7 Comments
Feb 9, 2021Liked by Pallavi Aiyar

You are absolutely correct, as usual, Pallavi, about the caste factor in India. When my mother was admitted to a top Hospital for a shattered thigh bone, I flew there from the US to find that regular nurses did not provide bed pans (something that is normal in the US- nurses assume it is part of their job). A special nurse called 'nurse amma' was the bedpan/ toilet nurse. And if a patient needed to 'go' and nurse amma was not available or otherwise occupied, what then?!! This happened to my mother, and after waiting 15 minutes, and seeing my mother squirming in discomfort, I finally took matters into my own hands and provided the bed pan (which was standing next to her bed the whole time) myself. The US has made me impatient with caste distinctions (although racial distinctions are another matter entirely) and not only were the regular nurses horrified, but my own mother was mortified for some time until she finally internalized the lecture I kept giving her that, nudity and needing to use the loo were normal and part of life!

Expand full comment
author

Wow! Pretty depressing story.

Expand full comment

WTF? Blood relatives can't be defiled by elder's shit or baby's shit. What is your Religion? Why not adopt Brahmin Religion you disgusting man? If I see Mum or Dad or baby 'squirming in discomfort' I take their feces in my own hand. Incidentally, so do genuine Americans. You are a disgusting fellow.

Expand full comment

For 'Brahmin religion', can I humbly ask to step up from being Iyengar, Vivek Iyer, since you seem to be purveyor of all such matters? Not that it matters. I spoke about the prevailing practice in the hospital and its staff, not even remotely about my own ideas. I may be disgusting, but for the record, I'd like you to refer to me as 'disgusting female'!!

Expand full comment

Here is your post's official video, from the 2014 UNICEF India "Poo2Loo" campaign (for once, a masterpiece of UN communication): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l01AMCBG0Wk

And your mascot is of course Mr. Poo, from the same campaign !

Expand full comment
author

Love it!

Expand full comment

R.Umapathy-Your comment authoritarian China made MKG words true and Not Democracy is perfect..Democracy never removed cast from Indian social fabric..People reps made same as vote banks....GOI should introduce under CSR for companies to start public toilets and run same with thier task force with tax benefits under CSR..Independent of damn the local municipal authorities

Expand full comment