Translated from the Original Hindi by Kanwar Dinesh Singh

Seema  was  very  happy  today.  She  gave  a  speech  on  water  conservation  in  the prayer  meeting.  Everyone  applauded  her  after  listening  to  her  speech.  Fellow teachers praised her very much.

Dube  ji  said,  “Wow,  Seema  Madam!  What  a  fabulous  speech  of  yours!  We  are really convinced of your thoughts. O, dear Sharma! You waste the most water in the  entire  colony.  Even  during  the  rainy  season,  you  keep  irrigating  the  garden with pipes every day. Seema Madam, just explain this to him. Today, if he keeps pouring all the water in the garden, his grandchildren will be athirst tomorrow.”

In  class,  Seema  Madam  gave  the  students  a  project  on  water  conservation.  She instructed  them  to  make  people  aware  of  rainwater  conservation  in  their neighborhood.

The  principal  appreciated  Seema’s  efforts  to  make  students  aware  of  water conservation.  Seema  came  home  crooning  from  school.  Upon  reaching  home, she  turned  on  the  water  motor,  turned  the  shower on,  and,  with  her  eyes  closed, relaxed  under  cold  water.  After  some  time,  there  was  a  knock  at  the  door.

Putting  on  a  gown  quickly,  she  opened  the  door  and  saw  that  the  lady  from neighborhood was standing in front. She was disturbed.

“Madam, please turn your motor off; I am not getting any water at all.”

“What  should  I  do  if  you’re  not  getting  water?  Make  some  alternative arrangement for yourself.”

“Madam,  you  and  I  share  the  same  pipeline.  When  you  drive  your  motor,  the water is blocked from us.”

“This is your problem. What can I do?”

The poor lady went back disappointed.

It’s  the  last  working  day  of  the  school.  There  will  be  two-month  vacations starting  tomorrow.  Today,  Seema  had  received  a  citation  from  the  District Magistrate  for  effectively  running  a  public  awareness  campaign  on  water conservation.  Seema  was  elated.  She  immediately  bought  sweets,  came  home, and  shared  the  good  news  and  sweets  with  her  husband  and  children.  The children  started  making  a  noise  of  excitement  about  going  to  Nani’s  house  for the  holiday.  They  started  packing  their  baggage.  Seema’s  husband  called  a  taxi.

Seema and her family went on vacation.

At exactly five o’clock, there was a sound from Seema’s kitchen tap….

Then, the bathroom faucet also made a sound. Water started flowing from all the taps.

The  clean  water  of  the  taps  started  flowing  in  the  dirty  drain  and  flowed  for  two whole months.

-0-Dr Kanwar Dinesh Singh,Poet. Storyteller. Critic. Translator (English/Hindi) ,Associate Professor of English & Editor: Hyphen

Email: kanwardineshsingh@gmail.com

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