I was a little “worse
for wear” as we traveled to Sariska from Ajmer. When Mat and I settled
into our last hotel room, there was a very peculiar sound. I traced the
intermittent screeching to the air return vent. The hotel may have looked Vegas
beautiful from the outside, but I soon realized that the air ducts were
infested with a colony of rodents. They circulated through making
noises about every 45 minutes, and occasionally I'd hear one fall from the
air duct into the wall (to who knows where). So the sounds of a rodent party
kept me up all night. I resorted to a sleeping pill and earplugs and prayed for
rest.
The 5-hour bus
ride the following day shuttled us north to Sariska. This town is known for its
tiger sanctuary. As much as we'd love to experience the wildlife, the schedule
is jam-packed already, and there's simply not a spare moment to add a big cat
excursion to this itinerary. Instead, we spent the afternoon with the
Waterman of India. Over 30 years ago, the Waterman, Rajendra Singh (a medical
doctor by trade) was approached by a local village elder he was treating. This
elder asked him to help the village with their shortage of water in this arid
land. Singh, of course, reminded the old man that his expertise was medicine,
not in water conservation. The elder replied that it wasn't the physician's
formal skills that were needed; it was his authority as an outsider that was
necessary. And so this project began. He has now transformed this arid region
of Rajasthan into a fertile, green area that can produce crops, has an ongoing
water source, and has allowed many of the wildlife to return (including the
tigers).
As we approached
Turun Bharat Sangh - the place of the Waterman's ashram, we were greeted
by local villagers. The fashion of this area is quite beautiful and
unique to this part of India. Women in this region cover
their heads (and sometimes entire face) with an Odhni - a brightly
colored swath of material, and the men are dressed in scarves wrapped into
turbans called Pagris. Each of us was blessed by one of the
villagers with a yellow kumkum and
pieces of rice placed on our forehead. I found out later that the rice
represents fertility. The women of our tour were presented with our own
colorful scarves and the men given turbans. My scarf is gauze-like material
that is tie-died bright orange; considering the drop of temperature in this
region, I'll be wearing it for the remainder of our time here.
The Waterman was
there to greet us, of course, ready to embrace Arun and Tushar Gandhi, the
guests of honor. Singh has a strong presence about him, and he lectured
extensively of the water issues and improvements here in the villages as well
as water issues abroad. Some individuals from the neighboring communities spoke
of the impact of Singh -- how he was at first shunned by the villagers and then
slowly embraced by them. The Waterman then took us on a tour -- first showing
our group an example of how to find where water pools, how to harness that
water to be stored for times of drought, and the how this concept has
replenished the underground aquifers. We then drove to the local village
of his first water experiment. Again India presents its dichotomy through
environment -- one side is whirling dust and desert-like, the other is lush and
green, covered by growth and small bodies of collected water. By the time
we finished our village hike, it was getting windy and dark. Our tour
group had traveled for most of Day 12, and many of us were getting
progressively more sick with this mentally and emotionally exhausting
pilgrimage -- well, I suppose I can only speak for myself. I hadn't slept well
the night before and my throat was getting worse, my head feeling congested, my
body exhausted.
After an evening
tea and a second round of butter cookies back at the Waterman's ashram, we
drove another hour to our accommodations in Sariska. We are staying on a vast
expanse of rocky wilderness. Some of our accommodations look like
insulated tent structures, while others stay in small apartments surrounding a
pool. I'd estimate the entire resort sits on about 10 acres. Connectivity to
the outside world is non-existent, and the electricity here is intermittent.
After a late buffet dinner with the group, I helped Mat set up the lighting and
camera in our hotel room for his much-anticipated interview with Tushar. Immediately
afterwards I crawled into bed. So as I slept on the far end of the bed, Mat met
with Tushar, asking him questions about what we've experienced on this trip to
India or to recount a story Tushar had told us during our travels.
It's official; we are both sick now. Our tour group is on the day
2 excursion with the Waterman while we are in bed this morning trying to
recuperate for the long, 8 hour journey to Delhi this afternoon. What was
supposed to be a short, late morning trip to visit another "Waterman
transformed" village became a round trip 6 hour car ride to the uppermost
ridge of this beautiful land. I'm in no shape to make that happen along
with this afternoon's bus ride. So unfortunate, yet fortunate for the downtime
- I'm thankful to rest.
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