Tickets for toilets: A blockbuster idea!

The Swacch Bharat campaign needs innovation to get people to build toilets. Now, superstar Rajinikanth’s appeal is irresistible. It is a wonder, therefore, that the idea of a Puducherry district collector to promise free tickets for Thalaivar's latest blockbuster to families who built toilets in the village of Sellipet had not become a matter of policy already for this campaign, not to mention earlier mass projects. Not only is the administration assured of high rates of compliance, even rural cinema hall owners get a chance to earn good karma — from the Almighty, Rajini Sir and the local authorities, in no particular order — by donating the tickets as a corporate social responsibility ( CSR) gesture. The challenge, of course, will be to maintain the pace and enthusiasm in the interregnum between two Rajinikanth releases. Maybe special shows of earlier Rajini superhits could be considered for screening during the lean periods.

The basic principle of tickets-for-toilets established by this Puducherry initiative, however, should definitely be tried out in other parts of the country as well, timed with muchawaited film releases. And of course rural cinema halls coopted for this outreach should also be allowed to participate only after being checked for compliance when it comes to proper toilets for their audiences.