Water

Water नीर



Sitting in a mall food court, I felt thirsty. There are 30 shops surrounding me each selling packaged water. I have the money to pay for it. Instead, I decide to ask a shop boy to give me what he drinks. He graciously takes the bottle from me, cleans it & fills it with the water. I say Namaskar as a gesture of gratitude & leave.

Never in the history of humanity has society traded in life’s basic needs such water as it does today. Nestle, a 7.7 Bn dollar annual sales behemoth declared arrogantly that water is not a basic human right & must be privatised globally. “Anti-homeless spikes” being put up by city municipals & corporate offices these days are another instance of the same mis-anthropic values which drive the principles of privileged.

I come from a history in which digging up well for the benefit of community was considered a life goal. A good deed worthy of one’s life time. People with money built “Dharam-shala”, an accommodation for travellers much like today’s hotels/motels, not as an investment but devoted to divine, which kept the rent to bare minimum & served society.

Where have those people gone? Where are those traditions? My grandfather, a freedom-fighter, built Shiva – Mandir (A temple devoted to “Vyomakesh”) with his life’s earning in our village. It is 50 years old and serves as a platform for community to share their joys & festivals. However, the young are leaving & only old are left in village. It is the same story everywhere across the globe. Cities are cramped overflowing with people forced to live like rats. & That in today's times is considered an achievement. Breath air laced with lead & sulphur and feel grateful to be just alive.

That brings me to a question, what does it mean to be alive when the basics of life are compromised. The needs of body have remained the same since eternity. The ways in which those needs are met have constantly changed over times. Our times make us believe in the illusion that it is the surroundings which determine who we are. I remember an incident which happened 6 years ago. I had recently joined an Imaging solutions project in Lexington, KY & the consultant colleague whom I met for the first time asked, where do I intend to live. My answer left her disappointed. It later dawned on me that my answer indicated an area which wasn’t considered upmarket & she felt undignified talking to me.

Do the brands we wear determine the skin we possess? I have drank the entire bottle of borrowed water & finished the write – up.

Would I be able to get water 25 years from now minus the money?



Khadgaha – Bhagya Nagar – 14.01.2022