“An ounce of practice is generally worth more than a ton of theory.”

– Ernst F. Schumacher, Small Is Beautiful: A Study of Economics as if People Mattered

My kind of Heroes is a long remaining B(ack)LOGS gathered while visiting field during the implementation of Safa and Swastha Gulariya project. I got to know them after seeing them – the characters, their tone of voice, and the setting that presents an opportunity to day dream of La La Land. The conversations, the twists and the plots got into unnatural accounts of highs and lows and I felt like a small novice boy boasting and jumping around with their practices, learning and wisdom gathered as true knowledge to share among others.

The Mask of Zorro

My hero, a down-to-earth family man, when puts on a home-made mask containing the spirit of the sanitation, he becomes a natural and confident leader which allows him to lead a team at a plastic recycling facility. Under the mask, he can explain the various processes of faecal sludge treatment plant components. He easily explains the Sludge Drying Bed, what it does and how it functions.

“The sludge drying bed separates solid and liquid part using sand and gravel layers, solid part gets dried in top of sand and liquid part goes to the tank (anaerobic baffled reactor),” he says in a very confident manner.

Wonder Woman

My hero, is full of doubt about the plan, what to do with very unusable plastics. But she pushes on, when others would have quit, to keep on segregation of plastic which do not have value for transaction.

My hero wrestles with her own portrait to stop being a hero, still in her best shining moment in the current circumstances.

The Filter-Man (Khamba Pd. Gharti)

My hero, a normal man became an entrepreneur by chance and dived deep into Biosand Filter business after acquiring basic construction technique. He started his own business named “Kritag Raj Biosand Filter Industry”.

My hero, presents a cheerful character and there is a charm hiding under his rough exterior, full of joys and hard work.

The Entrepreneur (Nilam Chaudhary)

My hero is full of contradiction where she operates an inclusive public  toilet facility. She was assigned to operate the facility by her husband after he signed an agreement with the municipality office.

My hero, being a housewife, was forced by circumstances to a change while being afraid initially, but now can boast around on her work.

The Ring-Man (Ayodhya Pd. Godiya)

My hero, an experience mason started working at the age of thirteen. He started his own entrepreneurship of ring construction after receiving knowledge of sanitation business in couple of trainings. He had had his doubts on the plan thay may not work. But he kept pushing on providing rings for toilet construction and has helped his own municipality become open defecation free.

My hero, got recognition from the municipality and his children feel proud of the work he has done.

So tell me about your hero … who he/she is?