Water cup and winning water with Shram Daan...

Water cup and winning water with Shram Daan...

"Anna goodgoodey, Neer goodgoodey
dushkaal Dishkiyaaon, Dishkiyaaon,  Dishkiyaaon".....
This isn't any dialogue from a bollywood potboiler. It is the clarion call of lakhs of villagers and volunteers participating in the shram daan for the water conservation initiative of Paani Foundation.
One of my colleagues, Mr Nanaaware who had recently retired from government service has joined the Paani Foundation. It was he who came to discuss with me the efforts Paani Foundation is making to motivate and chanelise people to vountarily undertake water conservation and water harvesting activies in 75 blocks of drought stricken Maharashtra. The idea of MSRLM collaborating with Pani Foundation was also put forth by him.
MSRLM Umed works for the empowerment of women through self help groups. The underlying principles of social, financial and economic inclusion in the Mission are ultimately linked with sustainable livelihoods. In rural areas agriculture is the mainstay of Sustainable livelihoods. Access to sufficient water is paramount for successful agriculture. Unfortunately many areas in Maharashtra have been consistently witnessing droughts or drought like situation due to the vagaries of nature, poor rains or indiscriminate use of natural resources.
The Jalyukt Shivar Abhiyaan has been one among the many dedicated efforts made by the state government to overcome this acute shortage of water in the drought prone areas in a planned manner. The efforts are certainly bearing fruits. Additionally when organisations like the Paani Foundation come forward to support this need they must be welcomed.
It is now more than well understood by civil society organisations and NGOs that government is the main channel for enabling change and others organisations, specially NGOs or CSOs can only function as catalysts.
Paani Foundation's efforts in the direction of water conservation are therefore laudable.
When our State Mission Manager, Social Inclusion suggested participation in the shram daan it was welcomed by all of us.
The situation in Satara district with regard to water is quite paradoxical , with one part well-irrigated and green and the other part dry and parched. We therefore discussed with Mr.Nanaware and decided to go a village Haasewadi, in Koregaon block of Satara district for Shram daan.
The weather being hot we decided to begin early so as to complete the shram daan before the heat became unbearable.
The villagers and the Paani Foundation  members welcomed us warmly. Teams were made after registration and the technical persons gave us information about graded bunds and guided us how we should do the work. We were given the required equipments like hoe, spades, plastic ghamela - basin for collecting soil and throwing it.
All the teams began in right earnest. The soil was hard and dry. My hands felt a jerk as I took the hoe in my hands and started digging the earth. It was bare and dry. My mind jolted  too thinking how farmers must be manging to work effortlessly with the hoe day after day and year after year in the sweltering heat.
Handling a spade was equally tough. Shovelling the mud into the ghamela needed skill too as was pointed out by an old villager. The dug out soil was to be heaped upto one feet adjacent to the graded bund. Our teams went about doing this rhythmically. A spirit of competition prevailed too, to ascertain which group had done the most work.
Villagers came in large numbers to support the cause along with other local organisations like the Builders association or a computer school. They also were doing the task dedicatedly. At a distance were the bare mountains watching over us in the hope that soon it would rain, the area would become green and they would not be barren.
The only thought which constantly rummaged my mind was what prevents the villagers from undertaking similar work under various government schemes ? They came voluntarily to work for Jalyukt Shivar or Water Cup but not for MGNREGA where they would get paid for doing the same work. Was it because a celebrity was associated with the work of Paani Foundation and a prize had been announced? Was it because they did not like to be bound by musters and attendance and be answerable to any authority? Had the concept of wage-based dignity of labour become redundant?
MSRLM Umed is making an effort to bridge this gap. The Dashasutri it follows is a 360 degree approach to self-development of the SHGs and the village. So perhaps Paani Foundation and MSRLM Umed could explore many more possibilities of collaboration.
Mr. Nanaware mentioned that our team had dug about 287 cubic meters which meant that 287000 litres of water could possibly get percolated a single time it rains. If it rained 5 times a year as is normal , almost 1435000 litres of water would possibly get percolated in one year. The life span of a graded bund is about 10 years which meant about 14350000 litres of water would possibly get percolated in ten years. This was equal to 14350 tankers of 10000 litres each which at the rate of Rs.2000 per tanker would approximately cost Rs.2.87 crores in 10 years. The figures are mindboggling but they were useful in driving home the point that the smallest of efforts could lead to larger gains of water for human beings, animals and nature. The fact is that water is priceless and could never be measured in amounts.

For most of us the Shram daan was an eye opener about many things. The effort a farmer has to put in to plough the soil, the fact that the earth could be so dry and hard and our limbs so weak, the extreme heat outside the comfort zone of our air conditioners, the bumpy roads to the distant fields and of course the acute scarcity of water and its unavailability.
A couple of hours and we were sweaty and exhausted but glowing with pride at the task accomplished. We may not have done anything very significant or phenomenal in the shram daan but the experience was.priceless. The realisation of the hardships of the drought stricken and the efforts needed to overcome it was no less than any phenomenon. Our bodies may have become sore with pain but our hearts were content with satisfaction.
As for myself, the dust on my hair, face and body glittered like gold, my hands though a bit hardened felt more sure. My body was as heavy as lead but my mind as light as a feather. My eyes were all smiles thinking about the rains which would seep into the soil and make mother earth happy. And in my mind, I repeated, "Anna goodgoodey, Neer goodgoodey, dushkaal, Dishkiyaaon, Dishkiyaaon,  Dishkiyaaon".....

P.S -: The date for particiipating in the Water Cup competition has been extended till 27th May 2019. Volunteers still have an opportunity to contribute to this noble cause and may contact the Paani Foundation .