Manthan for toilets?

Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh has been promoting sanitation ever since he took charge of the ministry. He has been seeking more funds for it, linking the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act with building toilets. Last week, he vowed to seek the help of none other than cinema maestro Shyam Benegal to trigger a popular shift to toilets. Releasing a United Nations report on Millennium Development Goals, he said Benegal portrayed the white revolution in Gujarat in the movie Manthan and helped the cause of dairy cooperatives. "I want Benegal to do a toilet version of Manthan," he said pointing out that with just 33 per cent of Indians having access to toilets, lack of sanitation was a reason for poor health indicators. A Manthan-like film, he said, would help break the social barriers that prevent people from using toilets. Economist Jayati Ghosh countered that the only barrier women faced using a toilet built outside their homes was that they did not feel safe, meaning a movie alone won't usher in a toilet revolution.