The sight of men – women are more modest – relieving themselves in public is so common in India that it scarcely attracts any attention, let alone criticism.

For some it is a matter of habit, for others in a country with around 260m people living below the poverty line, it is the prohibitive cost of repeat visits to public toilets that often charge one rupee – two US cents – for use of a urinal and two for entry to a cubicle.