Akshay Kumar and Bhumi Pednekar’s Hindi film Toilet: Ek Prem Katha was one of the six stories from around the world that inspired Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates in an otherwise “tough year.” The story made it to Gates’ list for its message about spreading awareness about the problem of sanitation in India.
Gates prefaced the list, posted on Twitter, by saying, “There’s no denying that 2017 was a really tough year… but it also delivered some amazing moments of hope and progress. Here are some inspiring tweets that you may have missed.”
Placing the Bollywood movie at the third place in the list, Gates tweeted: “3/ ‘Toilet: A Love Story,’ a Bollywood romance about a newlywed couple, educated audiences about India’s sanitation challenge.”
3/ “Toilet: A Love Story,” a Bollywood romance about a newlywed couple, educated audiences about India’s sanitation challenge. https://t.co/TIRRmcamLy
— Bill Gates (@BillGates) December 19, 2017
The film, directed by Shree Narayan Singh, was released in August this year. It follows a newlywed couple living in rural India and the problems that arise when the woman has to walk in the fields every day to defecate. The film was lauded for pointing out the issue faced by a large number of people in the country. The film was supported by various sectors of the government as it echoed with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.
Bill Gates
The five other inspirations on Gates’ list were Edwardo Sanchez, who was the first person in his family to graduate from college; Bhutan and Maldives eradicating measles; World Food Prize-winner Akinwumi Adesina giving grants to young Africans involved in agriculture using his award money; a New York Times report on how helping others is good for your health; and extreme reading catching up in schools to encourage reading.
Here are the rest of his best of 2017:
1/ There’s no denying that 2017 was a really tough year… but it also delivered some amazing moments of hope and progress. Here are some inspiring tweets that you may have missed…
— Bill Gates (@BillGates) December 19, 2017
2/ On May 18, 2017, Edwardo Sanchez tweeted that he was the first person in his family to graduate from college. Congratulations, Edwardo! https://t.co/V5uzWQAc75
— Bill Gates (@BillGates) December 19, 2017
4/ In June, the WHO certified that Bhutan and Maldives had eliminated measles. https://t.co/WdhAHIhs7A
— Bill Gates (@BillGates) December 19, 2017
5 /2017 World Food Prize winner @akin_adesina will use his prize money to establish a fund to provide grants to African youth involved in agriculture. https://t.co/20S5KznAhX
— Bill Gates (@BillGates) December 19, 2017
6/ The New York Times reported that doing good for others helps those who give as well as those who receive. https://t.co/dWMpvXXtpP
— Bill Gates (@BillGates) December 19, 2017
7/ A new sport caught on in schools to encourage students to read. It’s called #extremereading. https://t.co/hXtnVIuhfF
— Bill Gates (@BillGates) December 19, 2017
Gates also submitted his own version for the “extreme reading” challenge.
8/ Here’s my own extreme submission to the challenge. #extremereading pic.twitter.com/z6Uk1cM5Cq
— Bill Gates (@BillGates) December 19, 2017
There is no dearth of inspiration in Gates’ own work. According to Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation’s 2017’s annual letter, Gates says the organization is focused on eradicating polio as one of their top philanthropic priorities, the success of which will be “as good as shipping the best software product.”
He wrote in the letter: “Progress in fighting polio might be one of the world’s best-kept secrets in global health,” and added, “If things stay stable in the conflicted areas, humanity could see its last case of polio this year.”