I Am Water – Part 1
By Dr. Rajendra Singh*
(Translated from Hindi by Deepak Parvatiyar, Member World Water Council)
The Basis of Life
I am water. In Sanskrit I am called Jal. J= Jeevan that means Life. L= Confluence of all five elements. This means I am God. I encompass all five elements — Earth, Sky, Air, Fire and Water. I am the creator of this universe. Both Nature and Human beings can use me in all three forms, whether solid, liquid or gas. I alone am the link between Nature and Humanity. I am human life, source of human sustenance and the basis of human pride. Since I am available in all three forms, I can be eaten in solid form, while one can drink me in liquid form, and both drink and eat me in vapour form. I am used by all. I can make or spoil lives.
When human beings touch me during summer heat, I start quenching their thirst. Even when their thirst is quenched, they can still feel my presence in their throat and lips. This makes them realise my utility.
Parched earth is lifeless but when I touch it, I instil new life in it. The seed within it gets germinated and I make new life spring out.
The red heat of the Sun makes me become useful for Nature and Humanity. This red heat causes evaporation of sea water and turns salty water into sweet water.
This sweet water in the form of clouds offers moisture to the earth. I take these clouds made by the red heat of the sun towards greenery. I become cloud of blue heat and then photo synthesis by trees in the jungles convert me into clouds of green heat causing me make rain that mixes with the soil. I alone bring life into lifeless soil and make it green. I become yellow heat in the soil and then become creator of new life forms. My presence in the oceans converts lifeless red heat of the sun into blue heat. I make the same red heat green with my presence in the roots, shoots and leaves of trees.
The blue and green heat together cause productive rains. Then I run, flow and crawl on the earth. I take along with me the soil too. Wherever I get a place to stop, I stop there and bring greenery there. This new greenery is born out of my yellow heat alone. The four types of heats — Red, Blue, Green and Yellow — make my complete life cycle. Many also call my life cycle, the cycle of rain.
I am the world. The world exists within me. I make oceans and reduce the impact of Sun’s red heat to make it useful for humans and other living beings. I also cure earth’s and well as man’s fever. I increase the productivity of every piece of land by flowing in rivers and rivulets. Then I change myself into yellow heat. I alone convert Sun’s lifeless red heat into lively blue heat when I contact it in ocean, green heat that causes rains, and then yellow heat that causes greenery. It is only because of me that our Earth is called Mother Earth. Without me even our Earth cannot become Mother Earth. I am the cycle of rain that make Earth, mother. My cycle alone is responsible for human cycle and nature’s cycle. I alone run all industries — from rearing of livestocks to refineries, from farming to washing, from sugar to paper, and so on.
I am the one who quenches the thirst of human beings. I exist in every animal, bird, insect, fly, tree, plant. Without me there is no life on drylands. Only I germinate the seeds. In a dehydrated body, I save life by mixing with salt and sugar. It is only I who travel from Ocean to Sun to keep this Earth alive. I create and run the entire universe. Still my presence is never intrusive.I dedicate myself to human beings. Man uses me all 24 hours, from his birth till his death. He uses me for different things — for washing clothes, dishes, fruits, vegetables floors, equipment, for bathing, for kneading dough, mixing cement and concrete. I make lives, fester them, and cool them. Without me cities and villages become helpless, sick and deserted. Even great capitals such as Agra and Fatehpur Sikri got deserted without me.
I set up Delhi by flowing in Yamuna. Because of me in Thames that London came into existence. I am the initiator of all work. I initiate farming, animal husbandry, fishery, and even puja and prayers. I am the provider of food, recreation, joy, glory. That is why that in the deserts of Rajasthan, based on my availability, villages’ names were prefixed or suffixed with my forms such as Sar, Taal, Naadi, Jhalron, etc. Names of villages were linked with me. I am the life, livelihood and pride of Man. I live everywhere — in rivers, lakes, ponds, reservoirs, seas and oceans. I live in air in the form of steam, dew, droplets, cloud, and ice crystals. In mud I live in the form of moisture. I live the form of groundwater in aquifers. In poles and mountain peaks, I live in the form of snow. I am the life in flora, fauna, vegetation. In fresh bread that a man eats, I live in the form of steam. I am the rain that fulfils all needs of the Earth. I am in the form of snowfall and glacier in mountains that melts and forms rivers. I have everything. I am made of salts, minerals, gas, hydrogen and oxygen. Carbon di oxide mixes with me.
With nitrogen and carbon di oxide etc. I make water plants and algae. Without me, many rivers, rivulets, nulls, plants and algae become dry. Sun and I along with other gases together first created flaura, and thereafter, created fauna. At last I created Man. This is also called life cycle. This life cycle is created by my water cycle only. Every one should remember this. But now Man has forgotten this. I alone work to bring to life Nature and Humanity. But I am neglected today.
I walk with friend by becoming rainbow in the sky. I become cloud in the sky to carry water to the land. Every day and night people used to get my darshan (view) in ponds. I change my colours every morning, afternoon and evening. I am the taste in every kitchen and I am adorned with fruits, flowers, and leaves. Women pay respect to me by adorning me. I am Neer, Naari and Nadi (Water, Woman and River). Neer is life. Naari is procreator, and the flow in the river is me.
My cycle has dynamic life element. I always have my dynamic presence in lives on earth, in human beings. I can be seen above the earth but most of my part are unseen but can only be felt. This is possible only by giving me love and respect. One can realise my power with drinking, with perspiring and with my ability to reach the leaves from the root in every tree. I can be seen in vaporisation and underground flow. I position is the same on entire earth. For example, the same sea levels. Rising temperature and climate change have changed the rain cycle but only I can cure such maladies.I am climate. That is why I maintain steady climate. When I am angry, it causes floods, drought and cyclones. I alone dispense justice to Earth, Nature and Humanity. That is why I reach every corner of the planet.
*Dr. Rajendra Singh is an internationally acclaimed water conservationist and is also known as the Waterman of India. The views expressed are personal.
