Slowly waking from sleep, the crowing of the rooster becomes more and more lucid, cock-a-doo-da-looo! I rub my eyes and put my feet on the floor. Although sleepy, I smile because today is the start of implementing the wells in Prashanthagiri. I gather my things needed for the day; a camera, my housedress (this is what the ladies wear to work), and some materials for the tailoring workshop. Off I go to the bus. As the bus twists and turns up the hills of Wayanad, I reflect on the many weeks leading up to this momentous day. Thanks to the generosity of the Koleth family, the hard work and dedication of the executive committee in Prashanthagiri, and the spirit of community and collaboration within the village, we are ready to break ground.
The bus lurches in to Valad and sputters to a stop. I exit the bus and begin my walk to Prashanthagiri. The morning is bright as the sun climbs over the hills and shines with all its radiating glory down upon the village and its people. I take a path off the road that leads me to the site of one of the wells. As I get closer I can hear voices mixed with excitement, urgency, laughter, some shouting commands, some handing out the morning’s chai. I hear a motor purring loudly. As I come upon the beneficiaries of “Well #2” they are all working hard. We exchange greetings and smiles. I can feel the sense of comraderieship and teamwork. No one stands idly by, everyone is doing their part.
After taking some photos to document this benchmark moment in the community, I figure it is time to get my hands dirty. With my red nighty on, I have one of the women tie a white towel on my head to ward off the sun and to do as the locals do. When in Rome, right? It is certainly worth the many nods and looks of approval I receive, mixed with a few bemused smiles. I join an assembly line of women, and with small pillows on our heads, we begin passing, slowly and steadily, cement blocks, head to head. There is a sense of fulfillment to be one part of a larger whole. Like a chain, if you remove one link, the functioning of the whole is affected. Once all the cement blocks were transferred, we each take a shovel in our hand and literally got down in the trenches. We wind up the hillside digging a canal for the wiring needed for the well’s motor. The ladies are all very jovial, plucking lemons along the way to make some lemon water. We hack through roots, we dig out rocks, as we wind up and up the hill; a myriad of colors in our nighties.
Meanwhile, the men are working hard, pumping water out of the old, broken well and beginning to deepen it to allow for a larger capacity to meet more families’ water needs. At 2:00 we all put down our respective tools, wipe our brows, and sit down to some home made pumpkin curry and rice. Lunch has never been so satisfying. After lunch, I must leave for the day to complete some other tasks. I leave with a smile on my face as the others get back to work. I walk back up the path, with such a feeling of contentment. Knowing that all the hard work, sweat, and teamwork will produce the earth’s most precious resource, water.….life, for the families in Prashanthagiri.
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