NRIs contribute to the construction of toilets at the Kondagattu temple shrine
NRIs Redefining Public Sanitation
JAGTIAL, MAY 26, 2026: In a quiet temple town of Sri Anjaneya Swamy devasthanam in Kondagattu of Mallial mandal in Jagtial district, a transformative movement is taking root – one that blends education, innovation, and public health into a single, powerful initiative. The ‘Saaf Sutra’ initiative is redefining how India approaches toilet hygiene, from the ground up.
The NRIs living in USA had donated the construction of public toilets at the famous temple shrine for the benefit of devotees. The NRIs Dr Anuja Roy Nidumolu, Nidumolu Madhusudhan, Nidumolu Annapurna, Sanjay Roy, Indira Roy, Aditya Vinayak Roy, Vakulabharanam Madhavi Prakash, Vakulabharanam Bhanu Prakash and others participated. Temple EO Srikantha felicitated the NRIs for their noble gesture on Sunday.
The pilot project, launched at the Hanuman temple in Kondagattu, Telangana, addresses a long-standing issue in India – open defecation and the lack of clean, usable public toilets. While government programs like ODF (Open Defecation Free) have made strides, the ‘Saaf Sutra’ team believes that to make the movement successful, dependable cleanliness and cultural adaptation are crucial. Keeping toilets consistently and uniformly clean, and easy to maintain, rely on adequate toilet training and will be key to furthering the cause of hygienic defecation. This initiative will lead the charge in spreading hygiene awareness through the community at a grassroots level.
“Western toilets, though more hygienic in theory, often become unusable in public settings due to improper water use,” explains Dr. Anuja Roy, the project’s founder. Culturally, the concept of ‘cleanliness’ is awash with water in India – and prominent in daily life, through washing hands, taking showers, washing clothes, and even homes. However, when it comes to public toilets, untrained water use could also be the reason for unclean and slippery floors, thus severely compromising the safety, usability, and utility of this critical public amenity. Further, public health concerns related to the use of unclean toilets go beyond just the unpleasantness of the aesthetics and the experience. The entire idea of a western toilet is built on the concept of keeping it ‘clean, yet dry’. The critical first step would, therefore, be to work towards developing awareness and appreciation for this simple idea by overcoming knowledge limitations and addressing society’s cultural moorings regarding water and cleanliness. “Our goal is to not only provide access to toilets but also to teach people how to use them properly in the Indian context – keeping them clean and dry, without having to rely on expensive solutions like Japanese-style toilets.”
The project’s first phase involved constructing modern toilet facilities with simple, washing and drying contraptions, on the temple premises, strategically placed to respect religious sentiments while maximising accessibility. The entire building process, from approval of engineering plans to the actual fit-for-purpose construction, is being spearheaded by Mr. Bhanu Prakash of the Supraja Seva Samiti with relatively modest investments.
With the inauguration of the first toilet building on May 25th, the focus now shifts to education. The initiative plans to train employees and users in toilet cleaning and maintenance with the anticipation that they will become catalysts for change in their own neighbourhoods, their local communities, and hopefully, far beyond, in this connected age.
Looking ahead, the Saaf Sutra team envisions a broader impact. Beyond toilets, they aim to spark conversations about underground sewage systems, waste management, and public health infrastructure—areas where India still lags despite its rapid development. “Education through exposure is our mantra,” says Dr. Roy, and goes on to add that “When people see and experience the difference, they imagine better solutions. And imagination, more than intelligence, is what drives real change.”
As the first set of toilets in Kondagattu open their doors to the public, and users embark on their learning journeys, the most basic of amenities becomes the platform for a national transformation. This ‘education through exposure’ initiative welcomes the collaboration of like-minded leaders to shape attitudes, awareness, discourse, and action for the nation’s sanitation and public health engineering to be at par with the developed world.
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