Sulabh International Founder Bindeshwar Pathak Dies Aged 80; PM Modi Calls It A Profound Loss

New Delhi: Sulabh International founder Bindeshwar Pathak, a pioneer in building public toilets, died aged 80 on Tuesday at AIIMS Delhi due to a cardiac arrest. According to his aide, Pathak hoisted the national flag in the morning on the occasion of Independence Day and collapsed soon after that.

He was rushed to AIIMS Delhi and was reportedly declared brought dead at 1.42 pm.

Condoling his death, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the passing away of Bindeshwar Pathak is a ‘profound loss’ for our nation. 

“He was a visionary who worked extensively for societal progress and empowering the downtrodden,” he tweeted.

Modi said that Bindeshwar made it his mission to build a cleaner India and provided monumental support to the Swachh Bharat Mission. 

“During our various conversations, his passion towards Swachhata was always visible. His work will continue to inspire several people. My deepest condolences to his family and loved ones during this difficult time. Om Shanti,” the prime minister added.

Bindeshwar Pathak, the brain behind Sulabh toilets

Born in a Brahmin family in the Rampur Baghel village of Bihar’s Vaishali district, Bindeshwar Pathak — the brain behind the Sulabh toilets (commonly known as Sulabh shauchalaya) — was widely recognized in India and around the world for dedicating his life to building a nationwide sanitation movement spanning over five decades.

His contribution made a critical difference in the lives of millions of severely disadvantaged poor who couldn’t afford toilets. 

In 1991, Pathak was awarded the Padma Bhushan for his monumental work for liberating and rehabilitating manual scavengers and also for preventing environmental pollution by providing pour-flush toilet technology which served as an alternative to dry latrines.

A year after that, he was also bestowed with ‘The International Saint Francis Prize for the Environment – Canticle of All Creatures’ by Pope John Paul II.

The jury in a statement that he was unanimously chosen for his ‘comprehensive and interdependent nature of Pathak’s environmental and social commitment to the human responsibility of the earth.’