Sir,

It is generally considered a taboo to discuss or debate on personal cleanliness in public. Thanks to Dr. K. Javeed Nayeem for his bold, thought-provoking and timely articles on personal cleanliness in his column ‘Over a cup of evening tea’ [SOM dated Mar.17 and 25].

Under the title ‘Let Clean Bottoms Come First!’ shall we call it ‘Swachh Bottom Abhiyan !’ as it has come in the wake of Prime Minister Modi’s Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, which none of his predecessors had even thought of, when they were in the cockpit of administration.

We have developed a tendency to accept whatever comes from the West as best including tissue paper culture.

As rightly said by Dr. Javeed, water is the best God-given cleansing agent. It cannot be produced in the man-made factory.

No ablution is complete without using the required quantity of water. Bathroom and water are synonymous. One without the other is unimaginable.

The thought of keeping a bathroom dry always like a drawing room, bedroom or kitchen is silly. It is annoying to use bathrooms in posh hotels and modern apartments which seldom provide a mug in the toilet, a rod or wire to hang clothes, stand for shaving kits, etc. Basic needs and amenities should not be ignored in the name of modernisation.

– V.R. Srinivasa Murthy, Brindavan Extension, 29.3. 2017

Note: If a mug (or dipper) is not possible, at least a health faucet can easily be provided using the water line provided for the flush tank. — Editor