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Chattisgarh’s 105-year-old, who sold 8 goats to build toilet, to be awarded
Kunwar Bai Yadav sold her eight goats to build a toilet in her house — a feat locals say was responsible for inspiring neighbours to make Kotabharri an open defecation-free zone.
She may be 105 years old but Kunwar Bai Yadav’s steely spirit and tireless championing of hygiene and sanitation has left many people decades junior to her in awe.
The resident of a sleepy village in the forests of Chhattisgarh’s Dhamtari district, Yadav sold her eight goats to build a toilet in her house — a feat locals say was responsible for inspiring neighbours to make Kotabharri an open defecation-free zone.
She was selected to be felicitated by PM Narendra Modi, who she calls her son, at the ‘Swachhta Diwas’ function in Delhi on Saturday but she can’t go owing to poor health. “She is a heart patient with fluctuating blood pressure. She is not keeping well for the past three days. So we have asked Sulabh International to felicitate her either in Dhamtari or Raipur,” district collector CR Prasanna said. The state government has also decided to give her 10 goats and Rs 1 lakh.
During a rally at Rajnandgaon in February, Modi touched her feet and called her an inspiration. “The country is changing. A woman in a remote village endeavours to carry out the dream of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. It’s a big transformation occurring at the roots of the nation,” the PM had said.
Yadav is short and walks with a stooped posture with the help of a wooden stick. “How long will I live! But now at least the toilet in my home will inculcate a behavioural change on hygiene and safeguard the honour of our family members,” she said.
She says she has nothing to give her “son” except blessings. “I prepared Chhattisgarhi delicacies — khurmi, arsa and thethri to offer him in Delhi. But now I am not going,” she said.
Yadav was to be accompanied by her daughter Sushila Devi and Barari gram panchayat sarpanch Vatsala Yadav to Delhi for the function.
“Her efforts made everyone realise the respect of mothers and sisters who had to go out in open fields,” the woman sarpanch said. Villagers were delighted too. Keshri Dhruv and Kirti Bai Yadav, inhabitants of Kotabharri, said now the problems of their village get promptly attended.
Yadav said going to the field to defecate was difficult and shameful. “Owing to poor vision, whenever I fell down, rarely anyone turned up even when I cried for help. So, I made up my mind to construct a toilet at home.”
