PUNE: What qualifies as the perfect marriage gift? Jewellery, dress, diamonds or a luxurious car? None of the above, feels Savitri Mane, who has decided to give her niece the most 'precious' gift of all — a portable toilet.

Katraj-resident Savitri's niece Raksha is marrying a youth from Bhor this week. When Raksha's parents noticed that the groom's house does not have a toilet, they decided to gift the bride one.

"It has become a trend nowadays to buy portable toilets as gifts. The demand is on the rise this season.

Parents, whose daughters are marrying rural youths, have added a portable toilet to their list of gifts offered to the groom," said Ramdas Mane of Mane Industries in Bhosari. His firm has received orders for more than 1,000 toilets in the past few days. "Already, we have provided 2,500 toilets in 200 villages in Pune, Satara and Kolhapur," he said. Many other small firms are in the portable toilet business and share Mane's experience.

"Girls these days refuse to accept a groom whose house does not have a toilet. Even low-income families in city have toilets. But, even some rich families in villages feel that a toilet is unnecessary," said Ramesh Sonawane, who has gifted his daughter one. These toilets cost between Rs 7,000 and Rs 12,000, depending on the quality.
These toilets come with readymade RCC walls and a sceptic tank which could be carried easily. While the tank is ideally placed by digging a hole, it takes hardly two hours to fix the walls.

"Basically, girls from urban areas are not willing to marry into rural families. A girl from the police lines in Pune was married in Sangli and had to suffer a lot because there was no toilet facility," said Pratima Joshi of Shelter Associates. She added that city girls make sure that these basic amenities are available in their in-laws' houses before getting married.

"When my uncle asked about the marriage gift, I suggested a portable toilet. As a new bride I would not be in a position to ask my in-laws to construct a toilet at their place. So, while leaving Pune, I will carry my toilet," said Ekta Tare, who is getting married to a youth from Khatav in Satara.

The government is also taking initiative in providing low-cost toilets. In Satara district, the zilla parishad has developed a model of low-cost toilet. "The response has been good. Even people from Pune have approached us. Many villages have decided that girls from their village will marry only to those boys whose house has toilet facility," said Irshad Bagwan, information and communication officer in Satara.