Tippy tap

My work takes me to various places across Madhya Pradesh and sometimes to other states. Every visit makes me learn something, how people adjust to life in a relentless environment, a basic act may have a specific connotation. It helps me to understand humanity and empathise while being connected to the roots. A recent such visit to few villages surprised me pleasantly, rethink over the intricate social fabric and also devour the nature in its purest form. 

8 km of rocky stretch to reach  forest village Mathar. We met a group of villagers at the start of road. They reached the village when we were travelling back after half-an-hour. They carried groceries, vegetables on the head and were busy in chatting with each other. The dense forest is abode of tiger, but the life goes on 

The discrimination is interwoven in our lives. Sometimes it is so much part of it that we do not even notice the subtle hints. The data can tell us how much discrimination is percolated in the society.  In two Anganwadis, the growth chart tattled on gender discrimination.  In the growth chart weight of children upto 5 years is plotted every month to prevent the child’s slippage in malnutrition. Girls’ weight is plotted on pink portion while the blue is for boys’ weight recording. Thanks to the British!       

In a peri urban area, there re lesser girls than boys. Girls are more malnourished than boys as more girls are either just on the border of normal zone , many have already slipped in the malnutrition zone and girls are in danger zone 3 times more than the boys. When are we going to bridge this?

The tribal and forest village Mathaar shows far less gender discrimination. It is evident from the more number of girls as compared to boys. There is hardly any difference in the weight distribution amongst boys and girls. 

Things are not bleak everywhere , all the time. There are few pleasant surprises which lightens your day and the mood. The Anganwadi was a model one with neat , clean and child friendly structure. There was an amphitheater for children to do stage performances. The most interesting thing was the Tippy tap!

It’s a low cost innovation to teach children handwashing

in a playful way

The child operates the wooden fulcrum which  sills water from the can. It prevents water wastage as well