-reliant. I feel proud when he uses the income generated from providing artificial beauty to transform the lives of deprived sections.” Before his tenure as village pradhan expires, Sri Prakash has another dream: to provide the village its own health centre and a tube-well-cum-water tank. “I still live in a rented accommodation and with my family aspire to serving the village till my last breath,” he said.