The Indian Reflection of Manual Scavenging through Indian Cinema

Sumedha Chowdhury , Dr. Anvesha Datta & Dr. Anvesha Datta.

March 24, 2025   

Abstract:

Humans’ excretion is common but not all humans clean the spot where these defecations are collected. According to the International Labour Organization, there are mainly three forms of scavenging, that is cleaning of the septic tanks, removing human excreta from dry latrines and gutters or sewer cleaning. The ethical employment context through this work started with Protection of Civil Rights Act, 1955 (Revised) which was applicable in 1977 abolishing untouchability. The next law was Employment of Manual Scavengers and Construction of Dry Latrines (Prohibition) Act, 1993 which banned the employment of manual scavengers and made it a cognizable offense, making it the responsibility of the state, citizens, and the organizations to maintain sanitary toilets. Thereafter, Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013 followed by Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation (Amendment) Bill 2020 came into effect. Article 14, 15, 16, 17, 19 (1) (g), Article 21, Article 46 and Article 338 under Constitution of India relates to this issue or people. Sewer deaths and manner of living are some of the impacts. Connecting these data with Bollywood and Regional movies released between 2019 to 2023, a case study was conducted to understand the plot and characters shown in the modern Indian films followed with cluster sampling. The research was further proceeded with identifying a problem, making a timeline, prioritizing the issue, assembly stage and end with the conclusion of the research questions. It explored and analyzed the life of some of the social units. The health, social and caste discrimination among these manual scavengers was clearly depicted in the chosen Indian movies.

Keywords: Hindi, Human excreta, Movies, Plot, Scavenging

 

Introduction:

India, a developing nation had made laws to protect the life of people involved in the profession of manual scavenging referring to persons involved in cleaning the sewage or septic tanks of excreta and urine deposits, but the safety concerns of these individuals is a long cry and automatic scavenging through machines in small and big cities is yet to be implemented completely. Although civic bodies are gearing up for hygienic methods but sadly it remains to be a discussion and not a ground reality. In this content a study on some of the Indian movies of last five years from 2019 to 2023 was done. This included Bollywood movie Article 15, Hindi short film Bhola: The Scavenger, Documentary Sunkenplace, Kannada documentary Kutti, Tamilian short films Witness, Anali and Kasadarualong with Odia short film The Day Jasmine.

'Article 15' by Anubhav Sinha is structured like a crime thriller. The film succeeds because it tackles serious, thought-provoking topics head-on and does it without holding back.Bhola: The Scavenger talks about a young man working as manual scavenger and narrating the experience with his newly married wife. Anali is a story of a school going girl whose father act as a manual scavenger who has hidden his profession from her daughter, one day Anali came to know about her father's profession after that she was angry with his father.Witness is a story of a mother whose young son was forcefully asked for the manual scavenging, which leads him to death. Sunkenplace is about real manual scavengers. Kutti is another non-fiction about the life of manual scavengers in tears. Similarly, Kasadaru is the story of a manual scavenger and his family. Kasadaru speaks about the death of a scavenger and his family’s challenge to pay the debts and lead their lives without him.

The main purpose behind choosing these films was to show the poor situation of India when it comes to maintaining sanitation and hygiene in the open drains.They remain a deprived section of society in terms of economy, health, and emotions. As a result, the sufferings of their family members never end. It continues from generationsafter generations irrespective of gender and age. No solution is found despite the existing laws and acts for such activities. Even during the Covid phase, these manual scavengers were not given safety gears to clean the dry latrine spaces.

Many news organizations have come up with their own productions on the life of manual scavenging but not many film makers have come forward in presenting the life of these hidden heroes. However, the issue continues to be a discussion point for the legal practitioners, media persons, and social activists.

According to a report of Human Rights Watch of 2014, terms like Bhangi meaning "broken identity," a pejorative term for members of the caste who are customarily in charge of manual scavenging is used. The caste mentioned is ‘Dalit’ for manual scavenging because it isa self-designated term for so-called “untouchables” who traditionally occupy the small place in the Indian caste system.Many workers most likely do not have fixed wages and are often victims of extortion. Some workers report getting paid in leftover or basic food items, it said, adding that those “perceived” to be of a lower caste suffer discrimination in healthcare, education, employment, access to land, employment, and wages (Shagun, 2019). Moreover, some studies mention that most of the workers involved in such manual scavenging activities are women or young girls while men are less involved. In terms of caste and lowest untouchability hierarchy and gender, these people face three fold discrimination leading to vulnerability.These sanitation workers have three categories namely manual scavengers, sewerage workers or septic tank cleaners and sweepers.

The poisonous ideas of cleanliness and filth that have plagued the Indic civilization for millennia are the foundation of their degraded status. However, it is crucial to remember that Buddhists were the ones who were forced into "untouchable" occupations by an ascending Brahminical Hinduism after Buddhism was declared to have died out in India; for this, see Ambedkar's groundbreaking work "Contempt for Buddhists as the Root of Untouchability" (Shankar, 2019). This is important because it clarifies that the people who were labeled as "untouchable" were not those in "impure" occupations.

Notably, as a recent development to this issue, The Supreme Court of India in 2023 issued an order to the Union Government and all State Governments to achieve the total eradication of this abhorrent practice, which is a significant instruction for the fight against manual scavenging in India. The Supreme Court has increased compensation for cases of sewer deaths, now set at Rs 30 lakhs, and expressed grave worry over the continued practice of manual scavenging, according to legal news platform Live Law. The court has also asked for prompt action. A bench led by Justices S. Ravindra Bhat and Aravind Kumar established a thorough framework for the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act of 2013 to be implemented in an effective manner. According to the Live Law report, the bench emphasized the necessity of taking proactive steps to rehabilitate the victims and their families, such as guaranteeing scholarships and other skill-development initiatives.

Following the proverb that actions speak louder than words, Partnering Hope Into Action Foundation (PHIA), a Charitable Trust registered in India in 2005 partners are working in seven states including Jharkhand, Bihar, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, and Jammu and Kashmir to end this practice. They are making efforts to find new employment for manual scavengers and ensure the families of those who passed away while doing this work receives justice and compensation which is legally entitled to them. It is significant to note than according to a report of National Commission for Safai Karamcharis (NCSK) a government-appointed organization that manages the conditions (Chhara, 2023) of sanitation workers,  928 sewer workers died between 1993 and 2020, with the states of Tamil Nadu and Gujarat reporting the highest casualties.

                                       

Legal Provisions and Manual Scavenging:

• Protection of Civil Rights Act, 1955 (Revised), applicable in 1977- On May 8, 1955, notice of the enactment of the Untouchability (Offences) Act, 1955 (22 of 1955) was given. It was then modified and called the "Protection of Civil Rights Act, 1955" (henceforth referred to as the "PCR" Act) in 1976. The Protection of Civil Rights Rules, 1977 (henceforth referred to as the PCR Rules) were notified in 1977 as rules under this Act. The Act, which is applicable throughout India, stipulates penalties for the untouchability custom. The corresponding State Governments and Union Territory Administrations carry it out.

• The Employment of Manual Scavengers and Construction of Dry Latrines (Prohibition) Act, 1993 –It is an act to prohibit the use of manual scavengers in the construction or maintenance of dry latrines, to regulate the construction and upkeep of water-seal latrines, and to address other subjects incidentally or connected thereto.

• Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013- It is the main legislation intended to outlaw and end manual scavenging in India. It also prohibits anyone from building or maintaining unhygienic latrines, as well as from hiring or engaging someone as a manual scavenger.

• Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation (Amendment) Bill 2020

• Article 14-It mentions that equality before the law and equal protection of the laws.

• Article 15-The State shall not discriminate against any citizen on grounds only of religion, race, caste, sex, place of birth or any of them.

• Article 16-There shall be equality of opportunity for all citizens in matters relating to employment or appointment to any office under the State.

• Article 17-The abolition of untouchability and prohibition of its practice in any form.

• Article 19 (1) (g)- It provides all the citizens of the country the right to practice any profession, or to carry on any occupation, trade, or business.

• Article 21-The protection of life and personal liberty.

• Article 23- The prohibition of traffic in human beings and forced labour.

• Article 46-The State shall promote with special care the educational and economic interests of the weaker sections of the people, and of the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes, and shall protect them from social injustice and all forms of exploitation.

• Article 338-There shall be a Commission for the Scheduled Castes to be known as the National Commission for the Scheduled Castes.

 

Health Threats:

• Hepatitis- It is a term used for inflammation of the liver. The various types of Hepatitis are Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, Hepatitis D, Hepatitis E, Autoimmune Hepatitis, and Alcoholic Hepatitis.

• Cholera-It is a severe case of diarrhea brought on by intestinal infection with the toxic Vibrio cholerae serogroups O1 or O139

• Typhoid-It is a potentially fatal infection brought on by the Salmonella Typhi bacteria. Usually, tainted food or water is how it spreads.

• Several respiratory diseases - This includes Asthma. Asphyxiation from inert gases like methane or Carbon dioxide.

• Skin irritations

• Meningitis - It is a brain related disease.

• Injuries like puncture wound andcuts.

• Eye irritation

• Headache

• Several respiratory diseases - This includes Asthma. Asphyxiation from inert gases like methane or Carbon dioxide.

• Dizziness

• Fever

• Fatigue

• Gastroenteritis

• Cardiovascular degeneration

• Life expectancy is shortened.

• Carbon monoxide poisoning

 

Objectives:

• To understand the plot and characters shown in Indian Fims

• To observe the duration given to manual scavenging in these Movies.

• To find the health hazards shown in the movies due to manual scavenging

 

Literature Review:

As As the "New Wave," critics and scholars draw attention to and applaud the most recent developments in Tamil cinema. It is prepared to shift in terms of theme, narrative, and character portrayal choices. Tamil cinema evolved became a vehicle for marginalized people to express their voices (S,2023). Directors focus on problems including political ideology, identity crises, and domestic abuse. Though they were completely ignored in Tamil cinema, the concerns and struggles of the underclass today reflect reality. Among the films on that list that addresses the suffering of manual scavengers is Witness. The film explores several facets of society instead of being an emotive drama. It portrays the hardships, problems, and lives of manual scavengers.

The nature of manual scavenging being inhuman had long been recognised by Mahatma Gandhi as early as in 1917. He insisted that the inmates of Sabarmati Ashram, which he had set up and run like a commune, should clean their toilets themselves. He was also of the opinion that each person should do his work himself (Katiyar, 2017). Gandhi and Ambedkar followed different approaches for the abolition of untouchability and the eradication of the practice of manual scavenging. The former advocated change of heart and morality on the part of the opposed castes while Ambedkar on the other hand was highly critical of the Gandhian approach and he advocated political praxis, agitation and legal intervention especially by the victims of the caste system. He observed that manual scavenging is hereditary, so he demanded the political salvation of the downtrodden section of society by carving out a provision for reservation through political representation in the legislative bodies and the prevention of discrimination based on abolition of the untouchability act.

The most hazardous and exposed job of all the labor jobs is sanitation work. The worker's health and dignity are violated, and they are also subjected to inadequate pay, dangerous working conditions, and unstable finances (Prakash, 2023). "The provision of facilities and services for the safe disposal of human urine and faeces" is what the WHO defines as sanitation. Garbage collection from all residential areas, drain cleaning, road sweeping, school and public restrooms, septic tank and sewer cleaning, and feces removal from platforms and tracks are all considered forms of sanitary work. About half of India's approximately 5 million sanitation workers face high risk conditions at work, according to estimates by Dalberg Advisory.The number of manual scavengers climbed from 14,812 in 2013 to 58098 in 2018, based on surveys conducted in 2013 and 2018. To keep them safe In 2013, the Manual Scavengers Abolition Act was passed. The Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment announced in 2019 that 282 deaths were documented between 2016 and 2019 and that the sewer deaths received compensation. In addition, the government launched rehabilitation initiatives for the manual scavengers and their families, including One Time Cash Assistance, skill training, capital subsidies for self-employment, and health insurance.

Being unable to fully engage in a society's development is known as social exclusion. In the Indian context, specific populations such as Adivasis, Dalits, and other oppressed groups continue to face exclusion of this kind. One such way of maintaining this social exclusion is by making these marginalized communities work at manual labor-intensive activities like scavenging (Manav, 2022). It turns into an effective weapon for preserving psychological control over the public. To keep Dalits conscious of their depressing isolation, caste society responds to any deviation in the same (social exclusion). This isolation serves to strengthen the stereotype of Dalits as "negative beings." Because of this arrangement, they are protected from what the bodies of the society's upper caste members reject, making them Dalits themselves.

India is currently experiencing a transitional period in its urban development, with the ideas of resilient and smart cities occupying a central place in the conversation (Pradhan, 2019). However, the nation is falling behind in addressing critical indices of social and human development in urban areas, particularly in relation to adequate sewage and sanitation infrastructure. Considering this, Indian regulations have made the abhorrent practice of manual scavenging an unlawful occupation; despite this, the profession is nevertheless widely practiced, especially in large cities like Bengaluru and Delhi.

 

Research Methodology:

Indian Movies were taken for the study through the content analysis research method. It was necessary to examine these films to verify their reliability, validity, and objectivity. Qualitative Content Analysis was followed for selecting the fiction and non-fiction full length and short films namely Article 15, Witness, Kutti, Bhola: TheScavenger, Kasadaru, The Day Jasmine, Sunkenplace and Anali using systematic material and thematic focus released between the year 2019 to 2023. Cluster sampling from Probability sampling was adapted for carrying out the research. Accordingly, the conclusion was drawn.

 

Analysis and Tabulation:

Serial No.	Name of the Movie	Type of Movie	Characterization of the manual scavenger	Language	Health Hazard	Duration of the movie showing manual scavenging	Year of Release
1	Article 15	Fiction	A low caste young man in one of the side roles	Hindi	Nil	Approx 32 seconds	2019
2	Witness	Fiction	The protagonist and her son.	Tamil	Gasps for breathing and death		2022
3	Kutti	Non-Fiction	The protagonists, is family and community people	Kannada	Faint, weak shoulder and legs, death due to drowning in sewage	Approx 30 minutes	2020
4	Bhola: The Scavenger	Fiction	The protagonist	Hindi	Vomiting, Unable to eat, Skin ailments, death. Mental Hazard like grief	Approx 25 minutes	2021
5	Kasadaru	Fiction	The protagonist	Tamil	Injury, breathing problem, mental illness	Approx 5 seconds	2021
6	The Day Jasmine	Fiction	The lead actor and his family	Odia	Death by drowning (Three people died of injury by rope tore	Approx 7 seconds for characters besides one second for lead actor.	2022
7	Sunkenplace	Non-fiction	Real manual scavengers	Hindi	Health issues due to methane gas	Approx 4 minutes 22 seconds	2019
8	Anali	Fiction	The protagonist and her father.	Tamil	Cough, fatigue	Approx 2.5 minutes	2023

 

The table clearly indicates that Indian movies based on the lives of manual scavengers are more elaborated and narrated by Tamilian and Hindi film makers showing their social, mental and health issues. The health ailments include skin irritations, mental illness, fever, respiratory issues, injuries in legs and hands and lastly death due to drowning. It also shows that most of them not only show one person as the protagonist from a lower caste but his family or the community as well. Their daily wage ranges somewhere between Rs 600- Rs 6000/-. They are bound to take up these jobs for daily bread. There is no age limit. No medical counseling is ever given to them nor do the people compelling them to become manual scavengers take interest in giving medical attention. Death is the result in most of the cases. No weightage is given for the safety precautions of these lesser known professionals. 

Conclusion:

Based on the objectives, it was seen that the movies taken for analysis were mostly about the manual scavengers and how their family and community’s life carry on due to this profession. They take up this livelihood because of financial crunch and make both the ends meet daily. Every movie call for justice for lack of safety precautions, health facilities and social discrimination. None is seen to be highly educated. The duration of each movie ranges from seconds to maximum 30 minutes. Language is not at all a barrier in understanding the pain of these individuals. It was noticed that stringent efforts related to media, law and health need to be executed for banning this manual scavenging with lack of precautions. The emotional aspect of the people involved in this field takes a toll on their health. On one part they deal with psychological issues and on the other side, they tackle with the injuries occurring due to the time spend inside the drain for cleaning the excreta, urine and other wastes.

 

Limitations:

• The number of Indian movies showcasing the ordeal of manual scavengers through social and health angles are less

• Not many prominent Bollywood or Regional actors or actresses are seen playing the role of a manual scavenger.

• No movie song has turned to be popular related to manual scavengers.

• Regional language oriented movies on this topic are less.

• No Ministry of Broadcasting’s Public Service Awareness films are available on the internet for these manual scavengers.

 

 

References:

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Sumedha Chaudhury, Assistant Professor, Amity School of Communication, Amity University Jharkhand, Ranchi, Jharkhand

Dr. Anvesha Datta, Lecturer, Human Anatomy, Metropolitan Homeopathic Medical College, and Hospital, Sodepur, West Bengal

   (Tripurainfo)

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