While most daughters-in-law receive clothes, jewellery or utensils from their mother-in-law, this Guntur bride received a rather unceremonious gift. When Salma came to Sk. Shahjahan's house as a new bride, a brand new toilet awaited her!
Shamsun, who is Salma's mother-in-law, reportedly did not want her new daughter to go through the humiliation and physical pain that she bore when she lived for decades without a proper sanitary bathroom.
So as a gift to her daughter-in-law, she decided to pool in all her resources and built one for her within their home.
Shamsun standing next to the toilet facilities she created for her daughter-in-law
But Shamsun admits that this idea would not have actualised without the Swachch Bharat Mission Gramin, which is what inspired her to go ahead in the first place.
No history will repeat itself!
In a newsletter of Swachch Bharat Mission Gramin, Shamsun revealed that she was often left humiliated because friends and family refused to visit her or stay at her place due to lack of sanitation facilities. But that was just a part of the hardships she has witnessed.
"I never had access to a toilet in my father's home, nor in my in-laws' home," Shamsun, a resident of Bollavaram village in Guntur in Andhra Pradesh told the newsletter.
"I cannot even talk about the monsoon months and the hardships that the season represented for us women - to answer nature's call," she added.
How did she do it alone?
This happened after she attended meetings organised by the district administration, and learning about toilet construction and government-funded schemes for villagers who wanted to build them.
She saved up Rs 4,000 and did her research on proper sanitation and commissioned the toilet before her son's wedding eight months ago.
Now, Salma is pregnant, but she doesn't have to worry about sanitation at home, because her mother-in-law has ensured she has a cleaner and safer future. "I do not want to put her health at risk," said Shamsun.
In fact, this inspirational mother-in-law was also praised by none other than Prime Minister Narendra Modi for presenting this unique gift to her daughter.
Well, Shamsun's story may not inspire many urban folk who are used to this basic necessity, but let's applaud the effort of a woman for whom this was a luxury!
Read: 4 things I did to befriend my mum-in-law who knows it all too well
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(Image courtesy: SBMG & Deccan Chronicle)
