Letters: Many lessons

I found Geetanjali Krishna's meeting with Sulabh International founder Bindeshwar Pathak educative ("The sanitary reaper, Lunch with BS, March 15). It shows that the best invention can be in a totally uncharted field as well. Pathak did not have any prior knowledge of toilet engineering but he still created a unique toilet system. But to trigger this out-of-the-box thinking one must experience an intense need to find a solution. Pathak's observation of a bride's hardship and the ill-treatment of a Harijan boy provided the impetus for his invention. Besides, hands-on experience of the problem provides a better quality of information than looking for primary or secondary data. I learnt that philanthropic activities do not depend on profits of business but the attitude of businessmen. His company's turnover is Rs 300 crore but he spends five per cent of it on just one of the several socially useful programmes he runs. What a contrast to the resistance from some corporate houses to the compulsion of spending two per cent of their average profit on corporate social responsibility. Lastly, Pathak is right that loving what one does is the best antidote to hypertension, early burnout and ensuring a youthful personality.

Y G Chouksey Pune

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