There might come a time when the forthcoming generations might learn W for Water.
Over the years the themes have changed but has our minds? I was curious to check the history of World Water Day and the themes it had shared over the years. Sharing themes from its origin here and associating it with a few pointers my family has taught me over the years.
1994: Caring for our Water Resources is Everybody’s Business
Way back in the 90’s my family members woke up early to pump water. I woke up to the sound of the hand pump on most days. That was my cock-a-doodle-doo. My parents and the other elders in the family mostly finish the chores by the time my cousins and I get out of bed. Still there were days when dad used to wake me early to help pump water! J To get me out of bed was the most tedious never mind help pump water. I was not an avid television viewer then to know about the water campaigns. But these were lessons learnt from family.
Everyone in the family woke up to use the hand pump in turns. Living in a joint family with over 20 members sounds interesting to me even now as I write this piece. Those were moments to be cherished, especially when the key was to work as a unit to fill up enough vessels with water to survive the day. The task assigned to kids were to place the pots in a line, hold water in a small pot and transfer it in a big drum placed in the store room. That was my favorite, the Orange Pot that I carried was the one I loved and used it every-day to fill water. The parents would take turns to pump and fill and place it back in its location, be it kitchen, bathroom, you name it, there is water now. 🙂
Sometimes we kids offered help to pump, to me, a 3rd Standard kid, this looked like doing the most important task in the family. The effort involved just to fill a small bucket would take me close to a 5, well sometimes 10 minute struggle with the pump. Me being the most thin in the family struggled a bit more than the rest but that never compromised the enthusiasm to pump or help.
Water has its way to pull everybody to work.
Be it when it wets my hands and feet while I carry the pot to fill the drum,
Or a drop that splashes on my face when I pour the water into the drum making me smile,
When I slip and fall flat on my back making others laugh,
Or washing hands and splashing it on others just for the fun of it.