The most fabulous literary fest, Jaipur Literature Festival 2023 witnessed a focus on agenda- hygiene and health are inseparable, with the launch of the coffee table book that focuses on India’s journey to universal hygiene and seeks to advance thinking and action for following self-care practices such as washing hand for achieving a high level of quality of life.
Curated by Outlook and Reckitt, the book is edited by Mr. Ravi Bhatnagar, Director, External Affairs and Partnerships, SOA, Reckitt as Guest Editor. The book written by top policymakers and leading practitioners from diverse backgrounds focusing on India’s journey to universal hygiene to protect, heal, and nurture in the relentless pursuit of a cleaner and healthier world.
The book was launched during the Jaipur Literature Festival 2023 in the presence of Amitabh Kant, G20 Sherpa; Upma Chawdhry, IAS Retired. Former Secretary to Government of India and Director of the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration, Mussoorie & Board Member, Plan India; Gaurav Jain, Executive Vice President – South Asia, Reckitt; Mr. Ravi Bhatnagar, Director, External Affairs and Partnerships, SOA, Reckitt; Sanjoy Roy – MD, Teamwork Arts and William Dalrymple – Festival Director. The event also saw a photo exhibition in a digital format showcasing Dettol Banega Swasth India program’s efforts throughout the years to nurture health and hygiene behaviors reaching out to 24 million school kids.
Later, G20 Sherpa Mr Amitabh Kant tweeted: “Pleasure to have contributed to and be a part of the launch of ‘Pathway from Hygiene to Wellness’, a book focusing on India’s journey towards universal hygiene and enhancing quality of life. Health and hygiene are inseparable and our progress is in our hands.”
Throwing light on the challenges India is facing, Mr Ravi Bhatnagar, Director, External Affairs and Partnerships, SOA, Reckitt, said, “Behavioral change not only needs continuous reinforcement but also the provision of infrastructure to enable it. We witnessed the power of collective action during the pandemic; continuous collective action by faith-based organizations, youth groups, and civil society will help spread the message fourfold. Also, increased advocacy by these groups will ensure that policymakers are aware of the health, social, and economic impacts of hand hygiene while building public support. We need to think out of the box by leveraging technology and introduce, promote and scale up innovative products and solutions to promote health and hygiene habits.”
Apart from having some eminent persons in positions of power write on these issues, the book will be shared with relevant authorities. It will be useful for practitioners, academia, policymakers, and everyone who has seen the challenges of hygiene in any form and format of life. And can be used as a hands-on document to replicate and scale various innovative and creative solutions for promoting sustainable hygiene and sanitation practices.
This book is written by some of the top policymakers and leading practitioners from diverse backgrounds including Mr. Amitabh Kant, G20 Sherpa, Mr. Gaurav Jain, Executive Vice President, South Asia, Reckitt, Mr. Shombi Sharp, UN Resident Coordinator in India, Dr Soumya Swaminathan, Former Chief Scientist & Secretary, Health Research, Govt of India, Mr Akshay Rout, Senior Fellow, NITI Aayog, Ms Naina Lal Kidwai, Chair, India Sanitation Coalition, Dr. RandeepGuleria, Chairman, Institute of Internal Medicine & Respiratory and Sleep Medicine, Medanta, Dr. Poonam Khetrapal Singh, WHO Regional Director for Southeast Asia, Swami ChidanandSaraswati Co-Founder, Global Interfaith WASH Alliance, Sadhvi Bhagwati Saraswati, Secretary General, Global Interfaith WASH Alliance, Adv Nandan Jha, Secretary General, Gandhi Mandela Foundation, Mr. Mohammed Asif, Executive Director, Plan International (India Chapter), Mr. Dilen Gandhi, Marketing Director, Health and Nutrition, South Asia, Reckitt and Dr. Komal Goswami, COP- Plan India
