WATER

BY CHALLAPALLI SWAROOPA RANI

SUMMARY:

Water, a poem by Challapalli Swaroopa Rani highlights the gender discrimination that existed from times immemorial. She tries to explain it with many comparisons and the first one is: The water is aware of the ground's incline and it knows how people have struggled through generations and this is compared to the dampness that always exists near the well as that part never dries. In the same way, this discrimination is never going to end.

Water is a witness to the difference of race between the Samaria women and Jesus the Jew. It is believed that the Samaria women are supposed to be the ones who are treated very badly as they belonged to the lowest caste and it is believed that Jesus who was offered water from such a lady was gracious enough to accept it. Water is aware of the difference that exists between the cobbler and the weaver. It means even the sub-caste difference is very clearly highlighted.

Panchama is supposed to be the 5th set in the Varna category and these were considered to be lower than the Shudras and were never provided an opportunity to draw water from the well and they were forced to wait near the well with an empty pot till a considerate Shudra comes there and draws water from the well.

Water again is a witness to the humiliation that the Wada girl had to face always when water was drawn and while pouring it into her container, a part of it would spill and wet her clothes and this intentional act was the highest because they would hardly get water added to it, humiliation was of the highest degree.

A lady called Karmachedu Suvarthamma as the one who raised her voice and supported a Dalit boy who was being beaten by a group of youth. She who had come to collect water from the tank raises her pot to stop the boy from being attacked for the reason that he requested the youth to not pollute the water by cleaning their cattle in the tank.

The poet recollects how her Wada people would wait thirstily for a glass of water. The poetess describes that water to them is not simply H2O but a mighty movement and she compares that to a struggle at the Chadar tank, the Mahad struggle: It is believed that all the Dalit men and women one day went to Chadar tank and dipped their hands into the waters only to proclaim to the village people that they were opposing the norms. For people like the poetess, a single drop of water makes them recollect tears shed over generations. There were many battles fought for a single drop of water and in this process, many people lost their lives and yet, they couldn't get a small puddle of water.

The poetess at her own community appeared to be a cursed one because there were occasions when the community doesn't have an opportunity to take a bath every day, on the other hand, the entire village could luxuriously bathe twice a day. This clearly narrates the pathetic state in which the Panchamas were and that is the main reason for their living.

Whenever the poetess gets an opportunity to recollect her childhood, she is able to remember the pain that she and her friends experienced when they had to carry heavy pots and their necks would start aching very badly. They had to walk miles to reach a canal and almost had to steal water from there.

In a village called Malapalle, there was not a pot of water and all the houses of the people were mercilessly put on fire.

Water may appear to be a simple thing but its greatest quality is that it can give life as well as take it away. There are occasions when the water could not satisfy a thirsty person but it would transform into a Tsunami wave that nearly swallowed many villagers.

Water has the ability to turn villages into dry deserts or drown them in floods as people are just like helpless play objects in its cruel hands.

Water has been the cause of fights between states, between villages and in this process, many people have been seriously wounded and some have even lost their lives. Whatever be the nature of water, off late, it has been transformed to sit innocently in a Bisleri bottle. It means, if human beings have the ability to purchase water, they can truly do so now. Earlier, many women like the poetess had to struggle to get even a small pot of water but now it has been transformed into a multinational market commodity. It has created a great revolution and in doing so, no human being is discriminated against. It is believed that water is present everywhere and it can take the whole world in its strive.

Questions and Answers

I. Answer the following questions in a word, a phrase or a sentence each.

Answer: Water

Answer: A Panchama.

Answer: The weekly bath.

Answer: Once a week.

Answer: Twice a day.

Answer: Karamachedu Suvarthamma.

Answer: Mahad struggle at the Chadar tank in Mumbai.

Answer: At the Chadar tank in Mumbai.

Answer: Samaria woman and Jesus.

Answer: Water pot.

Answer: Water can devour lives.

Answer: Water is considered to be omniscient.

Answer: The poor people / The poor.

Answer: Bisleri Bottle.

II. Answer the following questions in a paragraph of 80 – 100 words each:

III. Answer the following questions in about 200 words:

Answer: The poem Water speaks of the suffering of the Dalits. For many generations, they have fought for their rights. But they couldn't even win a small puddle of water There was always disagreement between the people of the village and Wada. It speaks of the agony of the Panchama, who has no right to draw a pot of water. And he is expected to wait all day near the well with his empty pot until a shudra arrives. It describes the humiliation of the Wada girl and about her pain when an upper-caste man approaches her to satisfy his lust. It's life long struggle for them.

Answer: In the poem Water the poet has used one of the very useful natural resources, water to describe the cruelty of untouchability. Here, the poet says that water knows the agony of the Panchama group of people, who do not have the right to draw a pot of water from the public well. So, they had to wait all day near the well with their empty pots until a shudra arrived to pour water into their pots. The poet describes how the Dalit girls were humiliated by high caste people. Further, she continues to say that water was not only HO for them, but it was a mighty movement. They had struggled a lot to get a single drop of water Moreover, they shed tears over several generations. Many battles were fought and blood flowed like a stream but they never managed to win even a small puddle of water. Thus, the poet emphasizes the social discrimination that exists in our society.

Answer: Water is used as an important symbol to depict the caste differences in society. Water has been the witness for centuries to this discrimination. The poet says that the people especially the Panchamas are not allowed to fetch water on their own and therefore are expected to wait for the Shudras to come and get them water. The whole village takes bath twice a day while the low caste people consider it a festival to take bath once a week. In spite of the scarcity of drinking water for the Dalits and other low caste people, the high caste has commoditized water and sell it in the market for profits.

Answer: The poet feels water is not a simple thing for them. However, water is an essential commodity for the survival of human beings and Dalits and low caste are no exception to this rule. The poet however presents a contrary picture where the whole village is divided based on their caste and water becomes the symbol of their demarcation. The poet says there have been a number of movements and struggles that have occurred because of water. He alludes to Mahad struggle. The poet further speaks of how thousands of people have given their lives to free society of this evil.

Answer: The poet has vivid memories of her childhood that are associated with water. The poet remembers how her Wada would remain thirsty the whole day for a drop of water. The poet also remembers the Mahad struggle which is associated with water. She also remembers the battles they have fought for the sake of water. She remembers how she welcomed her weekly bath. She is also reminded of her childhood and how she walked miles to reach the big canal and carried back heavy pots, with the muscles and veins on their necks straining and bursting. She remembers how at Malapalle a village was burnt to ashes for want of water.

Answer: The poet uses the powerful symbol of water to depict the prominent presence of the caste system and untouchability, particularly in Indian society. Water is the most essential of elements on earth for the survival of all animate things and yet this basic requirement is denied to the section of the society, just because they happen to belong to a particular caste. This is the point that the poet seems to emphasize in the poem.

The poet talks of the life of the Panchama caste. The poet focuses on the agony of the Panchama, a caste that does not even feature in the distinctly divided Varana Ashramas. The Panchama does not have the right to draw a pot of water from the well and thus they wait the whole day for some gentle Shudra to come and give him some water.

Ironically the Shudra also happens to be on the last rung of the social order. The poet further elaborates on the agony of the Panchama girl. As this girl waits to get water, the giver pours water from a distance and eventually, water falls out and drenches her. This action brings in a lot of humiliation to the girl. This is true in the case of people who belong to all the lower castes. They are discriminated against and are denied this essential necessity for survival.

Answer: The poet introduces us to the innumerable attributes of water. She says water is not a simple thing. It has the ability to give life to everything; likewise, it also has the ability to destroy everything. The poet talks about how; water can be both preservers and destroyers of life.

Further elaborating on the destructive and constructive nature of water, she makes reference to the Tsunami which destroyed villages and millions of people in a span of few minutes. The same water which destroyed villages also quenches the thirst of parched throats.

The poor villagers become playthings in the powerful hands of water. At times it turns some villages into deserts and some other times it drowns villages. The poor are part of the vicious circle and have no escape from the clutches of the 'monster.

Answer: The poet focuses on the agony of a Panchama, a caste that does not even feature in the distinctly divided Varana Ashramas. The Panchama does not have the right to draw a pot of water from the well and thus they wait the whole day for some gentle Shudra to come and give him some water. Ironically the Shudra also happens to be on the last rung of the social order. The poet further elaborates on the agony of the Panchama girl. As this girl waits to get some water, the giver pours water from a distance and eventually, water falls out and drenches her. This action brings a lot of humiliation to the girl.

The poor, villagers become playthings in the powerful hands of water. At times it turns some villages into deserts and at other times it drowns villages. The poor are part of the vicious circle and have no escape from the clutches of the 'monster.

Answer: The poet focuses on a number of contemporary issues. First and foremost, she talks of how water has been a cause of distinction and strife between the Wada and a village. She says this conflict is not just restricted to a Wada and a village but has been the cause of conflict between states.

It has the ability to cause violence and bloodshed. This is something we have been experiencing in recent times. But contrary to everything the poet says in the previous stanzas, she begins to make a mockery of the age-old practice of untouchability which does not find any place in the globalized world today. She talks of how water is commoditized and packed in a Bisleri bottle and is being made accessible to everyone irrespective of their caste if you are willing and ready to pay for it.

Answer: Water has always been viewed sacred as a symbol of purity, a precious and divine gift. It is synonymous with life. It is a gift bestowed by mother nature, free of cost to everyone regardless of caste, class or creed. Yet the same water the life-giving water can alone devour lives. When the water was denied to thirsty people because they belonged to the lower class, it came as the killer Tsunami waves which devoured entire villagers. The poor are more like playthings, for water is capable of turning villages into dry deserts or causing untold misery through floods.

Water, a harmless substance is capable of causing violent consequences, it can ignite conflict and strife between castes and states over water sharing. Now in this modern age, when multinational companies are interested only in the profit margins by investing more and more in mineral water plants in fact they make the most horrifying threat i.e. the depletion of the groundwater level. It not only degrades the environment but also once again make the poor, the worst sufferers.

Answer: Water can give life as well as devour life for a pot of water. This fight occurred between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. People of both the states destroyed each other's property and destroyed and damaged buses Just over the question of sharing water. This elixir of life is also capable of causing untold misery and devastation in the form of the killer Tsunami waves, which swallowed the whole village after village in coastal Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu in 2004.

The poor are mere playthings in its vicious hands, for it is they who have to suffer sometimes in the form of giant waves or through drought or at times in the form of floods. We see how the poor are affected by the lack of access to clean drinking water and at other times, they bear the brunt of nature's fury.