It seems that I am always at the brim of boiling point when it comes to reacting, when I see dirty place. Sometimes, I think it's not an acceptable behavior if you are a Nepali. It is surprising to see tolerance for dirt and dirty place. It's so accepted habit. I mean to say, for an average Nepali its ok with unhygienic kitchen, smelly toilet, or stained utensils that is used either in toilet or kitchen. It's so in its look that stings eyes and raise a question how come people close their eyes even if they are college educated. How come some people can take it so easily and not be bother by its ugliness. It's expected you do not raise a question on its cleanliness, dirt, dust and dirty nature of average Nepali. You are expected to adjust with all the sickening environment and be accepted by your community.
Have you ever been to the many hostels that is being running in the city ? have you seen the hygienic standards there ? have you been to the toilet ? Have you paid a close attention to the buckets that has ugly stains ? Have you paid close attention to the cups they drink tea, seen the inner bottom of the cup, the handlebars of it ? Have you seen the kitchen and those stained utensils in it ? It's surprising how come college students living there for long could see it everyday and yet not do anything to change those dirty utensils, smelly and stained toilets.
Did you read me when I wrote average Nepali have so much of tolerance for dirty place like smelly and stained toilets and bathrooms, muddy roads and dusty airs that can harm our health. Then how come I also being an average Nepali have so little patience for all this ? just when this question ring in my head, the whole scene of clean process reeled in my eyes, which I grew up observing for years as a growing up child.
I grew up in Bal Mandir. When I was there every morning our room used to be well broomed, dusted by nannies. It was a daily ritual. But, big girls or boys used to do it as a team. They used to work in pair for and that pair was made for a whole month. Every week it is a must to dust out rooms, beds, bath, and wash cloths. There was no way to escape from all that clean mechanism.
I remember how Bhaicha Dai [Janitor] used to clean the surrounding of Bal Mandir twice a day. How he used to clean 18 toilets twice a day including bathrooms, where about 200 people used to live. There was a man named Kancha Dai to clean the big kitchen after every meal. He used to clean the big mess where young children used to eat meal.
Children under 12 year old are considered young in children homes. Children above 13 years old are considered big enough for many types of daily works.
Big girls and boys used to have their meal in separate mess that was joined to the big mess. After every meal they have to clean it. For that also there was a team of a pair. Its upto the pair to decide who will carry water and then who will sweep the floor. First, they have to just sweep it dry and then pour buckets of water. After that sweep the floor again draining all the water. Minimum three buckets of water pouring on the floor was needed to clean mess after meal and it must look squeaky clean was the acceptable condition.
So many donors used to visit Bal Mandir and some times some of them must have strong ideas on cleanliness, I guess. I do remember one team of volunteers who changed the our tolerance toward the smelly and stained toilets. That team taught us how to erase the stain marks on toilet floors and on pans. It was the time way before the harpic was available in the market. I do remember very well, even if; I could have been under ten years old. We used rough stones to get rid from those ugly stubborn stains. I think it was that time when we were taught not to give in and try to get rid of those ugly tough stains and smells anyway, if we want clean toilets and environment.
Now, getting rid of those eye stinging stains in the toilet pans or commode is one spray of harpic away. Yet, why the young generation are so tolerant to ugly stains in toilet and bathrooms and kitchen sink ? Normal flush habit is also hard to be seen in our society. All it takes is a habit of flushing for smell free toilet, yet we have so much tolerance for smelly toilets. I have been to many toilets in banks and NGOs where I can see they have posted a notice to flush it. Ironically, most toilet do not have functioning flush in toilets. This is very common sites in our toilets even in A class bank and NGOs.
Hygienic is another concern here, how many toilet offers soap to wash hands and towel to dry out ? Answer is very few.
Have you ever seen or heard of hostel student's meeting with it keeper. Ask a student who stays in hostels, did you raise a topic on clean toilet, kitchen or utensils ? Simple answer, NO ! They focus on meal mostly on variety of curry or day snacks. Never ever they complain about the dirty toilet, bathroom or the clean dining or kitchen area. Sure there are some hostels which takes care of these matter but it's in very limited number. If you see many of them in the kitchen you wonder why cleanliness and hygienic lifestyle is considered rich and affluent peoples habit ? Why it falls on last priority of average Nepali ? Are we not humans to think side by side for food on plate as well as clean environment after and before meal ? How can we not be so serious to think about it. Have this subject ever been given a priority in our school and college ? Looking at the cleanliness habit and hygienic standards of average college students, there is no doubt it was never ever given an equal priority as much as having food on plate. This mindset raise one question, how civilized we are ? 