Shrouded in secrecy and humiliation, manual scavenging is an age-old custom that has endured generations in India's crowded cities and remote regions. More than just a relic of a repressive caste system, this dehumanising profession—which requires workers to scrub human excrement with their bare hands—violates fundamental human rights. Despite laws and regulations aimed at abolition, many people are still trapped in this cycle of indignity and discrimination.

Dr. Vimal Kumar, born into a family affected by manual scavenging, exemplifies education's transformational power and resolve. He formed the Movement for Scavenger Community (MSC), which advocates for the rights and dignity of individuals pushed to society's outskirts.