KANPUR: It was a dream come true for Kalavati Devi (65), a mason from Kanpur, whose swachh mission led to construction of more than 4,000 toilets in slums and villages across the state.
Rubbing shoulders with six other women achievers from different walks of life, Kalavati got the opportunity to take over twitter account of PM Narendra Modi on International Women’s Day on Sunday and share her journey of patience and grit.
She also received Nari Shakti Puraskar from President Ram Nath Kovind on women’s day.
Born in a farmer’s family in Sitapur, Kalavati shifted to Kanpur at the age of 13 after her marriage with Jairaj, who was 18. At the age of 40, her relations with her husband turned sour. After some time, her husband died in an accident leaving her struggling for survival. To make both ends meet, Kalavati started working as a mason.
At that time, there was not a single toilet for nearly 8,000 inhabitants of Raja Ka Purwa and they used to defecate along railway tracks.
“One day, an elderly woman was run over by a speeding train while going to relieve herself. It proved to be a turning point in my life and I decided to construct a community toilet. In the beginning, everyone made fun. They discouraged me and wondered how an illiterate woman like me could do it. But I took it as a challenge,” Kalavati recalled.
“I approached the municipal corporation with a proposal for construction of a community toilet. After much persuasion, the commissioner agreed to sanction Rs 2 lakh,” she said.
She participated in a training programme on masonry, with focus on toilet construction, organised by WaterAid India in partnership with Shramik Bharti.
Ever since, she has been involved in toilet construction and organising awareness meetings with slum dwellers to help make settlements free of open defecation. But convincing people was not easy. She visited households explaining the importance of toilet in homes and seeking help.
“I managed to collect Rs 1.25 lakh from locals. Local NGO Shramik Bharti helped in providing workers. We built a 55-seat community toilet,” she said.
Kalavati also formed groups and started holding awareness campaigns.
“Locals going out in the fields to relieve themselves were counseled. Initially, they resisted but our efforts bore fruit within a fortnight. Raja Ka Purwa locality became free of defecation and today each household has a toilet,” she said.
Kalavati said felicitation did not matter more than the satisfaction she got after making her locality free of open defecation.
Rubbing shoulders with six other women achievers from different walks of life, Kalavati got the opportunity to take over twitter account of PM Narendra Modi on International Women’s Day on Sunday and share her journey of patience and grit.
She also received Nari Shakti Puraskar from President Ram Nath Kovind on women’s day.
Born in a farmer’s family in Sitapur, Kalavati shifted to Kanpur at the age of 13 after her marriage with Jairaj, who was 18. At the age of 40, her relations with her husband turned sour. After some time, her husband died in an accident leaving her struggling for survival. To make both ends meet, Kalavati started working as a mason.
At that time, there was not a single toilet for nearly 8,000 inhabitants of Raja Ka Purwa and they used to defecate along railway tracks.
“One day, an elderly woman was run over by a speeding train while going to relieve herself. It proved to be a turning point in my life and I decided to construct a community toilet. In the beginning, everyone made fun. They discouraged me and wondered how an illiterate woman like me could do it. But I took it as a challenge,” Kalavati recalled.
“I approached the municipal corporation with a proposal for construction of a community toilet. After much persuasion, the commissioner agreed to sanction Rs 2 lakh,” she said.
She participated in a training programme on masonry, with focus on toilet construction, organised by WaterAid India in partnership with Shramik Bharti.
Ever since, she has been involved in toilet construction and organising awareness meetings with slum dwellers to help make settlements free of open defecation. But convincing people was not easy. She visited households explaining the importance of toilet in homes and seeking help.
“I managed to collect Rs 1.25 lakh from locals. Local NGO Shramik Bharti helped in providing workers. We built a 55-seat community toilet,” she said.
Kalavati also formed groups and started holding awareness campaigns.
“Locals going out in the fields to relieve themselves were counseled. Initially, they resisted but our efforts bore fruit within a fortnight. Raja Ka Purwa locality became free of defecation and today each household has a toilet,” she said.
Kalavati said felicitation did not matter more than the satisfaction she got after making her locality free of open defecation.
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