When taps run dry (The Water Crisis)

Home is where all our comforts are: A good water supply, electricity, our valuables, food and a place to rest. Beyond these, are what people call “luxuries”. On the day our water supply was cut off abruptly, I realized those simple needs were actually somewhat of a privilege. 

Friday, the 31st of January, 2020 was the same day our economics professor talked to us about how people in some areas of Maharashtra, particularly the people of Vidarbha, Marathwada and our Tribal people, don’t get a good water supply, are alienated from their lands, don’t get electricity or anything worth calling a formal education. I listened keenly as I do for every lecture, felt bad for those Maharashtrians and went my way. I didn’t know I was going to taste the same kind of suffering people from those areas have to face every day. (I said “taste” because I know it is way worse.)

And so, the woes started when the taps ran dry. The constant filling of mugs and the depleting water from our buckets after every use made me feel scared about how I'd live without this precious resource that I took for granted. I felt the water-crunch when the last of our buckets were going to get over. It was frustrating trying to find out when the pipelines will be fixed by checking the news, trying to call for tanks, asking friends if they were affected by this crisis, wanting to go about my usual germophobic ways, but unable to, and (the obvious) getting really angry about how I couldn’t go about my usual routine. 

It was a trying time, and all I thought about was the people close to home, in Maharashtra, who have to face this frustration every day. 

On Wednesday, the 29th of January, 2020, a water supply pipeline burst during Metro work in Mumbai. Localities in Bandra, Santacruz, Andheri, Jogeshwari, Kurla and Ghatkopar were affected by it. (1)

People talk about how water is "life-giving" all the time. People feel bad for other people all the time. But what then? Why do we allow ourselves to move on with our regular lives without doing anything but complain?

I felt so crippled and obsessed with water for the next 48 hours. I knew I wouldn’t be satisfied until I could see the taps running into those half empty buckets.

My story had a happy ending at the start of 2nd February, 2020 when the water supply was restored in our area. But many of our own people still continue to suffer. And while the news may cover their afflictions sometimes, nothing seems to be solved in the end. I don’t want that to be the end for them. People are dying and suffering because of our overemphasis on the insignificant pettiness of our individualistic lives. I know there’s an epidemic happening, civil unrest due to rising skepticism over Government policies, crashing aggregate Indian demand, religious/racial intolerance and probably 10 other things that’s going wrong right now. But I’m going to have to ask you, is that all you can do?

Maybe we should learn more from water, reaching to all the surfaces it can to the best of its abilities. We should reach out to others to the best of our abilities. 

Be desperate for change; the good kind of change that will truly help your people.

References:
(1) Information received from online news from “the Hindu” official website.

Looking back (on 2019)

It's obvious when a blogger doesn't blog as much that something is wrong.

Though, like my friends always say, most of my problems are internal, in my head. I haven't been writing cause of too many things going on, both in my head and in my life. (Yes, I know most of you'll too face this issue). But we all need to make time for the things we enjoy doing, even if there's no direct benefit.

My life is and has always been an emotional rollercoaster. I cry as often as I wholeheartedly laugh. I admit I have emotions and sometimes overindulge in them as I try to find out ways to get on with my life.

I like to put myself into crisis it seems. I like to overburden myself with plans, goals and deadlines. I like to push myself to breaking point. (And then it feels like I'm breaking apart)

But the past year, the last few....say 4 months, I've been taking it easy. Maybe I took it a little too easy.

I lost all motivation as my motivation was fueled by me being a big bully to myself. When I attempted to stop, I found that I couldn't do anything anymore. I cancelled plans, I extended deadlines. I went way past my comfort zone. I told myself it's ok. Slowly, I'm regaining my motivation by encouraging myself to be the best I can be.

I changed. There is no constant me however, that's what I learnt last year.

I also learnt the value of adjustment.

I learnt I take a lot of time to process events. I learnt that most of time when I go through a problem, I don't want solutions...I just want to be heard and seen. A lot of feelings I felt as a child, came back again, (with vengeance) and yes it was different...the situation, in health and mind...but I guess it's one of those moments where you feel helpless as a child and have to remind yourself that you're an adult now. I can make my own decisions now, I can use what I've learnt to think differently, to see life differently.

In the last few months I stopped regularly blogging, I would write a blogpost and then immediately reject  it & delete. Writing this blogpost too I've realised, that I'm not sure about a lot of things. I don't know if it will work for sure. If I use this rationale, nothing in life is for sure. 

Not everything that I became good at, I initially cared much about for the future. And yet, the things I just did, without any expectation, worked out so well. Whether it was music, friendships, journaling, drawing and so on....taking one big decision at a time, hoping for the best and being prepared for the worst has probably become my life's motto right now.

Balance is something so simple yet hard to achieve. The star sign I was born with depicted what I now aim for in my emotions and reasonings. 

A balance between self-love and constructive criticism of self is needed. A balance between always blaming yourself or others in a problem is needed. A balance between breaking irrational rules and following rational ones is needed. A balance between work, learning, social life and alone time is needed. A balance between emotion and rationality is needed.

I'm not sure what the future of 2020 holds for me. I don't know the fate of my blog either. But if I haven't already made my point clear (which I don't very often) it is that, life is unpredictable and I should accept that. Lots of changes have happened last year and will continue to happen this year, I hope the change is good as it always has been. I'm changing as I am learning. And I'm learning as I'm questioning.

I'll take a midnight walk into the dark depths of my insanity and realise, I've accepted the oblivion. And in accepting the darkness, it often times, turns into light.