{"componentChunkName":"component---src-templates-post-query-tsx","path":"/blog-post/a-clean-village-with-a-messy-pradhan/","result":{"pageContext":{"post":{"slug":"/blog-post/a-clean-village-with-a-messy-pradhan/","title":"A clean village with a messy pradhan","date":"Feb 12, 2012","timeToRead":4,"description":"","body":"function _extends() { _extends = Object.assign || function (target) { for (var i = 1; i < arguments.length; i++) { var source = arguments[i]; for (var key in source) { if (Object.prototype.hasOwnProperty.call(source, key)) { target[key] = source[key]; } } } return target; }; return _extends.apply(this, arguments); }\n\nfunction _objectWithoutProperties(source, excluded) { if (source == null) return {}; var target = _objectWithoutPropertiesLoose(source, excluded); var key, i; if (Object.getOwnPropertySymbols) { var sourceSymbolKeys = Object.getOwnPropertySymbols(source); for (i = 0; i < sourceSymbolKeys.length; i++) { key = sourceSymbolKeys[i]; if (excluded.indexOf(key) >= 0) continue; if (!Object.prototype.propertyIsEnumerable.call(source, key)) continue; target[key] = source[key]; } } return target; }\n\nfunction _objectWithoutPropertiesLoose(source, excluded) { if (source == null) return {}; var target = {}; var sourceKeys = Object.keys(source); var key, i; for (i = 0; i < sourceKeys.length; i++) { key = sourceKeys[i]; if (excluded.indexOf(key) >= 0) continue; target[key] = source[key]; } return target; }\n\n/* @jsxRuntime classic */\n\n/* @jsx mdx */\nvar _frontmatter = {\n  \"title\": \"A clean village with a messy pradhan\",\n  \"date\": \"2012-02-12\",\n  \"template\": \"post\",\n  \"slug\": \"a-clean-village-with-a-messy-pradhan\",\n  \"postedLink\": \"https://riceinstitute.org/blog/a-clean-village-with-a-messy-pradhan/\",\n  \"old-tags\": [\"sanitation-behavior\", \"total-sanitation-campaign\"],\n  \"description\": \"\",\n  \"tags\": \"Blog Post\",\n  \"banner\": \"\"\n};\nvar layoutProps = {\n  _frontmatter: _frontmatter\n};\nvar MDXLayout = \"wrapper\";\nreturn function MDXContent(_ref) {\n  var components = _ref.components,\n      props = _objectWithoutProperties(_ref, [\"components\"]);\n\n  return mdx(MDXLayout, _extends({}, layoutProps, props, {\n    components: components,\n    mdxType: \"MDXLayout\"\n  }), mdx(\"p\", null, \"Starting from where we live in Sudamapuri, you get to the village of Terwa Chilaula by first taking a bicycle rickshaw into Sitapur, the district capital town. Near the main bus stand, turn north along the road to Lakhimpur, the last district before Nepal. A little ways down the road, there will be a massing of \\u201Ctempos\\u201D \\u2013 three-wheeled, slow-moving vehicles whose drivers charge you about five rupees to cram in to a small space with six strangers and their many children. When no more people can possibly fit \\u2013 and a young man crippled by polio has found a perch dangling from outside the vehicle \\u2013 the tempo will putt-putt off over the railroad track and out of town.\"), mdx(\"p\", null, \"Eventually the children will get bored of inspecting you. That\\u2019s how you\\u2019ll know you\\u2019ve gotten there. Climb out the tempo, pay the driver, and walk into the village.\"), mdx(\"p\", null, \"Diane and I traveled to Terwa Chilaula today to check out something that I had read on the internet. According to the official government data on the Total Sanitation Campaign webpage, it is the only village in our home block of Khairabad to have won the NGP: the \\u201Cclean village prize.\\u201D A village wins the prize for building many latrines under TSC and, in principle, for being \\u201Copen defecation free.\\u201D Hunting down Terwa Chilaula would be a good test of the government data that I had been using: if any village would be full of latrines (and many are not), it should be this one.\"), mdx(\"p\", null, \"And it was. There were dozens of them, little brick buildings either freestanding or attached to other buildings, with toilet pans inside for squatting. Most of them had been painted with the label \\u201Ctoilet\\u201D and a number from a consecutive numbering scheme that pretty much clinches their government origins. We found them in the richer and poorer parts of town alike, and discovered a painted toilet complex, with a boys\\u2019 and girls\\u2019 side, in the \\u201Cdowntown\\u201D area of the village, near the meeting hall and school.\"), mdx(\"p\", null, mdx(\"span\", {\n    parentName: \"p\",\n    \"className\": \"gatsby-resp-image-wrapper\",\n    \"style\": {\n      \"position\": \"relative\",\n      \"display\": \"block\",\n      \"marginLeft\": \"auto\",\n      \"marginRight\": \"auto\",\n      \"maxWidth\": \"960px\"\n    }\n  }, \"\\n      \", mdx(\"span\", {\n    parentName: \"span\",\n    \"className\": \"gatsby-resp-image-background-image\",\n    \"style\": {\n      \"paddingBottom\": \"75%\",\n      \"position\": \"relative\",\n      \"bottom\": \"0\",\n      \"left\": \"0\",\n      \"backgroundImage\": 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\"className\": \"gatsby-resp-image-image\",\n    \"alt\": \"Toilet building from the outside\",\n    \"title\": \"Toilet building from the outside\",\n    \"src\": \"/static/3aa7c2f043b041d917fede8398d76a80/1fe05/toilet-from-the-outside.jpg\",\n    \"srcSet\": [\"/static/3aa7c2f043b041d917fede8398d76a80/37402/toilet-from-the-outside.jpg 200w\", \"/static/3aa7c2f043b041d917fede8398d76a80/91d27/toilet-from-the-outside.jpg 520w\", \"/static/3aa7c2f043b041d917fede8398d76a80/1fe05/toilet-from-the-outside.jpg 960w\", \"/static/3aa7c2f043b041d917fede8398d76a80/c3413/toilet-from-the-outside.jpg 1024w\"],\n    \"sizes\": \"(max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px\",\n    \"style\": {\n      \"width\": \"100%\",\n      \"height\": \"100%\",\n      \"margin\": \"0\",\n      \"verticalAlign\": \"middle\",\n      \"position\": \"absolute\",\n      \"top\": \"0\",\n      \"left\": \"0\"\n    },\n    \"loading\": \"lazy\"\n  }), \"\\n    \")), mdx(\"p\", null, mdx(\"span\", {\n    parentName: \"p\",\n    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\"className\": \"gatsby-resp-image-image\",\n    \"alt\": \"School toilet compound\",\n    \"title\": \"School toilet compound\",\n    \"src\": \"/static/272f88dbfac192a7a9db27064ba40cc6/1fe05/school-toilet.jpg\",\n    \"srcSet\": [\"/static/272f88dbfac192a7a9db27064ba40cc6/37402/school-toilet.jpg 200w\", \"/static/272f88dbfac192a7a9db27064ba40cc6/91d27/school-toilet.jpg 520w\", \"/static/272f88dbfac192a7a9db27064ba40cc6/1fe05/school-toilet.jpg 960w\", \"/static/272f88dbfac192a7a9db27064ba40cc6/c3413/school-toilet.jpg 1024w\"],\n    \"sizes\": \"(max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px\",\n    \"style\": {\n      \"width\": \"100%\",\n      \"height\": \"100%\",\n      \"margin\": \"0\",\n      \"verticalAlign\": \"middle\",\n      \"position\": \"absolute\",\n      \"top\": \"0\",\n      \"left\": \"0\"\n    },\n    \"loading\": \"lazy\"\n  }), \"\\n    \")), mdx(\"p\", null, \"Better yet, the toilets seemed to be in use. Generally they had a cloth or old piece of a bag hanging in the doorway (a good sign) but not always (still more private than pooping in the open). Sometimes there would be two right next to each other (somebody got a deal) and one of them would be unused, or used for storage. But, on the whole they seemed to be in use throughout the village, and the open spaces that might, in some villages, otherwise smell or look like open defecation didn\\u2019t here. Here\\u2019s a picture I took of one: notice the signs of use in the pan, and the cup kept on hand for cleaning.\"), mdx(\"p\", null, mdx(\"span\", {\n    parentName: \"p\",\n    \"className\": \"gatsby-resp-image-wrapper\",\n    \"style\": {\n      \"position\": \"relative\",\n      \"display\": \"block\",\n      \"marginLeft\": \"auto\",\n      \"marginRight\": \"auto\",\n      \"maxWidth\": \"960px\"\n    }\n  }, \"\\n      \", mdx(\"span\", {\n    parentName: \"span\",\n    \"className\": \"gatsby-resp-image-background-image\",\n    \"style\": {\n      \"paddingBottom\": \"75%\",\n      \"position\": \"relative\",\n      \"bottom\": \"0\",\n      \"left\": \"0\",\n      \"backgroundImage\": \"url('data:image/jpeg;base64,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')\",\n      \"backgroundSize\": \"cover\",\n      \"display\": \"block\"\n    }\n  }), \"\\n  \", mdx(\"img\", {\n    parentName: \"span\",\n    \"className\": \"gatsby-resp-image-image\",\n    \"alt\": \"Inside a toilet\",\n    \"title\": \"Inside a toilet\",\n    \"src\": \"/static/da4620c4e386170b5bc97c49677a6591/1fe05/toilet-from-the-inside.jpg\",\n    \"srcSet\": [\"/static/da4620c4e386170b5bc97c49677a6591/37402/toilet-from-the-inside.jpg 200w\", \"/static/da4620c4e386170b5bc97c49677a6591/91d27/toilet-from-the-inside.jpg 520w\", \"/static/da4620c4e386170b5bc97c49677a6591/1fe05/toilet-from-the-inside.jpg 960w\", \"/static/da4620c4e386170b5bc97c49677a6591/c3413/toilet-from-the-inside.jpg 1024w\"],\n    \"sizes\": \"(max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px\",\n    \"style\": {\n      \"width\": \"100%\",\n      \"height\": \"100%\",\n      \"margin\": \"0\",\n      \"verticalAlign\": \"middle\",\n      \"position\": \"absolute\",\n      \"top\": \"0\",\n      \"left\": \"0\"\n    },\n    \"loading\": \"lazy\"\n  }), \"\\n    \")), mdx(\"p\", null, \"At least some attention seemed to have been paid not to just building latrines, but also to encouraging people to use them. This message had been painted on a wall in a well-traveled area. It roughly translates to \\u201CDon\\u2019t let your daughters go outside\\u2026 make a toilet at your house!\\u201D I had seen similar exhortations painted on the walls at a village I once stopped at in Madhya Pradesh.\"), mdx(\"p\", null, mdx(\"span\", {\n    parentName: \"p\",\n    \"className\": \"gatsby-resp-image-wrapper\",\n    \"style\": {\n      \"position\": \"relative\",\n      \"display\": \"block\",\n      \"marginLeft\": \"auto\",\n      \"marginRight\": \"auto\",\n      \"maxWidth\": \"960px\"\n    }\n  }, \"\\n      \", mdx(\"span\", {\n    parentName: \"span\",\n    \"className\": \"gatsby-resp-image-background-image\",\n    \"style\": {\n      \"paddingBottom\": \"75%\",\n      \"position\": \"relative\",\n      \"bottom\": \"0\",\n      \"left\": \"0\",\n      \"backgroundImage\": \"url('data:image/jpeg;base64,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')\",\n      \"backgroundSize\": \"cover\",\n      \"display\": \"block\"\n    }\n  }), \"\\n  \", mdx(\"img\", {\n    parentName: \"span\",\n    \"className\": \"gatsby-resp-image-image\",\n    \"alt\": \"Mesaages on the wall of the toilet\",\n    \"title\": \"Mesaages on the wall of the toilet\",\n    \"src\": \"/static/570cf8776a221a1a45aff75cbb649dd0/1fe05/wall-messages.jpg\",\n    \"srcSet\": [\"/static/570cf8776a221a1a45aff75cbb649dd0/37402/wall-messages.jpg 200w\", \"/static/570cf8776a221a1a45aff75cbb649dd0/91d27/wall-messages.jpg 520w\", \"/static/570cf8776a221a1a45aff75cbb649dd0/1fe05/wall-messages.jpg 960w\", \"/static/570cf8776a221a1a45aff75cbb649dd0/c3413/wall-messages.jpg 1024w\"],\n    \"sizes\": \"(max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px\",\n    \"style\": {\n      \"width\": \"100%\",\n      \"height\": \"100%\",\n      \"margin\": \"0\",\n      \"verticalAlign\": \"middle\",\n      \"position\": \"absolute\",\n      \"top\": \"0\",\n      \"left\": \"0\"\n    },\n    \"loading\": \"lazy\"\n  }), \"\\n    \")), mdx(\"p\", null, \"So, we had verified the data, but how did this village get its act together? Why were there latrines there? To find out, we started asking for the pradhan, essentially the village mayor. We were shown to a large, two-story house painted blue to communicate that the family that lived there were of a high-ranking caste. We called out, and some women leaned out over an upper floor balcony. We wanted to meet the pradhan, we explained. No can do, the women replied, all the household\\u2019s men are in Sitapur (and, of course, high caste women can\\u2019t leave the house, especially to talk with strangers!).\"), mdx(\"p\", null, \"Could we at least have his phone number? This produced an awkward, unexpected, and flat no. Is there someone else we can talk with? They gave us another name.\"), mdx(\"p\", null, \"We found a guy from the family of the name we were given, laying outside his house in his short shorts. He was pretty sure he had a family member who was pradhan at some point, but not while the toilets were built. Those were built in a couple of waves by the government, he recalled, at least five years ago (which matched nicely with the government data). He gave us another name, of a man who used to be pradhan, and now owns a sweets shop on the road back to Sitapur.\"), mdx(\"p\", null, \"So, we made our way back to Sitapur, stopping at about every sweets shop on the way. We finally found the son of our pradhan, who called his father. We waited, and marveled at people\\u2019s dexterous use of the hand pump outside of the shop: you have to block the pipe with one hand while you pump with the other, in order to build up enough water to catch in your hands and drink.\"), mdx(\"p\", null, \"The ex-pradhan arrived. We gave our introductions. He knew all about the prize, but he was pradhan way before then. The pradhan at the time of the prize was\\u2026 of the original family in the blue house.\"), mdx(\"p\", null, \"Defeated, we went home, and happened to chat about our day with our friend and neighbor, a newspaper reporter. Like Jeeves, he knows everything about everybody. We told him the story of our mystery pradhan. Yes! He used to be the pradhan, a few years ago, but the village has cycled through, and now it is \\u201Creserved,\\u201D required to have a female pradhan. So, the pradhan arranged to make his wife pradhan, and continues to govern the village as before. Chances are, we really did meet the true pradhan, leaning out the balcony of the blue house.\"), mdx(\"p\", null, \"This village was probably pretty special. It was near a big road to the next district, and we saw at least two cars. So, the take-away message is not that the Total Sanitation Campaign is working well all over rural Uttar Pradesh. But it \", mdx(\"em\", {\n    parentName: \"p\"\n  }, \"can\"), \" work, and \", mdx(\"em\", {\n    parentName: \"p\"\n  }, \"is\"), \" working in some places, even in a place with screwy local politics. And \\u2013 particularly important for my purposes \\u2013 the government data appears to have at least some basis in reality.\"));\n}\n;\nMDXContent.isMDXComponent = true;","tags":[{"name":"Blog Post","slug":"blog-post"}],"banner":null}}},"staticQueryHashes":["318001574","3787687951","3787687951"]}