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 Kerala seems to full of contrast and contradictions,
one being the apparent abundance of water
(the monsoon season is almost upon us), many
people, especially in rural areas are faced
with an acute shortage of potable water. Numerous
streams and rivers that meander and cut their
way across the fertile landscape have punctuated
our drives in Kerala. It is impossible to
miss the small lakes and ponds that freckle
the earthy face of each district. Ironically
the fact remains that Kerala has lesser drinking
water per capita than Rajasthan, a notoriously
arid state with frequent water shortages.
Stereotypical thoughts of the developing world
inevitably conjure up images of people walking
miles and miles for fresh water down dusty
paths with a weather beaten and forlorn face.
On the contrary we found that urban Kerala
has a water distribution system that gives
individual water access to most homes. Our
travels to the interior parts of Kerala revealed
to us some ingenious ways of water collection
and conservation- perhaps storing a few lessons
for the western world on the importance of
conservation of this fast depleting resource.
Conventionally, it is usually the role of
women to collect water for the family, as
the men would be at work, be it in town or
tilling the land. We were however, confronted
with a scenario much different from this belief,
which was that of a
 man
collecting water for his family. We can see
him (pictured) in his sandals, mundu and shirt,
the classic iconic representation of a Keralite
male. Though the feminine signifiers of the
stainless steel bucket balanced on top of
the head with a small piece of rolled cloth
used to ease the discomfort and stabilise
the bucket on a level surface, are in contrast
to our own preconceptions on gender roles.
When speaking with him we discovered that
he does this five times a day. The intervention
of the Panchayat (the local village council)
in resolving this pressing problem saves him
the gruelling trek limiting it to a mere 50
or 60 meters as there are taps placed at 100-metre
intervals along the length of the road.
We also see a small boy chipping in and doing
his bit for his family, he collects water
in his bucket just as his parents do, but
there is a difference in his cycle of water
collection. He stops short and pours the water
into another bucket. Curiosity got the better
of us and with a little investigation we discover
that the bucket is essentially a funnel. At
the base of the bucket there is a length of
hose that leads down the hill straight to
the young boys home. Gravity does the work
of carrying the water down the hill, eliminating
the labour intensive process of lugging water
from the source (a tap in this case) to home.
This mechanism of collecting water actually
cuts down on water wastage as families only
gather as much water as they require. Compare
this to our 'tap happy' western approach where
the water is squandered in our daily bathroom
routines and dish washing. Maybe there is
a positive lesson in this for other communities
and councils elsewhere across the globe?
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A Stoned Generation Awakens
“My name is Baby. Baby… Verghese…
Where have you come from?”
The near perfect English caught me by surprise. Unable to continue with the English, Baby promptly broke up into chaste Malayalam.
“Oh, I only know a few phrases. Many years ago Idukki was famous for “Grass” and there was a regular flow of Europeans, who would rent accommodation for as long as three to four months at a time. That was a good consistent source of income encouraging most farmers to cultivate Grass. It wasn't legal but everybody knew”.
 He was quick to clarify that he had never farmed grass. He only extended his hospitality and rented out accommodation to the Europeans. He added most matter of factly, of course this just helped him make a lot of money. It was this easy money, that fate had bestowed upon him which was responsible for him cultivating vices like heavy drinking and even smoking marijuana. Fate would have it no other way. For 15 years he would start the day with a bottle of Johnny Walker topped by a couple of joints – only to stop in the evening. He didn't remember how much he drank or smoked…those years are a complete blackout His wife adds “I would scold him, but he was so doped out that it hardly mattered to him.”
 Baby is originally from the Thrissur district. He made a move to Idukki, when the dam was being built. His father's brother, who worked at the construction site of the dam, saw a great opportunity for Baby and promptly summoned Baby to Idukki. In retrospect Baby believed coming to Idukki was part of the big game plan, Fate had chalked out for Baby. Baby would diligently go to the dam site every morning, the work never came his way, but interestingly marriage proposals did, from the parents of girls who thought he worked at the dam. He married a local girl, and received some land as “streedhan” or dowry. He took to farming but renting property to Europeans was much more lucrative… and then the easy money allowed for the laziness, drinking and smoking.
Much later a Government crackdown on marijuana and a quick snap to his easy income left Baby rediscovering his farming skills. “It was my “bad luck” that the prices of rubber started falling rapidly (to Rs.25/kg)”. Remorse echoed in Baby's voice, while he concluded that “farming rubber was foolish, so I chopped all my 625 rubber trees. Today rubber trades at Rs.98/Kg. I moved to growing pepper but then it got infested with pests. Then it was vanilla, everyone around here found vanilla a lucrative crop. The rate offered was Rs.5500/Kg, but then today that too has fallen to between Rs.95 to Rs.130/Kg. I will get back to growing rubber, now that the price offered is Rs.100/Kg. It will take me 6 years to get fully grown trees that can be tapped for the next 20 years”.
Baby is 57 at the moment. Does the government offer any advise to farmers, is the first thought that crosses my mind. “No, there is no agency for that, we grow crops according to the trend, the most profitable crop gets sown. It is our luck that decides whether the crop brings in the revenue.”
 Baby has three children, two girls and one boy. The girls are married and yes, Baby had to pay dowry (streedhan). There is no way that girls can be married without the dowry. His son is studying in Ernakulam in some computer course that allows him too send stuff through the computer. I prompted, “email and Internet”, the sound of that bought a glow of confirmation of Baby's stoic face. Of course that was exactly what his son was investing his time in. Baby declared, he is spending Rs.12,500 on the course and will have to spend another Rs.8,500 for the certificate. (The next day when I met him he said that his son called and said that it was difficult for him to carry on with the course – he didn't press his son as it was getting difficult for him to sustain his expenses in Eranakulam. His son will now come back and help him in farming)
Baby is now also a man of God. He goes to church every morning for 2 hours. It's God who got him out of drinking and smoking.
“Did you ever think that you would be sitting in my house talking with me? That's destiny. You never know when luck changes, if you come here after 5 years you might not recognize me, my luck might have changed and I would be wearing trousers, a flashy shirt and sunglasses.”
Notes: Dowry is a popular concept. Streedhan – dowry. Men use dowry as initial investment to settle down.
Unlike the fishing story we didn't come across any co-operatives of farmers.
Nobody talks about rice, most crops that were discussed are cash crops. Is rice becoming unprofitable for small farmers – trends. Farmers like Baby don't talk about the monsoon as a factor, which determines their crop yield; on the contrary it is the rates of the commodity market, which determines their fate. Quite simply the crop of choice is the one that commands a higher price, they don't understand the economics of the commodity market, but go by them as indicators on what to sow.
Baby is in debt of Rs.100,000 and so are many others in his village.
Desmond
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