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August 31, 2008
This Delhi Student Doesn't Mind Battling Alone
By Azera Rahman
New Delhi
Dressed like any other college going girl in a bright printed salwar,
a pair of flip flops and carrying a jhola (bag), Shahana Sheikh, who
became somewhat of a celebrity after her report on public toilets in
Delhi was taken seriously by the Delhi High Court, doesn't have many
friends and acquaintances who share her beliefs.
"I don't know anyone among my peers who wants to do similar work.
There are some who have done internships with NGOs but that's more
because voluntary work is a value addition on their resume. I have
had many arguments with them, but at the end of it I realized that
everyone's answerable to themselves and left it at that," the
20-year-old final year student of Lady Shri Ram college told IANS
over a conversation at the college café.
"I am not saying that the youth is not committed towards social
work, there are many who are doing brilliant work. Anyway, I am
really not bothered about who is doing what. As long as I am doing
my bit, it's okay," she added in her quiet, matter-of-fact manner.
As long as she is doing her bit, she will leave many people happy.
Sheikh's report on the condition, or rather the lack of public
toilets in slums and resettlement colonies of Delhi, had clearly
impressed the high court which then asked the Municipal Corporation
of Delhi (MCD) to take note of and submit a detailed report within
the next four weeks.
"When I decided to take up this subject during my internship with
the Centre for Civil Society, I didn't imagine it would become so
detailed. I planned on visiting two slums and ended up visiting
three slums and three resettlement colonies and the condition of the
toilets were the same - pathetic," she said.
Sharing some of her experiences, the bespectacled Economic honors
student said that in one slum she found animals being bred in an
unused toilet, in one the ratio of toilets to the number of women
was 1:500, and in another there simply were no toilets at all.
"I was aghast as women slowly opened up and told me of cases when
someone they knew was run over by a train while relieving herself on
the railway track, sexual harassment cases are common since the
women go to relieve themselves only in the wee hours of the day or
in the dead of the night.
"In Sanjay colony, one of the resettlement colonies, people filed a
Right to Information (RTI) application and it got answered saying
that doors of 90 toilets are broken, scores of others not in a state
to be used. In a place where the chief minister is a lady, so is the
mayor, it's shameful that they don't understand such basic needs of
a woman, who can't even relieve themselves anywhere like a man,"
Sheikh said.
In her words, Sheikh is not happy with all the accolades that have
been showered on her after the report.
"Frankly I feel awkward at all the media attention. And why should I
be happy? I will be happy only when the MCD does something good for
these people and that too not just on paper. Let them win the case,
I will be happy if at the end, those women in the slums get some
benefit out of it all," she said.
This is however not the end of the battle. The journey has just
begun as Sheikh is very sure that issues like water and the Public
Distribution System are some that she would want to work on.
"I don't mean to be critical but all those people who go to the
rural areas to do social work obviously must not be aware of the
conditions in their own city. For the people in those slums, this
café that we sit in is the "other" Delhi, we need to bridge the gap
between the two," Sheikh said, clearly signaling that she will
soldier on.
IANS
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August 31, 2008
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