Toiling For A Better Toilet

Coming clean with the team

It was the 150th anniversary of a timeless institution with a magnificent tradition of molding young kids into value-driven, high achieving young men through an all-round education that was the envy of every kid in Mumbai. Yes, we are talking about our beloved Alma mater, St Xavier’s High School where we received a life transforming education from a star cast of global educators.

No wonder then, when the call for giving back to the institution came up, the batch of 1975 (old SSC) consisting of graduates sprinkled around the world, rose to the challenge and energized into action. This batch wanted to stand out and think outside the box and not limit themselves to the long list of projects provided by the School. They came up with a creative project that would enhance the sanitation standard of the institution by refurbishing the aging toilet building that stands next to the magnificent Stone Hall.

The toilet structure was completely dilapidated. Flush tanks were hanging, the light connections were missing, taps were leaking and the asbestos roof was cracked. During monsoons, students would have to wear raincoats to use the toilets. Even the loft above the toilets had broken netting, giving free access to birds. Furthermore, the sidewall facing the basketball court was closed with bricks blocking the toilet area of much needed sunlight.

A project team was formed in Mumbai to co-ordinate with the school. The rules of the game were clearly laid down in several meetings with the School authorities and adequate networking was done with the office staff to garner support and avoid any roadblocks. The team then had to identify the contractor, supervise the execution and ensure that global donors paid their share on time. Above all, despite the bureaucracy the team encountered along the way, it remained focused and flawlessly executed the project on schedule in May 2019 - before the academic year started post the summer break.

All the defects were taken care of including replacing the cracked asbestos sheets, skirting the windows on the loft with granite and fixing new nets. New toilets with flush tanks were installed, the broken wash basin was replaced with a more durable stainless steel wash basin and light connections were restored. More importantly, the portion of the wall which was closed was remodeled to how it was in our school days bringing the toilet back to its original brightness.

BEFORE

AFTER

“Moreover, the team of donors chose to remain anonymous and the execution team refused to publish their names in this article.”

Everything was quietly completed in the great Xaverite tradition of “all work and no big talk”. Moreover, the team of donors chose to remain anonymous and the execution team refused to publish their names in this article. Instead, what stands proudly today is the plaque that proclaims the 1975 (old SSC) batch did it…..a fitting tribute to the principle of the institution is bigger than the individual. The team would like to extend their gratitude to both Bro. Owen Caston, SJ and Ms. Renee Carvalho from our School, for their help and guidance in the completion of this project.

Not only did the 1975 batch respond when called to give back, they paved the way for a model of project execution to be proud of for many years to come. All for our beloved Alma mater, that is like none other! Come boys, let us……work together!

by our selfless team of volunteers

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