Love & Water

We don't value things which we get for free.

Do we?

Take the above statement the way you like.

Take it as a wild imagination.

or take it as a 'philosophical' utterance

or take it as an 'utter nonsense'.

Take it whichever way you like it, but you can't deny that there is a shred of truth in the statement.

Things which we get for free, we take them for granted and hardly ever take them the way we ought to.

Take the example of love.

When we get unconditional love from someone ( say our mother), we assume as if it is our 'birth-right'. It is in this assumption that at times we say somethings to them, or we do some acts which at other times we wish we had not done.

Unless and until we realize how unfortunate we could be, we don't seem to fully realize how fortunate we are.

Unless and until we realize how bad things could turn up, we don't seem to fully realize how good things actually are.

Unless and until we realize how 'lonely' we could be in the absence of someone, we don't seem to fully realize how important the presence of that person is.

and Unless and until we realize how life could be without water, we don't seem to realize how important water is it for all of us.

Love to Water?

Water to Love?

What's the connection??

Well, in one sense, apparently there is none.

While if you look at it the other way round, there is a strong connection between them.

We can't live without any of them.

Yes.

We can't live without either love, or water.

Yet, despite how obvious the statement may look like, we still don't seem to value the importance of water.

Isn't it?

Water tables are going down across the country, but are we worried?

Water bodies, like rivers, ponds, and lakes are drying up across the country. But are we concerned?

We continue to use water as if  it was, it is, and it will be.

Subsidies are given to farmers for electricity and for water.

Result?

Use more number of pumps; more powerful pumps; draw as much water as possible from the ground; and forget what happens to water replenishment or water table.

Result?

Water, which until a decade ago could be found somewhere in the range of 60-70 feets from the ground level, has gone below 120 feet in many parts of Punjab.

If you think that this is bad, consider the example of Ranchi, where one can't find water in some places even if one digs till 180 feet below ground level.

Corporates continue sucking up water from earth unabatedly, and almost all of them do nothing for replenishing the under-ground reservoirs.

Are they charged for this rampant use?

and in case they are, is the charge just? sufficient??

They can afford 'paying' for 'free water', but no one cares !

Is it some sort of subsidy to the corporates??

Forget statistics.

Ignore the argument.

They might have been cooked up, fudged up, or might have some other issues.

Look around us.

Do we not see around us rampant water wastage?

Do we not see around us misuse of water on a grand scale?

Do we not see water-pipes in our cities/districts leaking and no one paying attention to it?

Do we see anyone around us talking seriously about water?

Talking at all about water?

Everyone seems to own water, yet no one seems to take responsibility for it.

And precisely because no one seems to take responsibility for it, we continue to ignore it.

Continue ignoring it.

But for how long?

How long ??

Love water?

Water love?

Love for water?