The 'call' of the fields

'Billboards emblazoned with slogans of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, and newly constructed outdoor toilets were visible in many houses', writes the author

This week, whilst in the boondocks of Barabanki, Uttar Pradesh, I had this strange feeling that something was off. Soon I realised what it was. While everywhere there were large billboards emblazoned with slogans of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, and newly constructed outdoor toilets were visible in many houses — I saw a disproportionate number of people emerging from the woods carrying that telltale empty plastic bottle. Women chattered gaily in large groups that periodically disappeared discreetly behind the trees and into the mustard fields. Young boys were playing cricket with the bottles they had just emptied. In the meantime,