Twenty-five portable public toilets have been installed across trading hubs in Pathankot, Punjab, as part of a civic campaign called "Shahar Zinda Karo" (Bring the City to Life). The latest unit was handed over at Gurjeet Market, where a local trader, Pritam Singh, has volunteered to maintain it. The initiative is coordinated with the local Vyapar Mandal (traders' association) and led by educator and public interest worker Srijal Gupta.
Shared Ownership Model
The campaign's approach is deliberate: instead of lobbying the municipality, the campaign installs a toilet and hands it over to the market's traders for maintenance. At Gurjeet Market, the keys were given to the Beopar Mandal, with Singh taking on upkeep as a volunteer. Gupta describes this as shared ownership rather than charity.
"A city cannot call itself dignified if its markets have no toilets," Gupta said. "This is not the government's job alone -- it is ours. Our approach is simple: first we bring Pathankot to life, then we make it beautiful."
Pritam Singh added: "When they installed the toilet, they did not just walk away -- they handed it to us to look after. It is a small thing to keep it clean. The market is ours, so its upkeep is our duty too."
Wider Civic Efforts
The toilet rollout is part of a broader campaign under the banner #MuskurahatWalaPathankot (Smiling Pathankot), which operates in Hindi, Punjabi, and English. A companion programme, the Shree Jal Abhiyan, distributed oral rehydration salts, cooling drinks, and protective caps to outdoor workers like rickshaw pullers and street vendors during the summer heat.
Gupta's guiding phrase is "Pehle Zinda Karo, Phir Sundar Karo" -- first bring the city to life, then make it beautiful. This reflects a focus on dignity infrastructure before aesthetics.
The next step is a cleanliness march called "Zinda Kooch" (Living March) on August 9, ahead of Independence Day. Organizers plan to mobilize over 100 volunteers to distribute 200 dustbins to shopkeepers under the tagline "Iss 15 August, Kuda Toh Azaadi" (This August 15th, Freedom From Garbage), echoing the Dandi March to frame sanitation as self-reliance.
Reach Beyond Pathankot
Gupta also curates TEDxCaledonian, a TED-licensed event now in its fourth edition. The 2026 programme, themed "Confluence," is scheduled for October 10-11 and features British MP and former UK cabinet minister Sir Grant Shapps among confirmed speakers. Past editions have included former European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso, former Maltese Prime Minister Dr. Joseph Muscat, and former Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio.
Gupta founded Caledonian International School, a UNESCO ASPnet-affiliated institution, in Pathankot in 2017 and serves as its ASPnet Coordinator. He is also author of Pratisthana's Promise.
In February 2026, Gupta met European Parliament President Roberta Metsola and addressed the European Economic and Social Committee in Brussels on sustainable cities. He authored a Pathankot Global Gateway Vision 2030 concept note for EU-India cooperation. His affiliations include the Aspen Institute (Vanguard Member), Chatham House (Geopolitics of Technology Leadership Fellow, 2026 cohort), and the Obama Foundation (Founding Member).
Two-Way Exchange
Gupta is also working to bring JunctionX Pathankot, a local edition of the Finland-based hackathon network Junction, to the city. While TEDxCaledonian brings global figures to Pathankot, JunctionX aims to send local talent to international stages.
"Talent is not the monopoly of big cities," Gupta said. "If the world's best platforms can come to Pathankot, then Pathankot's young people can go out to the world. That exchange, in both directions, is the whole point."
Civic Figure, Not Candidate
Gupta describes himself as a public interest worker rather than a politician, though his name has surfaced in local discussion ahead of Punjab's 2027 Assembly elections. He maintains a distinction between service and electoral campaigning.
The toilet campaign exemplifies his method: a local, visible act of civic maintenance, handed to the community to sustain, run by a man equally at home installing a market toilet and addressing a committee in Brussels.
