VARANASI: It was a special Wednesday for the natives of Dahiya village of Imayatpur block of Chandauli. The village got the one millionth individual household toilet built in the country under the aegis of FINISH (Financial Inclusion Improves Sanitation & Health) Society.

The toilet was declared open by Nirmala, wife of Shyam Dhar, who managed to construct the washroom with funds from Swachh Bharat Mission and loan from a micro finance firm.

Also present on the occasion were Harmen Leijnse and FINISH Society Board member Sarbani Bhattacharya. Harmen is a man with a mission, dubbed ‘Toilet King’ by rural folks. He has hotfooted his way back to UP this year again to find out how people are ushering in a toilet revolution. Harmen has also coined a slogan for a wider outreach among natives: ‘safai ki jeet’ (a clean sweep for sanitation). Harmen said it’s imperative to meet people and convince them to bring a change in their way of carrying out the morning rituals. “Change will surely come. During my last visit, men were reluctant to the idea of relieving themselves in toilets. But this year, many of them shared they were ready to try the new model,” he said.