Blog@GraceJunction

The much awaited monsoon had finally descended on our city with a few continuous and long spells. I ve always looked forward towards this time thru the year, a time to be drenched by the rains. It a great time of relief as the cold drops touch you face and drip in to your soul to soothe. This time I was with my son, who equally enjoys the rains. It was fun splashing and jumping in the poodles created in the courtyard of our house. Suddenly my son stopped playing and asked me a question – Dada where does this water come from, Is there a shower tap in the skies? Does God operate them ?. Why are there bubbles in the water? Why is water flowing away, I want to play, why cant we stop it. Later he would cry when the rains would stop or when it would just drizzle and I would tell him, ask God to open the shower. However these questions lingered in my mind and put me on to do some research on this simple thing called water. And I found there is much more beyond this simple thing called water. (more…)

Who or what is Jebar?

TOI today reports of stampedes in villages (in Thorad and Vav talukas) in northern Gujarat. No, it is not a stampede of devotees rushing down a hill, but a stampede of people rushing to ‘fresh water’ tankers that come into their village.

In fact what starts as aggressive jostling often leads to fights and sometimes to stampedes! Not that there are thousands of people at the epicentre of the event! A few dozens, or perhaps a few scores, and yet in the past few years at least four girls have been killed in stampedes!

Now this doesn’t happen only when tankers come, but also when some water starts flowing through their taps installed in the villages by the government. And this supply is irregular, infrequent and unpredictable. (more…)