Leadership for Social Impact: Perspectives from Safai Karmacharis

Introduction

On Friday, Oct 29, we had a fascinating session with one of India’s most remarkable leaders, Mr Bezwada Wilson. Mr Wilson is the National Convenor of the Safai Karmachari Andolan, a human rights organization that has been campaigning for the eradication of manual scavenging. The organization has reduced the number of manual scavengers from 30 lakhs at one point of time to about 100,000 today. For his work, the Ashoka Foundation has nominated him as a Senior Fellow. In 2016, he was honoured with the Ramon Magsaysay award for his “moral energy and prodigious skill in leading a grassroots movement to eradicate the degrading servitude of manual scavenging in India , reclaiming the human dignity that is their natural birth right.”

Mr Wilson dropped out of school three times but each time his mother persuaded the school to take him back. Later, he went on to do his graduation in Political Science from the Dr BR Ambedkar Open University. When his mother died, Mr Wilson cried a lot. Since then, he has been “searching for his mother” in other households. Mr Wilson has been a strong critic of fascist, casteist and patriarchal forces in Indian society.

Manual scavenging

Manual scavenging is the practice of cleaning, carrying and disposing of human excreta from dry latrines or sewers. This kind of work is typically done by people at the lowest level of the caste hierarchy.

Mr Wilson’s father began working in 1935 as a manual scavenger removing excreta from dry toilets. His attempts to find some other work were unsuccessful. Mr Wilson’s eldest brother also worked as a manual scavenger in the Indian Railways for four years and then ten years in the KGF (Kolar Gold Fields) township. When he realized his parents' true occupation, Mr Wilson contemplated suicide. Fortunately, that moment passed, and Mr Wilson began to think about what he could do to deal with problem.

The fight begins

In 1986, Mr Wilson began his fight to end manual scavenging. Not only were these scavengers paid paltry wages (as low as Rs 30 a month per household), but it was also assumed that that it was their duty to do this dehumanizing work. The occupation also posed serious health hazards.

The first hurdles in Mr Wilson’s fight were fatal acceptance of the problem and reluctance to speak about it. Most people within the community were ashamed to even admit that manual scavenging existed or that they did it. The fact that everybody was keeping quiet, disturbed Mr Wilson greatly. Mr Wilson’s first task was to break the silence.

Gradually, Mr Wilson realized the importance of standing strong. As he explained during the webinar, society and neighbours often will not allow us to believe what we want to believe. They will try to impose their views on us. There will even be strong resistance when we try to do something good.

Mr Wilson described one of his interactions with a sanitary inspector in the early days of the movement. He wanted the inspector to replace a leaking bucket used to carry the excreta. But the inspector literally threw him out of the office. Mr Wilson spent the whole night under a banyan tree reflecting on the incident.

Mr Wilson recalled another incident when he was a young boy. His uncle returned home after his first day at work as a manual scavenger, his hands moving about awkwardly. He wanted to know why he had been given such work. Poison would have been preferable. The smell was simply not going away.

Senior government officials too showed a lot of apathy. Once while discussing rehabilitation plans for the manual scavengers, a district collector sounded dismissive and condescending. He mentioned that the scavengers were in any case being paid for the job they did. Mr Wilson angrily asked the collector whether he would do this work if he were offered money?

Looking back, Mr Wilson admits that he should have used a more moderate language. In the early days of the movement, Mr Wilson wanted to know why others were also not doing this kind of work. But over time, he realized that no one should be doing this kind of work. As Prasad added, if we clean up our own minds, we can help clean up other people’s minds by asking the right questions.

Building an organization

Between 1982 and 1992, Mr Wilson did not have any organization or platform. He just moved from place to place, talking to people and often spending nights at the bus stations. He once covered 23 districts in 3 months, surprising Mr Paul Diwaker one of the key people who supported him in the early years of the movement.

Dr Anand Rao and Mr SR Sankaran, a retired IAS officer were two other strong supporters. With their encouragement, Mr Wilson’s journey got an impetus. Mr Sankaran gave a name to his movement and helped Mr Wilson to understand the world in general and the government in particular.

Mr Wilson began a letter-writing campaign, contacting the KGF authorities, the minister, and Chief Minister of Karnataka, the Prime Minister, and newspapers, but they remained largely unacknowledged.

In 1993, the Parliament enacted the ‘Employment of Manual Scavengers and Construction of Dry Latrines (Prohibition) Act in 1993, which banned the construction of dry latrines and manual scavenging. Despite the ban, the practice of manual scavenging continued across India.

Mr Wilson took photographs of dry latrines and manual scavenging in KGF and sent it to Mr P.A.K. Shettigar, the then managing director of KGF, threatening action under the Act. An emergency meeting was called to convert dry latrines into water-seal latrines and transfer all scavengers to non-scavenging jobs. However, it was only when photographs were published in a 1994 article in the Deccan Herald that the Karnataka government was forced to acknowledge that the problem had not gone away. (Taking photographs of the manual scavengers in action was a formidable (and repulsive) task in itself.)

Mr Wilson then worked for two years to organize manual scavengers in Karnataka. A platform, the Campaign Against Manual Scavenging (CAMS), was formed. This oversaw the conversion of dry latrines into flush toilets and rehabilitation of those who were engaged in manual scavenging.

In 2001, the Andhra Pradesh government agreed to a total survey of the state to identify manual scavengers for liberation and rehabilitation. Mr Wilson prepared the survey format, where volunteers photographed and documented each manual scavenger and dry latrine.

In 1994, Mr Wilson helped found Safai Karmachari Andolan (SKA) along with Mr S. R. Sankaran and Mr Paul Diwakar. SKA's goal is to end the practice of manual scavenging and help those engaged in it find dignified work.

In 2003, Mr Wilson and the SKA filed a Public Interest Litigation in the Supreme Court. SKA and 18 other civil society organizations, manual scavengers, and individuals signed the affidavit as litigants naming all states and government departments of Railways, Defence, Judiciary, and Education as violators of the Manual Scavenging Prohibition Act. The PIL was a major step in the efforts to abolish manual scavenging. The Chief Secretaries of States and Heads of Departments of the central ministries appeared before the court for the hearings. For the first time, in 2010, the Act was enforced, and 16 members were taken into custody for violating the law and employing manual scavengers.

The liberation of safai karmacharis became an important issue while drafting the 12th Five year plan of India in 2010. Mr Wilson met parliamentarians, ministers, and national advisory members during this time and submitted systematic documentation of manual scavenging across the country.

Mr Wilson feels that notwithstanding progress on so many fronts, there is still a long way to go. We are still in the process of becoming human beings. Citizenship is still a far cry.

Q&A session
On leadership

A leader is someone who carries the pains of both victims and ordinary people. Mr Wilson has never aspired for power or money or title. He believes that power spoils us. Unfortunately, leadership is still equated with dominance of the people below and entitlement to various privileges.

While in the hostel at the state welfare school, the young Wilson prayed that he would not become a leader. He had noticed that school leaders invariably failed in the school final examination. Moreover, they would start throwing their weight around and expect other people to do their work such as washing utensils. Still, his hostel mates unanimously appointed him leader. Mr Wilson cried when that happened! Mr Wilson was also probably influenced by Mr Sankaran who stated that he did not deserve it when he was awarded the Padma Vibhushan by the government.

Mr Wilson has also not believed in hobnobbing with powerful politicians. He feels more comfortable being with the people rather than sitting in the Parliament. A leader should have strong beliefs and have faith in the good heartedness of the common people.

Mr Wilson emphasised that everyone is a leader. There is only one designated leader in an organization but there are many undesignated leaders. Before Mr Wilson took the initiative, there were others who had tried to protest. But they had paid the price, losing their jobs and livelihood. Mr Wilson acknowledged that these unsung heroes had played an equally important role in fighting the battle against scavenging.

Mr Wilson did not have a plan or vision or roadmap or strategy when he began his journey. He became familiar with these terms much later. (As Prasad mentioned, they were in his heart. The language developed over time.) A leader should do what is right. The descriptions and terminology will follow later. Of course, at some point of time, as the agenda becomes clearer, the language is also important, in order to have a constructive dialogue with the society and the government.

It is not necessary to be a powerful speaker to make things happen. Mr Sankaran is a good example. By demonstrating empathy and being sensitive to key issues, he was able to drive change. When others see that we are sensitive to a problem, they will also become sensitive.

When we are honest and committed to our cause and have strong beliefs, doing something without expecting any returns, we gain recognition. We become leaders and people start following us.

On inspiring trust

Leaders inspire trust through their actions. Some people started speculating that Mr Wilson was creating hype and trying to gain visibility to go on foreign tours. Mr Wilson consciously maintained a low profile and stayed away from foreign tours till years later, when he once had to travel to meet the United Nations Human Rights Commissioner. (That meeting and the following video post prompted many people to invite Mr Wilson for speaking engagements.) He threw away the passport after the tour and has not gone abroad since then. His simple living has also inspired trust. (He sleeps in his office wherever he goes. He carries the same bag on his travels.)

On the future of the movement

Mr Wilson accepted that over time, sensitivity and awareness levels have increased. Liberation requires the cooperation of all the stakeholders. The government is realizing its responsibility. There has been a huge public outcry against manual scavenging. The scavengers are also aspiring, unlike in the past, for a better life.

On his fight for human values Mr Wilson’s fight is not just against scavenging. The cause is not just the liberation of the scavengers but also human values. It is just not right to treat some people as slaves. The progress cannot be measured but only felt.

On changing governments

Governments may come and go but polices are the same. Every day is a challenge and new problems must be dealt with creatively. Otherwise, there is the danger of falling into a trap. The mindset of the government must change. In the name of rehabilitating sanitation workers, it is giving loans to them to buy cleaning equipment. The burden of repaying the loan falls on these poor people. Do people who work in offices take loans to buy their computers?

On how B Schools can make a social impact

Good management is vital for solving the problems of the country. Business schools attract the cream. Students must be sensitized about the problems in society. They must come out of their comfort zone. B Schools should not be like Ashrams where abstract theory is taught. Students should be encouraged to fight for social justice. Prof Shailendra Bisht added that rural immersion programs can help students come out of their comfort zone and become more sensitive to problems such as manual scavenging.

Concluding notes

An inspiring and soul-searching session by a leader with a mission to change the world. Mr Wilson illustrates how with a deep sense of values and connect to society; a leader can achieve wonders. His journey offers valuable lessons in leadership: the importance of empathy, remaining grounded and doing things without aspiring for power or position.

A great session by an extraordinarily grounded leader. Truly unique in terms of perspectives. Excellent moderation by Prasad and Sudhakar.

We thank Dr. Vedpuriswar for bringing out the highlights in the form of this note