In 2014, rural India pledged to eradicate open defecation by October 2019, a pledge it redeemed in earnest. Crores utilised 11 crore toilets constructed in record time. The Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) became the largest behavioural change programme in the world, riding on community engagement and ground-level communication. Resistance to Covid-19 in the hinterland needs a recall of the SBM experience.