OBSERVATIONS OF EMINENT PERSONALITIES ABOUT DR. PATHAK

“...Dr. Pathak is a man who has worked on the ideals of Mahatma Gandhi, Dr. Ambedkar, and Lal Bahadur Shastri ji. So I can say about Dr. Pathak that he is

“... I want to congratulate once again the son of Bihar Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak and his organisation for being awarded with the prestigious 'Gandhi Peace Prize'. Through your determination, hard work and unparalleled work in the field of sanitation and contribution towards the Swachh Bharat Campaign, you have paid homage to the historic work of Mahatma Gandhi, who had started his own sanitation campaign in Champaran. You have taken forward the great mission of Gandhiji.”

I congratulate you on what you have achieved, which you richly deserve, for which there is no comparison. You have done such a great job and I would like to tell you that Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak has brought about a revolution, a very big revolution. Financial revolution can come about and can be brought about, but to bring a revolution in the mindset of people is a very big achievement, a very difficult job which Dr. Pathak has brought about.

One organisation which works to improve the state of sanitation in the country is Sulabh, founded by Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak in 1970. Sulabh is the largest internationally recognized pan-Indian social service outfit with over 35,000 volunteers. It began through Pathak’s desire to help scavengers-men and women who carry and dispose of human excreta. He developed a two-pit pour flush toilet (known as the Sulabh Shauchalaya) which did not require scavenging to clean. Subsequently, Sulabh also started pay-and-use public toilets, popularly known as Sulabh Complexes, with bath, laundry and toilet facilities. These are used by about ten million people every day. Sulabh has also pioneered the production of biogas and bio-fertilizer from excreta-based plants.

HON’BLE DR. A. P. J. ABDUL KALAM PRESIDENT OF INDIA

The Sulabh technology is revolutionary. The efficacy of the system lies in its cost effectiveness and hence can be accepted globally. We are definitely going to mention Sulabh technologies and initiatives in our report.

ROBERTO LENTON CHAIRMAN OF THE U.N. MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOAL (MDG) TASK FORCE ON WATER AND SANITATION

Technology from Sulabh can help alleviate the water and sanitation problems in a big way if replicated in other countries. We can achieve the MDGs within the prescribed period with the help of a social organization like Sulabh.

MARGARET CATLEY-CARLSON GLOBAL WATER PARTNERSHIP

"The visit has been most useful to me for it is the research in small things that changes a Community to do great things in this country," during his visit to Sulabh Gram on March 16, 2000.

DR. RAJA RAMANNA INDIAN PHYSICIST

The Sulabh movement is indeed a reminder and jolt to conscience. It is performing the double task of socially rehabilitating the suffering segment of our society and providing healthy and clean municipal life. It deserves all support.

I.K. GUJRAL FORMER PRIME MINISTER OF INDIA

What Abraham Lincoln did for Blacks in America, Dr. Pathak has done for scavengers in India. Both are great redeemers.

DR. MULK RAJ ANAND A NOTED WRITER

Dr. Pathak’s work is very seminal. It is humane and educative.

I read with great sympathy your account of the situation of the scavengers community, and I congratulate you on the work which you are doing on its behalf. I am sure your International Saint Francis Prize for the Environment was richly deserved.

Sulabh created a low-cost toilet technology that not only helped maintain sanitation but also restored the dignity of millions of “scavengers”, the cleaners of human excreta who are traditionally untouchables. The West’s toilet technology, composed of sewage and septic tanks, was unaffordable for India’s teeming millions. Pathak’s technology relies on two simple pits and sealed covers. While one pit is in use, the other is left to decompose, forming a fertilizer that can be used in agricultural fields. Equally important, human waste no longer requires manual cleansing.

TARUN KHANNA

JORGE PAULO LEHMANN PROFESSOR, HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL IN BILLIONS OF ENTREPRENEURS

Now that the world is shrinking, leaders of the world unite to initiate a global approach to the problems of sanitation and water supply which have also become a tool for social change. In this field, the role of Sulabh International Social Service Organization is crucial. Sulabh is a known name not only in India but also in other countries. I have read about Sulabh and now I know how Sulabh makes things happen.

DR. JAN P. PRONK CHAIRMAN, WATER SUPPLY AND SANITATION COLLABORATIVE COUNCIL

For

The centre of Sulabh is everything I imagined and much more. A centre of inspiration, liberation and human vitality. I will remember forever this visit and remain a disciple and willing promotee of their wonderful ideas and activities in an area most people are too shy even to talk about. Nearly everything which works began with an idea and a small group of people committed to work to realize it. Thank you Dr. Pathak and your co-workers for your inspiration and achievements.

SIR RICHARD JOLLY SPECIAL ADVISOR TO THE ADMINISTRATOR UNDP, CHAIRMAN, COLLABORATION COUNCIL FOR DRINKING WATER AND SANITATION

International experience in the management of public services shows that delivery of services can be vastly improved if a distinction is made between the ownership of these services (by the government) and the delivery of such services (by private and local enterprises). Thus, a compilation of twenty-four case studies from twelve countries all over the world has concluded that in every case where the management of a public service was contracted out to private groups or enterprises, the distribution and quality of the service improved and the net cost to the public was reduced. In India also, there are successful examples of ‘micro-privatization’ (Such as Sulabh Sauchalayas and Public Call Offices). These initiatives need to be replicated in respect of other services.

Sulabh International showed me a good example during my recent visit to New Delhi. This organization has proved how effective small-scale solutions can be and how they can be extended all over India within a short time span. Thousands of ‘Pay and Use’ public toilet-cum-bath complexes and more than a million pour-flush latrines in private houses have been built (and are maintained) and they are used by more than ten million people everyday. By doing so, Sulabh has restored human dignity and given a new future to thousands of untouchables.

HRH WILLEM-ALEXANDER

THE PRINCE OF ORANGE OF THE NETHERLANDS CHAIRMAN OF THE UNITED NATIONS’ SECRETARYGENERAL’S ADVISORY BOARD OF WATER AND SANITATION (UNSGAB) IN LAUNCH OF INTERNATIONAL YEAR OF SANITATION NEW YORK ON NOVEMBER 21, 2007