To Flush or not to Flush?

       Walk past any gents’ urinal and be ready to be accosted by a strong stench of urine.  While you wrinkle your nose in disgust you wonder why people, mostly gents don’t flush the toilet after using it.  

        Before the men are up in arms against me, let me concede that there are some ladies, only some, who too forget to flush; but it’s a rare phenomenon, given their obsession with cleanliness and penchant for nagging the males, for they don’t want to give their worse halves a reason to nag (and to be smug!).

        Whether it is a public lavatory or in an office, the stench itself sets apart a gents’ urinal from the ladies one.  Isn’t this telling enough?

        This obnoxious habit of not flushing the toilet or urinal may be attributed to several factors, the foremost being laziness; and laziness is a habit which dies hard. 

        Secondly, the male tendency to expect only women to d all the ‘dirty’ tasks (as well as the tedious ones, but that’s another story!).  But who’ll flush the ‘gents only’ urinal.  “Probably it should be the gent after me.”  Yes, each one must be repeating the same and walking out; relieved!

        A friend of mine complains that in her office, she’s often the one flushing the loo after everyone finishes using it, as she’s unable to bear the stink.  May be she should be paid a ‘flushing allowance’!  (This was when she was the only female in her office).  I suggested that she look out for another job in an ‘only for ladies’ office.

        The other day I read on the internet about how a traveler on a flight dreaded walking into the loos in planes for fear of being confronted (I quote the author) by "the sprinkle on the toilet seat".  Ugh.

        The third factor is conditioning of the mind to be arrogant and insensitive. ‘This is not my job’ or ‘It’s a dirty, job’ or, ‘How does it matter? Smell what smell?’ What are windows and toilet fresheners for? Whatever!

        The fourth factor is absence of the stick, i.e. punishment.  We can or will do certain things only out of fear of a fine, a penalty or imprisonment.  The shame and the loss of face at being punished are minimal here as obviously, in a country of billions, how many men could we possibly fine and punish?  Imprisonment?  Ha ha!    There are far worthy causes to going to jail.  (I shudder to think about the toilets there!).

         Most Indian men love urinating in the open, in our country.  But you see; it saves our gentlemen from the trouble of flushing.  No water, no flushing!  How convenient!

        Indifference is another factor. Even the board proclaiming in bold letters ‘Please flush after use’ is ignored by the men who go in and come out with their cell-phones glued to their ears.

         It may be mentioned here that the same men who wouldn’t stoop to flush here in India, would bend backwards to do the needful abroad, for fear of a tight rap on their knuckles!  Different standards of hygiene, eh?

          The fifth factor is the fear of being infected with the germs and hence, some deadly disease.  How should we touch the flush knob or the mug?  God knows who has touched it and contaminated it earlier!  Yuck! 

        Sanitizers be damned!  Just not worth taking the risk!

        The scenario at home is pleasantly different. Thanks to the mistresses of the houses hounding the males and nagging them, they dare not, NOT flush. After all, woe betides one who scorns a woman!

        Lastly, men please flush the toilet and also take care to clean the spillover if any.  The whole toilet floor must look and smell clean.  Till then, our nose pegs or scarves will resolutely mask the obnoxious stench. 

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The copyright of this article is with Mrs. Priya Ramesh Swaminathan.