r.i.c.e.

Writing about how caste system-based medieval notions of purity and cleanliness are impeding progress toward eliminating the practice of open defecation in rural India, author Rahul Jacob observes that the likelihood of the average Indian falling sick due to unsafe water and poor sanitation is 40 times higher in India than in China.  To understand why, he recommends reading a "startling and surprisingly readable new book, 'Where India Goes: Abandoned Toilets, Stunted Development and the Costs of Caste.'"  "It is one of the most admirable and important books I have ever read."                       Read More...