Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Have You Ever Hauled Any Water?

"If Newton never told anybody about the law of gravity, if Edison would have only lit his own house, the world would have remained untouched by their brilliant ideas and minds. Powerful ideas of today are the true investments for a better tomorrow. Last December, we had partnered with the TEDxGateway Mumbai with this very belief."

When I read this on indiblogger.in I knew I had to watch the videos and the first one that I saw was so amazing I finally thought about writing it.

I watched a video by Cynthiya Koenig where she talks about a problem faced by many rural women in India - water hauling. Yes, something we as urban dwellers don't think about much but a problem Indian women across the country face when they have to provide for a basic necessity - water!

1 out of every 6 women have to haul litres of water on their head which leads to chronic ailments and what amazed me was that these women were spending a huge amount of their precious time doing just that - hauling water so that their family could have water to drink, cook, bathe, and even wash hands with.

According to the officials "The time spent fulfilling this basic need keeps many children out of school and prevents women from carrying out all the domestic and income generating work for which they are responsible. In much of the developing world, it is often necessary to walk five miles (8km) or more every day to fetch water. In the dry season, it is not uncommon to walk twice this distance. Collecting water can be dangerous too. The traditional method of carrying water – carrying a 5 gallon (20 liter) water bucket on the head – can severely damage the spine, causing severe pain and even leading to complications during childbirth. In some countries, walking to find water exposes people to the dangers of land mines."

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Random Ramblings - Sama

Sama was sitting alone in the balcony. She was sad and upset. Tanay had once again reminded her of her loss and she couldn't stand being there to be reminded again and again of what she was trying to forget.


She watched around as people came out for their evening stroll. There was a couple playing badminton. There was no net and the boundaries were not clear. Whenever the shuttle dropped on the ground the guy would pick it up. Once,twice, even when it fell quite close to the girl, she wouldn't pick it up. Sama thought to herself, how much one can learn about a couples equation through a simple game of badminton. She knew who ruled the roost in their family. Sama knew how the tables would turn if she were playing with Tanay.

She sat back and tried to control her tears,but in vain. Seconds, minutes, an hour passed but her eyes would not stop pouring her sorrow out. The well of sadness was too deep to empty so soon

बैठे हुए इस शोर में


बैठे हुए इस शोर  में 
कुछ अकेलापन है । 

मुस्कुराते इन चेहरों में 
आंसुओं को छुपाता मेरा मन है । 

आज फिर लव्ज़ों का 
तूफ़ान सा उमड़ रहा है । 

बहते हुए इन लम्हों में 
मेरा मन 
ज़िंदा मर रहा है !

Sitting in this noise, I am alone
Smiling face all around me as I hide my tears
Words inside me are stirring up a storm
My heart dies as the time ticks away!