Chawla, Abhay
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Rural India, the problem of Open Defecation and India’s Public Health Programs: Lessons in Social Learning Chawla, Abhay
Nusantara Journal of Behavioral and Social Science Vol. 3 No. 4 (2024)
Publisher : Utan Kayu Publishing

Show Abstract | Download Original | Original Source | Check in Google Scholar | DOI: 10.47679/njbss.202466

Abstract

Open defecation (OD) remains a significant public health and environmental challenge, particularly in rural India, where socio-economic and cultural barriers hinder the adoption of sanitation facilities. Despite over two decades of government initiatives, including the Total Sanitation Campaign (TSC), Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan (NBA), and Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM), achieving an Open Defecation Free (ODF) status has proven elusive. This paper examines the systemic limitations of these programs, focusing on the disconnect between policy objectives and community realities. Drawing from the author’s field experience in Haryana, the study highlights critical barriers, including inadequate water supply, economic constraints, and insufficient integration of social learning strategies. The analysis underscores the failure of top-down approaches that emphasize latrine construction while neglecting socio-cultural dynamics and local engagement. The lack of trained personnel, culturally relevant messaging, and participatory planning has resulted in low adoption rates and widespread skepticism about sanitation programs. Using Bandura’s social learning theory, the paper advocates for community-led approaches that leverage social networks and behavioral modeling to foster sustainable change. By comparing India's experiences with successful sanitation strategies in countries like Bangladesh, this study emphasizes the need for context-specific, inclusive, and adaptive solutions. The findings contribute to the broader discourse on public health, demonstrating that sustainable sanitation requires a holistic approach integrating technology, behavior change, and community ownership. Policymakers must prioritize cultural sensitivity and social learning to bridge the gap between infrastructure provision and behavioral adoption, ensuring long-term public health benefits.
The Saga of Pandemics through the Literary Lens Sen, Nandini C; Chawla, Abhay
Nusantara Journal of Behavioral and Social Science Vol. 2 No. 4 (2023)
Publisher : Utan Kayu Publishing

Show Abstract | Download Original | Original Source | Check in Google Scholar | DOI: 10.47679/202340

Abstract

Disease, illness and death have been a human being’s constant companion right from the dawn of civilization and Pandemics are a part of this fatal manifestation which has been witnessed century upon century, successfully wreaking havoc upon the unsuspecting mankind. A pandemic (from Greek - pan, meaning "all" and demos meaning "people") is an epidemic of an infectious disease that has spread across a large region, spreading through continents and killing with impunity as it spreads. Throughout human history, there have been a number of pandemics of diseases such as smallpox and tuberculosis. The most fatal pandemic in recorded history was the Black Death (also known as The Plague), which killed an estimated 75–200 million people in the 14th century. Other notable pandemics include the 1918 pandemic, the Spanish influenza (Spanish flu). The current pandemics include Covid19 and HIV AIDS. The history of pandemic has been recorded meticulously by playwrights, novelists and poets from time immemorial – the documentation is detailed and, on some occasions, laboured. The message conveyed is very clear – the pandemic is brutal, it spares no one and the only way to remain safe is through isolation and timely medical intervention. This Paper seeks to examine the philosophical ramifications of pandemics examined through the literary lens.