Team Blitz India
NEW DELHI: Social reformer Bindeshwar Pathak, who died on August 15 in New Delhi, pioneered public sanitation in the country to the extent that public toilets became synonymous with Sulabh, the organisation that he founded in 1970.
For his works, Dr Pathak was conferred India’s third-highest civilian honour Padma Bhushan in 1991 and the New York City declared April 14 as ‘Bindeshwar Pathak Day’ in 2016 in recognition of his contributions to public hygiene.
Dr Pathak was passionately involved with development activities and was associated with Blitz India ever since the inception of the country’s first newspaper on development journalism. He was a friend, guide and mentor to Team Blitz India and was always present in all the major events launched by the newspaper in New Delhi, Mumbai and London.
Dr Pathak founded Sulabh with a view to ending manual scavenging with inspiration from Mahatma Gandhi. He not just created public toilets but also worked towards the upliftment of traditional sanitation workers who had for a long time been treated as untouchables.
Expressing her condolences to the bereaved family and the members of Sulabh International, President Droupadi Murmu said, “Shri Pathak had taken a revolutionary initiative in the field of cleanliness.” Calling the passing away of Dr. Pathak a profound loss to the nation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, “He was a visionary who worked extensively for societal progress and empowering the downtrodden.”
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said, “His contribution to society will always be remembered. He worked tirelessly for the upliftment and empowerment of downtrodden and socially weaker sections of society
