Bucket list 101
This a blog consists of all the different and interesting stories I heard from my family members and during my travels from different people , about water transportation or the product.
The morning routine
Even before the sun has left the horizon , a village in western Rajasthan , India was buzzing with activity and giggles .Born in one of the most dry regions of India, in a family of 25 members , my grandmother was task with fetching water from a very young age. Despite of the fact that most of the households had a personal tap which was supplemented by the government , the supply was timed and not enough to sustain such a large household. On the top of that her brother , who was studying in college in the near by village had to leave for college as early as 5 in the morning. For his bath and lunch box preparations my grandmother left for the common well at 4 in the morning, while her mother prepared various items for use from milk . Oldest of the 4 sisters , she had to wake other 3 up to help her bring back the adequate amount on time. Ironically, this was the most laborious yet enjoyable time of her day. Being a girl she was not allowed to venture out in the village multiple times a day , except these early mornings as the streets would mostly be deserted. This morning activity though tiring allowed her to step out of her house and have glimpse at the half asleep village once everyday. Frolicking their way to the well she and her sisters were joined by other damsels of the village , and this was the time of the day when they talked freely about their lives. Though happy all of them were careful enough not to make much sound, while filling their large metal buckets and earthen pots. The topics of discussions ranged from everyday rants to political news, in this short period of time as if these young girls peeked into each other’s lives. Before a day of heavy household chores, this little activity reminded her of the world that exists outside her haveli. This is also one thing misses after moving into a bunglow in a city , the social connection.
The precious gift
Travelling to a small village of Gillikaladindi with my whole batch last year for Environmental Perception , was once in a lifetime experience. There I noticed every house was full with metal , earthen and plastic pots. Although far from my area of study these grabbed my attention and I asked the four families I was working with about them . One of the answer stayed with me till now. The woman told me that these metals pots are traditionally given to a woman during her marriage by her parents, Not only a sign of good luck these pots are highly functional as they store water for the family as the water supply in that area run once in 3 days. Also these pots were used for cooking in the backyard.One of the pot especially caught my attention as it was old and highly deformed , but they were still using it as it reminded the old woman of her parents. She has not talked to her parents in 17 years after she and her husband converted to Christianity. The old pot is what remains of the relationship she shared with her parents.
The war of bucket
Few years ago one of my cousins studying in Italy narrated a story of a very interesting war , which was caused because of a bucket . after browsing through internet a little , I found the incident though the details of the historic event were slightly different.The War of the Bucket or the War of the Oaken Bucket (Italian: Guerra della secchia rapita) was fought in 1325, between the rival city-states of Bologna and Modena. It took place in the region of Emilia-Romagna in northern Italy. The war was an episode in the over 300-year-long struggle between Guelphs and Ghibellines. Modena won the Battle of Zappolino (the only battle of the war), and the bucket (or possibly a copy of it) remains in Modena to this day.A common myth surrounding the War of the Bucket is that it was caused when the Modenese stole a bucket from a Bolognese well. However, this is mostly incorrect, as the bucket was (according to most accurate accounts) taken as a trophy by the Modenese later in the war. The actual reason Bologna declared war on Modena is because Modena took the castle of Monteveglio from Bologna.(ref. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_of_the_Bucket)
The burning train
Back in the day while travelling by train, carrying water was essential as the public water sources w see in modern times were no where to be seen. As mentioned in one of my previous blogs , it was my mother who told me about a thick cloth bag they used to carry water. They would often tie this bag outside the window to cool off the water. Being a child my mother was highly fascinated by how the droplets would fly with the moving train.
Listening and reading all these stories , I realized there are so many unseen privileges we are are bestowed with . We often take things for granted, for which people in the past or even in the present yearns for. A simple activity can mean so much to so many people in so many different ways.
