CHIKKAMAGALURU: A Karnataka woman had an unpleasant experience during a pilgrimage recently. The lack of a public lavatory at the pilgrim centre in Chikkamagalur district forced her to pee outdoors. Unable to get over the incident, she returned home and shot off a letter to President Droupadi Murmu.
Jademma's letter has gone viral on social media.
The woman noted in her letter that her main objective is to bring to the President's notice the pain women like her go through in the absence of public lavatories.
She noted, "I visited Bababudangiri Datta Peeta, Mullaiyyanagiri and Seethalaiahyyanagiri, all Hindu pilgrim centers. At Bababudangiri, I wanted to answer nature's call, but couldn't spot a single public lavatory. I climbed Mullaiyyanagiri hill. I searched for toilets but to no avail. Later, I climbed Seethalaiahyyanagiri and looked for a lavatory, but in vain. Finally, I was forced to pee in a public place."
"Every day, people fight over religions and gods. But, they hardly give a thought to the need for public lavatories."
"You are also a woman like me. But, you don't face the kind of problems I face since you are in power and you have people to serve you," Jademma said.
"Only women know the difficulties faced by women. The absence of a public toilet at a pilgrim centres visited by lakhs of people is a violation of Articles 19 and 21 of the Constitution. We have reached Mars but could not build a toilet at these centers.
"India is the capital of diabetes in the world. They are highly dependent on public toilets. The people of Karnataka won't forget if you build a toilet facility here."